QuickBase - Tools for the future.
March 06, 2017

QuickBase - Tools for the future.

Anonymous | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User

Overall Satisfaction with QuickBase

Quickbase has been the backbone on which our company has grown and developed. It started off as a simple CRM while also being our test platform for many developments. Currently, it serves as the CRM, product and project management system, resource manager, productivity manager and has been integrated with a large variety of applications, allowing us to sell not just a stand alone system but one that can communicate easily with mainstream systems out in the market today.

  • Quickbase is exceptionally simple to set up as a standalone database. In a matter of hours, simple databases can be created or imported from the library and usage can begin almost immediately.
  • Quicbase is extremely scalable and can easily be grown from a simple, 1 table application, to a massive system covering the entire company. As usage and need for the tool grows, or as the company grows, the tool will grow with you.
  • Quickbase is accessible from almost anywhere providing realtime information on mobile and desktop devices without the need for specialized software or any sort of installation. Mobility is a key element in today's world and Quickbase definitely delivers. Being web-accessible your company will always be able to get to the information whenever it is needed, provided an internet connection is available.
  • Programming on the platform still requires some complex JavaScrpt injections that require a professional. As much as this-- person will eventually be required, it is important to note that some functions could be "built in". Quickbase does evaluate needs and rolls out monthly improvements to the platform so at times functionality upgrades are just time constrained by development calendars.
  • Chart creation could still be improved, as these are at times too "boxed in" to be useful. It is hard to generate some specific reports and the "wizard" used for reports creation will only allow so many options before it is too much for it to handle.
  • Quickbase's Mobile platform is where the largest area for improvement currently stands. While is holds most functionalities the "Full Site" has, not all of them are present or fully functional. Quickbase should really dedicate some time to this platform as it is much quicker and easier to use on mobile than the full site and provides a very interesting expansion to app usability.
I would say without a doubt that Quickbase does make building, deploying and maintaining a business application fast and easy. Because of Quickbase's design, we have been able to develop and deploy in other countries such as Norway and Bolivia, without the need to travel. It has allowed us to expand our customer base and reach far beyond what we could have otherwise while keeping project costs and budgets in control. Thanks to global connectivity we host web meetings and are even able to do changes on-line, whist in a conference call with clients. Quickbase definitely is a plus and its flexibility is a big selling point.
Quickbase I believe ranks first amongst its competitors because of its ease of use and flexibility. It is very simple and quick to modify data entry, formulas and almost all changes within the application. We selected Quickbase because it is the best mix between platform capabilities, client needs, and integration programming. They have enabled our customers to vastly improve their operations through better control systems and process improvement.
Citizen developers are able to build simple tables/forms very quickly. Initial applications may take a couple of hours to create as the user gets accustomed to the system. Once this initial learning curve is over, building new applications can take as little as a few minutes, and they are readily available to all users that the administrator selects. Little to no technical know-how is required, and basic formulas are very similar to those used in MS Excel, so they will seem quite familiar.

In my experience, IT personnel can over-complicate the use of Quickbase as they might be too technical in their thinking, generating more unnecessary conflict or complexity than is required. As complexity grows, it is important to have someone who understands the system and the applications it is running, in order for them to know the workflows and how they integrate with new requirements. This can be an administrator or an IT specialist. I believe keeping it simple and smart is the best way. Over-complications lead to bigger problems down the road.
  • Building and deploying business applications faster
  • Improving our ability to drive insights from our data
  • Improving collaboration across one or more teams
  • Solving a specific business challenge
  • Building and deploying an application (or multiple applications) that meets our exact needs
All of the above outcomes were achieved thanks to Quickbase. The application's flexibility and potential have allowed us to develop, for many companies, fully customized applications that meet their workflows, minimizing or eliminating the need for manual work and improving processes along the way.

When integrating with systems like Oracle or SQL Databases, which are known for their lack of ease to display information/insights, Quickbase has proven to be the perfect tool for managers and process owners, allowing them to really see what is happening in real time and even brought out new curiosities about the business and processes they thought they had controlled.
As Quickbase rolls out new functionalities, customers and users look for ways to implement them into their daily business. We had a case where a tool had been created to follow documents through several departments within the company, each one needing specific things. Originally a simple version was created where everything was managed within the same table. A single record for each document and then multiple fields for the followup details. As the business progressed, we developed several tables for each department to keep track of their specific requirements, all relating to the original table. Later, barcodes and QR codes were added in order to follow up and simplify searching for records and performing different actions. The most recent change was using the new "webhooks", which have allowed automation of several tasks and reminders to different users across the company. It is amazing to see how much this has grown from the original one-table application we started off with.
Quickbase is great as a relational database. It is perfect for holding records of many kinds, relating these records with each other and will work from simple CRM environments (client data, tasks, notes) up to even more complex tasks like production/order control and dispatch. The tool is great for holding information. Where it starts to fall short is when complex calculations are required. No programming requiring iterations are available and "core processing" of data cannot be achieved either. Calculations are executed on record changes. While some automation has been included via the use of web hooks, this is still under development and much can be improved.