Avis clients sur UDA ConstructionSuite

Katy is great!

Commentaires : I seem to call a lot and I always get fast and friendly help. The staff is efficient and quickly fixes my issues.

UDA Construction Suite

Avantages :

There are no perpetual fees as with most software company's. You have the option to purchase you license.

Inconvénients :

The dash board works but at times it feels a little dated. The main complaint is that spellcheck doesn't work with in the estimating portion. You must export to a document and then run spell check.

I like it, But there are allot of things that do not work as well as you are told.

Commentaires : Using the estimating with proposals and scheduling is the most important parts.

Avantages :

Having the estimating produces a proposal and schedule from the estimate. Project work flow is a very valuable tool, Launching the items inside of work flow is very smart thing.

Inconvénients :

There is no training on how to set up a estimate to move into proposal smoothly and than a schedule that you can use. You have to understand that the estimate needs to be set up just so, so you can get the proposal to work well and the same for the schedule. Nothing has worked yet for me that I can sit the settings and just go with it, without allot time spent editing the proposal greatly and Schedule. The proposal could use more options to choose on adding or removing parts of the estimate to give more flexibility to how the proposal will read. There is allot to be desired on the integration with QuickBooks. Contacts do sync well and allot of the contact info does not sync. The reports in suites have never matched up with Quickbooks reports for me. Does not have a good invoicing system that well work well with QuickBooks. Project files in suites is a very slow file. UDA needs to work out the flow on how things react to each other when you do something in one part of the program and how it will react in another. I use both Suites and Online parts of one program works better than the other program. I would like to know how other people are using the program.

Commentaires : We are a General Contractor in it's second generation, formed in 1959 by my father. We do both residential and light commercial work, renovation, and new construction. When I got out of college in 1983, and made the decision to come back to work with my father in the family business. I spent 5 years working in the field. Back then all estimating was done long hand on paper, with some use of estimating books like RS means, as well as a gut feeling for the work to be done. I knew if I was to move the company forward, I needed to be more effecient and precise method for accurate estimation. After convincing my father that we needed to computerize, I started researching software. We started with DOS based programs that had estimating, report writing, documents, and bookkeeping. The estimating had the 16-division CSI format, which I was familiar with because of work I had done with architects. This system had a built in database that I could modify and add to and job costing to track actual cost against the estimates. Mom learned the bookkeeping end, but I always did my own job costing to get the most accurate cost data I could, and created many of my own estimating items. This was a good system for 20 plus years.
I knew that at some point I was going to have to modernize the system. When my parents retired and my wife entered the business, she immediately needed to run up to date accounting software. We purchase Quickbooks because of the referrals and high recommendations. It works quite well, although we were not job costing with it; I was still doing my own recording for my estimating. Even though she pointed out to me that I could estimate and job cost with it, it had no data base and the CSI format, so I had no interest. I new I wanted somthing similiar to what I was using but with up to date features. I started my reseach on software again, looking at the vast quantity of demos out there - there are a lot of them. Some had programs with estimating, and some with their own accounting modules and billing. Although we do some light design work, I wasn't interested in strictly estimating. We're not a track builder. I didn't want all new accounting software because of our comfort with Quickbooks. I came upon UDA Construction Suite through direct mailings or trade magazine ads. I looked at it several times over a few years, still looking around at anything I came across. I found myself going back to UDA to look again. I was attracted to it because of intergration with Quickbooks, CSI division format, built in documents, and now scheduling which I never had before. I knew that I would be able to create my own data base from years of costing with my other system, but it included RS means cost book which I thought would be real handy for items I may not have. I also needed to stop doing my own data-entry for job costing when it could be done with Quickbooks. I liked that it seemed to have more than I needed, so I could grow with it. Easy to use windows format with spreadsheets we're familiar with. We purchased the UDA Construction Suite Residential Premier. It had everything I was using before and more. Since I had my own data base for light commercial items, I felt we did not need the commercial version at this time. But the decision to buy was also based on the ability to upgrade to a higher package without completely rebuying software. All my questions I had up to making the purchase were answered. UDA really seemed to be a company that wanted to work for and with their clients. That by my making an investment in this, they would be there for me, and that this was a purchase that would work for me for years to come. Since getting the product, I've found it really easy to click around and learn on my own. The training videos that came with it, as well as the webinars offered on a regular bases, are great for showing what the software can do. Customer support is awesome - if I send them an email, the response is very quick. It is very easy to call them and talk to someone; I feel like I have my very own personal customer service representative. Being a small company and having to wear all the hats, it can sometimes take a while to make any transition. I have no doubts at all that as I fully implement all that this software can do for me, that UDA will be there to help if needed, making sure that I can get the most out of it. Definitely comforting that I made a really good purchase decision.

