Likelihood to Recommend CMiC is a robust platform best suited for large companies with resources for implementation and management of the program. One analogy is CMiC is like a droid phone where the user must decide how to use all the features of the program (as opposed to an iPhone where most configuration decisions are made for the user). Smaller companies with limited resources can struggle with CMiC both with the expense and configuration.
Read full review ZipBooks is really strong for small businesses (and non-profits like the ones I help manage). It may not yet be ready to handle medium or large businesses given the deep, niche functionality that is sometimes required in those cases.
Read full review Pros The user interface is similar to that of other project management software applications so folks in our company that had previously used other applications have been able to switch over fairly easily. I really like the software and it was much less expensive than other applications. I like the mobile application so that our superintendents can view the documentation on their phones. I really like the punch list capability mobile field, however, we have a hard time getting our superintendents to use it for some reason. Read full review Invoicing is particularly easy-to-use, quick, clean and beautiful. GREAT for branding. The time tracker was unexpected, but very useful and integrates well with the invoicing. Leads to quick invoicing every time. Customer support is phenomenal -- the support staff is friendly and helpful. Although they are a new company, they are definitely on the right track! I recommend this software to clients, colleagues, and friends alike, mostly for it quick and beautiful invoicing. They do what they can to live up to their name! It doesn't take very long to get set up, or very long to create a complete invoice and send it to the right person. Read full review Cons Needs to be more user friendly on the mobile side of the platform. Ease of use is key here. There is not much instruction or support in standing up some programs like deploying ECM for outlook, making Collaboration Gateway work, or setting up the system for getting Plans available on the mobile devices. Security configuration is extremely detailed and spread throughout the system. It is extremely hard to make adjustments to a person's security unless you know exactly where to look, which requires years of experience but shouldn't. Read full review There is some difficulty with a need to learn the use of the menus, they are not open and click, at the moment, the user needs to open the menu then using the pad keys scroll down and use enter to select from the drop-down menu. A mouse does not work. Read full review Likelihood to Renew This is a platform that would continue to be in the best interest for our company. I just hope that CMiC support removes the gaps between the enhancements that they create to better the system to what they currently have
Read full review Usability I believe it isn't easy to use and is unintuitive. Undecipherable error messages appear throughout the application without indicating what is wrong or how to correct it, in my experience. The terminology on the screens is specific to Canada, which adds to the confusion.
Read full review Reliability and Availability Sometimes since this is a cloud based product the system can become slow but we haven’t had any issues of availability without CMiC first letting us know it would be down
Read full review Performance Reports are pretty shown to run but general pages typically load pretty quick.
Read full review Support Rating The support team [has] been in touch with our deployment team and has given them effective guidance up to completion. It has helped us in [the] best methods of resource allocation and secure record-keeping process. We have tracked all our billing information and made the right payments with documentation and avoided [unnecessary losses]. [The] support team has [to] lead our teams to the right channels and empowering our team with the right skills for maximum production.
Read full review In-Person Training The training was on system functions and not really how best to use it for our business. It would have been nice to be provided recommendations for use rather than just a blank slate of functionality.
Read full review Online Training I felt the training was good and the trainers knew the software.
Read full review Implementation Rating Lots of confusion between sales and implementation regarding what was included and not included...the security encountered a "bug" and made it extremely difficult to set up roles and individual responsibilities
Read full review Alternatives Considered CMiC Construction Platform is the best price point in the market. Others are revenue-based billings, and the annual fees reflect as such. CMiC Construction Platform support staff is generally amazing and offers real-time support on critical issues. The imaging and workflow functions are real-time savers. CMiC Construction Platform is generally a smaller and in touch organization that treats your team like their own and stays with you after the purchase.
Ejay Gering Vice President of Construction and Field Operations
Read full review I've primarily compared ZipBooks vs. Quickbooks because I've used Quickbooks at larger companies before. ZipBooks was the right fit for a smaller organization because it still had all the core features of Quickbooks but at a dramatically lower price that fits the budget.
Read full review Scalability CMiC has several key features that can either work together or independently depending on your companies needs.
Read full review Return on Investment Better project visibility, surely. I can step into a former project and see how well/poorly it was run. Forecasting underway - nearly complete with year 2. Cost status tracking - this has been valuable, especially when figuring out how much of a liquid budget is left over. Read full review ZipBooks is entirely affordable, and with my current $15/mo payments, I get ROI pretty quickly. Invoices are simple and easy to make, while staying beautiful and functional at the same time. This saves me TIME, which means that I don't need to spend 15-20 minutes fiddling with the software to make it do what I want it to do. It just works. And that means, I can spend more time doing client work, and managing projects and sales. Read full review ScreenShots CMiC Construction Platform Screenshots