Likelihood to Recommend I struggle to identify a scenario where VISUAL is an appropriate solution. We used VISUAL because it was a legacy system and the cost/complexity of changeover seemed daunting. The user interface is poor as is the interconnectedness of the various screens and menus. This might be an acceptable piece of software for a continuous manufacturing environment with little variation of basic design, but we have had to write multiple add-on macros in order to get VISUAL to work effectively for us.
Read full review It is excellent if set up well, and users are well trained on how to use it as it is not very user-friendly. But to achieve that, you have to go through the hell of a setup. Support is not knowledgeable in some areas of the software, it is tough to set up and install, and when presented by salespeople, it is all great, but you need to invest a lot to pay it off.
Read full review Pros Infor Visual has a standard way of addressing business operations: sales orders, invoicing, reporting. It is easy to train operators used to using a manual or other ERP system. Material control is easy for production runs, R&D material lists and repairs. The process of receiving, issuing and returning material to inventory is facilitated by standard interfaces that are easily learned by material control operators. Engineering changes to bills of material are facilitated by the "engineering Master" flexible editing capability. The version control for the BOM's can be as detailed or vague as the process designed dictates. One item of a BOM or the entire BOM can be changed quickly and approved for production that day. Read full review Easy report building interface with an query interface that allows financial users the ability to conduct complex queries without difficulty. The ability to create reporting that allows us to review in-depth financial review by drilling down into accounts to find transnational data easily. Easily maintained and monitored with simple upgrade installations and end point installation. Great knowledge base for review and trouble-shooting. Highly knowledgeable and easy to work with staff. Read full review Cons VTA has been extremely unreliable. I would not recommend it. It is not customizable at all. There is no logical way to handle shift differentials which is a huge issue with a company that runs 24/7. If you do not have a schedule set up, they cannot clock in. This poses a problem for anyone that gets called in on a shift they don't normally work on. Read full review It has a poor install procedure which is not standard. It almost requires copying folders from an existing computer to the new install. The update process is less than desirable. It seems like Compusoft needs to do a better job of testing before releasing updates. The interface is a bit archaic. It looks more like a program from 20 years ago than one used today. Read full review Likelihood to Renew Good Technical and Customer Support during and after implementation tasks. Good Project Plan and Management support for implementation and post implementation. Financial functionality could be more comprehensive particularly with Budgeting and Cash Management. Inventory Management capability was adequate but could be more comprehensive as well. "Out of the Box" functionality was adequate but requested add-ons and enhancements seemed to be a bit pricey.
Read full review Usability Because of use cases and easy implementation and the vertical and horizontal scaling.
Read full review Support Rating As we have seen the live environment and the use cases where we implement.
Read full review Support does not know much about software solutions. As an example, I have struggled for weeks just to set up LDAP that should be fairly simple.
Read full review Implementation Rating Could have used more hands-on approach. There are multiple webinars and information sessions but until you actually use the system, these are not very helpful.
Read full review Alternatives Considered We unfortunately did not evaluate any other ERP software. VISUAL was a legacy system and we determined that changing systems would be too difficult, and not cost effective. We reached out to our local VISUAL rep who knew how the software functioned, but not how to apply it more appropriately to our business model, so we continued on with what we had rather than looking elsewhere.
Read full review Prior to Synoptix we were using the reporting tool that comes with our ERP system. It lacked the drilldown and comparability functions that make Synoptix the top pick. Further, designing reports and maintaining reports was very labor intensive
Read full review Return on Investment I cannot comment on business impact. Read full review As a reporting tool it has allowed us to make fact based decisions. We have a significant annual cost with relation to our legacy system and Synoptix provides us with the best tool to mine the data that resides in our legacy system. Read full review ScreenShots