Commentaires : I am a small builder that builds large, very high-end custom homes, and have been using ConstructionSuite for nearly 3 years. I looked for a construction management system because I needed to integrate CSI pricing, manage the unique nature of allowances, and off-the-shelf, tailor-able specifications. I also hoped to find a fully flexible scheduling function; I got more than I hoped for. I tried some other construction cost management systems, but none of them are close in comparison to CS - in terms of functionality, ease-of-use, and reasonable cost (it is not cheap, but it is worth it). The product allows me to have automation in estimating, reporting, invoicing (including AIA Applications for Payment), and project scheduling. The easy, flexible structure has facilitated me taking a giant leap forward in management and presentation of cost and scheduling data. It also provides standardized documentation (contracts, other forms), which I honestly did not need, but many people would find very helpful/useful. Importantly, Construction Suite gives the option to use the CSI pricing structure (both residential and commercial), which is essential to better creating and managing budgets (estimates vs. actuals, CO's, etc.). The other products that do enable the CSI structure are archaic and far more expensive. It also has a Specifications function, wherein it uses standard CSI specs that can be opened and altered for each project. The financial functions save me hours on each invoice (specifically in the reporting that comes with invoicing). The structure, reporting, and schedules give me the presence to rival competitors that have 4 staff people to do what I do. The presentation and functionality that I now demonstrate, I believe, has been a big factor in opening doors to some of the very highest-end architects in the region. So not only am I more efficient and professional in how I manage my finances and projects, I do believe it is getting me more business. And once the project is underway, my budget anxiety has been greatly reduced, because I now have a very important instrument for managing budget, Allowances, Change Orders. Without getting into details, it also helps greatly reduce some of the budget difficulties with customers - they better understand what goes into a high-end home, and they have better assurance in how the budget is managed and invoiced. One other seemingly small but important aspect is that CS has a cost category for Allowances - I did not find one single other product that had Allowances such that they could be handled separately. On all of my projects, Allowances are a fluid cost that account for about 40%-50% of the overall budget, and you need to be able to separate those from the rest of budget. There is still one drawback, in that you cannot apply Allowance status to Change Orders, but I am told that will change in an upcoming release. Lastly - I have never had a software provider that has been so intimately involved with each customer. Even before I decided to purchase their "Total Care", the interaction was truly refreshing, and they have even taken the time to review and discuss every suggestion I have made. They have simply explained a rejection on some of the suggestions, but they have been receptive to constructive comments that will improve their products. (For example, the Change Orders to Allowances, as discussed above). The only 4-star rating I have given them is on "product quality". There have been stability issues and communications issues with Microsoft products. But they are phasing out the dependence on Word (already done) and Excel (purportedly in 2013), and that will provide some great benefit for performance. If you are a small or medium-sized builder, and want to present yourself to high-end customers, if you want to have more professional control on your projects, if you want to keep your QuickBooks but put it on steroids, and you undertake more than one project at a time, you will gain tremendously from CS. It is not inexpensive, but it is much more competitive than its competitors and it will pay for itself. I just hope none of my local competitors use it.

Updated Review

Commentaires : Now that we've used Construction Suite for about six months, I wanted to share our experience and explain why I consider it a five star program. We are a small remodeling and cabinet company that specializes in highly individualized projects, with almost all of our design work done in-house. We originally set out to find a replacement for our Excel estimating spreadsheet and to move our scheduling off of a wall calendar. What we've wound up with is an entirely new way of running the business side of things, with all of our contracts and documents, customer management, and job costing being done through Construction Suite now as well as estimating and scheduling. As the owner, I was not expecting to change how I tracked customers (Zoho CRM) or handled job costing (Quickbooks Contractor) but I couldn't be happier now with handling all that information in one place. It has been an easy transition out of our old systems and into Construction Suite by taking things one process at a time; for example we moved estimating over, then contracts and scheduling, etc. and we're now about 90% transitioned. In the other programs we evaluated, I found they seemed to be geared towards general contractors that rely heavily on subcontractors, leaving the estimating side of things with no more utility than our old spreadsheets. Construction Suite's estimating allows us to break down costs into as much or as little detail as we need, and communicate with Quickbooks to track actual cost vs. estimated costs at whatever level of detail we need. For example, we may enter flooring for a project as one item ( a subcontractor's quote) and in the same estimate break down costs for a kitchen island down to each hinge and drawer guide, all in the same estimate. This has been a game changer for us and has cut estimating time down by at least half. Most of all, I can compare each line in the estimate to the actual cost imported from Quickbooks, and know down to the line item if we've made or lost money. If you've tried job costing in Quickbooks, I've felt your pain and I'm here to say there's a better way. There are many more positive things I could elaborate on but I don't want to turn this into a novel, so here's the gist of it: Programs like this can be intimidating, but Construction Suite can be approached as a collection of smaller programs with tiny learning curves. You can treat it as a contacts list to start, then master the calendar, and so on. This worked well for me. Call them. Buy TotalCare and you'll get your money's worth in advice from people who know their stuff. Overall this has been the best single feature of Construction Suite. Good luck with your search, Mike Jungers, Owner New World Contracting

Avantages :

Depth. For almost every phone call to tech support, there has been a feature already in the program that does what I need. Not that it's a hard program to learn, I've just found it's faster and much more pleasant to call them and let them teach me. Top notch customer service! A bunch more pros, but a small one that I really enjoy is it's pleasant to look at. Well done design team.

Inconvénients :

I have had a few cons, such as using assemblies in an estimate, but the version 8 update has addressed literally every small complaint I've had.

You can rely on UDA construction suite for your real estate business

Commentaires : We have China Garden Developers Ltd. under our group of companies. We have been managing our national and international construction through this software. This software has brought transparency and accountability in the company. As the corporate affairs manager, the client management and CRM feature is more important for me. I am delighted with the performance of this software. I do strongly recommend UDA ConstructionSuite.

Avantages :

UDA ConstructionSuite is easy to use and a reliable software for the construction business. I like the following features - a. Budget tracking vs estimated cost. b. Automated billing and invoicing. c. CRM & Customer management d. Customizable cost dashboards and data extraction feature. e. Audit trails with the flow of the job. f. Scope of organizing the projects. g. Availability in mobile phone is also amazing.

Inconvénients :

UDA ConstructionSuite is a great application and I do not see anything to dislike about this software.

UDA Construction Suite works extremely well 99% of the time

Commentaires : Like any system that has the level of functionality that Construction Suite has there are always going to be occasional "niggles". Customer Support are always extremely polite & professional and today, when I called a couple of times to discuss some minor and one not so minor issue customer, rep was extremely helpful and contrary to what is often the case with support these days, she actually took the time to listen and understand the issues & then helped to resolve every one of them in a timely manner. The most serious of these issues was actually a limitation of QuickBooks and not a Construction Suite issue but all the same this was given the same level of attention and resolved quickly. It makes life so much easier when speaking to someone who genuinely understands the product and is not just reading off a customer service script. UDA provides a fast track to feed issues directly to their development staff. We have been using Construction Suite for several years now and although obviously, it is not a software solution built just for us, it often feels as if it is as it is so versatile. Technology is a huge aspect of our company and a big selling feature to our clients. We could not do what we do without it. I would have rated ease of use as 5 stars; the only reason for giving it 4 is that due to the level of functionality it can take some time to grow in to and learn how best to use the functionality ... but if it were very very easy to use that would probably man a much lower score for features & functionality. I give it a 4 for features as one can always want more.

Avantages :

Reliability (up time) and functionality are extremely important as well as mirroring how we do business in terms of our estimating & scheduling model.

Inconvénients :

Some times the built in application used for creating proposals and other documents can be a bit tricky ... it's kind of like Microsoft Word but the formatting can be a little buggy at times (or perhaps fairer to say a little more prone to user error).

Commentaires : Our company is a family owned and operated organization. We specialize in luxury custom estate homes, and we are experts in waterfront construction. Typically, we build no more than 4 or 5 homes simultaneously due to the complexity of the projects, the size of our company, and the market size for this type of construction.

After going through a fairly difficult economic downturn, things are starting to move again. From 2009-20012 we only built 1 home. In the past year, we have bid on several projects and we are currently building 5 homes ranging from the $500,000 range up to $3,000,000. I can directly credit the detailed proposal that we made using UDA Construction Suite with 3 of the 5 homes we are currently working on. Each of those three customers told us specifically that our proposal was so much more comprehensive than the other builders that were bidding on the job. One customer also said they felt more confident choosing us to build their dream home because of our attention to detail in the proposal and tentative schedule we provided. While we are not a big corporation, we are still competing with them and we must present our company in the most professional, competent manner possible. UDA Technologies Construction Suite has proven to be one of the most valuable investments we have made to help us achieve this crucial goal. In 2006, we started using UDA's Office Suite, since then we have continuously upgraded to the most recent version and we are currently using Construction Suite Pro. We also take advantage of the "Total Care" customer support plan. I must say, this aspect of the software has proven invaluable. The only "negative" thing I could say about the software is that it is somewhat complex and a little time consuming to learn. With that being said, the time invested in learning the software pays off ten-fold. With the help of the staff at UDA, the difficulty is minimized. Every single time I have called to get assistance with some aspect of the software, I have been immediately put in contact with a very capable and friendly technician who seemed genuinely eager to help me with my problem. I never had to press 1 for this or 2 for that. The technicians actually know the software, in and out, and are always able to quickly resolve my problems. They are not looking up the answer in a "help database" as they generally do when I call QuickBooks for technical assistance.

UDA also holds frequent webinars that are free to attend. I have only attended two, but I will be doing my best to utilize this feature more often as I learned a lot from it. Thank you UDA! I truly believe your software and customer support has been instrumental in helping our company stay afloat during this painful recession. The software and the support plan have paid for themselves many times over – we couldn't be happier!

Construction Suite

Avantages :

UDA is a great program to manage a project from the first lead contact to the Final inspection, when I have had a glitch or a question on the program total care has been really great with solving the problem or question. I really like the Job management capabilities UDA has the dash board works well and is easy to navigate.

Inconvénients :

the proposal writer is probably my least favorite option, I like the concept and how the proposal writer is set up however there is a big learning curve on how you enter it in the estimate portion especially if you pulling it from a assembly or the item data base as far as wording an item as to how it pulls it into the proposal I find I do a lot of editing. Also I wish you could chose to pull in a few columns such as allowances, or options and maybe a few other columns you can see in the estimate view next to the line in the proposal item like you see it in the estimate as it sits now you can only have them grouped in the allowance or option category at the top. I also wish there was a Specification integration button in the estimate, they have great sub contractor specification templates I wish you could modify these and save them to fit your company, so then you could click a button in the estimate and pull the specification up and edit and save it in the job and maybe even attach it to the line item in the estimate in the notes category. This is a big part of a job, the specification could be then sent from the job folder in a email attached to a PPF set of plans and be easily sent out, then some how integrate the returned specification and estimate to the job folder and line item. This would streamline the tracking of all theses items.

UDA Construction Suite a game changer

Commentaires : The support is so good its like having these guys in house!

Avantages :

The support is the best I have experienced with any business in any industry. Everything short of accounting under one program.

Inconvénients :

There was some quirks to getting to know a new software.

UDA has been helpful as our company grows and grows

Avantages :

When we are lucky enough to get her on the phone we are guaranteed success. She is always professional, respectful, and kind. She listens carefully when we explain what we are struggling with and she knows what questions to ask to get to the root of the issue. If she is ever unsure about the most appropriate solution she seeks further insight from her colleagues and gets back to us in an incredibly timely manner. She breaks right through any frustration we might be feeling and makes the whole experience better. As a technical support specialist she is worth her weight in gold!

Inconvénients :

It has a very steep learning curve. We have been trying to integrate this software into an existing business model and it has been a bit of a struggle. On-site training prior to implementation may have saved us some headaches but our trip to AL helped get us going on the right path again

Great Product. Steep Learning Curve.

Avantages :

I appreciate how professional the staff are and the way the product looks to clients. I appreciate the efforts UDA has put into providing links to their webinars and their training videos on YouTube. Their technical support is invaluable.

Inconvénients :

There's a steep learning curve to using it, and it does not help that UDA is constantly changing their system. It took me a long time (several years) to familiarize myself and set up my database and templates from versions dating back to 2007 or so. This year, when I was required to update to a newer version because my 2011 version was not supported anymore, I ended up losing a lot of data and functions that I finally had dialed in to my system, and now I am backpedaling and having to re-learn new things. Sometimes, when I am in a support session with a tech, it doesn't inspire confidence in the sense of the software's user-friendliness when they seem to struggle finding a location, knowing why something functions in a certain way, or knowing why it's set up that way. It would be helpful to have a linked directory of keywords to search the video training series. As it is now I find it time consuming and cumbersome to wade through several training videos to find an inkling of relevance to a topic of a problem I'm trying to figure out. And sometimes, that is made more difficult by me not being able to describe technically the facts of the type of problem I'm having. So being able to search a database using keywords would be a good start.

Great Product - Great Support

Commentaires : We have been using UDA ConstructionSuite for over 10 years now and we love it.

Avantages :

The customization and support for an off the shelf product.

Inconvénients :

Is a little cluncky at times but works great overall.

The Best Software for Contractors

Commentaires : You need to try this software to truly evaluate its value. Don't take my word for it. See for yourself.

Avantages :

It integrates with Quickbooks and provides a great way to track clients, provide estimates, and keep clients informed about the progress of the job.

Inconvénients :

I don't know of any other than it offers so much customization that you need to really become familiar with all of the various options available to you.

Superior customer service

Commentaires : One platform for all your construction related needs

Avantages :

I am a new user for construction suite and have been learning your SW for last 2 weeks. Integration of all aspects in one platform. Ability to keep all data in one place and access through one interface. Customer service is easily available and they are eager to help and answer my question. Unlike some of the other reps who wants to get me off the line as quickly as they can address my concern or question, They want to make sure I completely understand the issue and take time to show me features and functionality of the system. I feel very comfortable to ask her multiple questions and always receive knowledgeable answer. There were at least two times where I was feeling overwhelmed with complexity to the point of quitting integration where after talking to her it all made a lot of sense. She is a great asset for your organization and an example of superior customer service that have helped to keep us as a customer.

Inconvénients :

Still new to the software to critique its functionality. the only thing I can say that it was like drinking from a fire hose at first. two weeks into it, it starts make sense and looking easier and easier.

I have used a couple of other contractors software and UDA is the best for my operation.

Commentaires : It helps me to operate on the best level of satisfaction.

Avantages :

The tech support. helped me today fix an update issue. Every time she helps she puts 110% I got it and always come thru. She is the best.

Inconvénients :

There are some improvements that I would like to see in the mobile apps. One is that everything is in one place. This would be more convenient.

Commentaires : ZSR Construction, LLC is a residential and light commercial construction company that has the capability of completing all facets of building, whether it is an addition, custom home, historical renovation to store fronts, or interior renovations. My name is Shawn Reshetar and I recently joined my son Zach who started this company a little over a year ago. My past years were spent building large custom homes and I had purchased UDA software, so it was a no-brainer to get the upgrade to Residential Green and get Zach up and running with a software package that will give him a competitive advantage. We chose Green because we are both certified solar installers and I had been the first builder in our area to build certified green homes back in 2007. The ease of use and the option of support is well worth the price. We feel much more confident in our estimating and scheduling control because of the ease of access through construction on-line. Working 10 hours a day as a small hands-on builder, it can be tough to find the time to learn a new software system. We have found that UDA is based on common sense and similar to a lot of other software that we were already familiar with like Excel and Word. Although we still do not use the advanced capabilities of the system, we feel that we will in due time. Some slow, rainy day we will use one of the on-line seminars to pick up some more insight and keep building our knowledge of the system. Having all this information available to us anywhere we go makes us more confident in our own capabilities. My favorite saying goes "Excellence is the residual result of continual creation and improvement". UDA surely attributes to this being possible.

Great asset for any construction company!

Avantages :

CS has grown with leaps and bounds as the development and support teams continues to stay in sync with industry & client needs; from Estimate to end of project... CS has our team covered. We have had great support from the CS team from product use questions, updates, to customizing templates to fit our company needs. CS has become the hub for all of our day to day project and lead interactions.

Inconvénients :

I would like to see a more centralized location and auto sync between the field and CS... single access mobile app, a calendar that has a push notifications and follows more along with an Outlook feel would be helpful in tracking, scheduling and completing events / activities. When attaching email or texts from with-in CS a better log of who what , when in project history - can't really see what the log refers to once it is sent.

Software Review

Commentaires : Exceptional training and support and overall tools.

Avantages :

Ability to track progress of active constructions projects happening simultaneously.

Inconvénients :

Working on 2 separate laptops that were not synced with the software, helping to keep our team on track.

Commentaires : We are a small design build home contractor and have been in business for about 37 years. We have used several types and kinds of software to run our building business. We looked many times at UDA and always noticed that there was something different here. UDA always seemed to be innovating the product to make it more user friendly. They seem to have a goal of constant innovation and customer support available to help you get up and running. It was not hard to implement, and is very intuitive. What we could not figure out, we made a quick phone call and it was handled either on the phone or through a remote connection so the support people could show me exactly what I needed to be doing. The QuickBooks integration is a little tricky, but QuickBooks is a little difficult to make things mesh. The scheduling is very robust and I really like the estimating and being able to get quotes from the Mean Catalog on items that I have not doubt what to put in for a price or the time that it should take. I like the idea that I can access all of my files anywhere when questions arise outside the office with customers and subcontractors, it lets us look like we really have our act together. The next version I am looking forward to is the total online version so I can have full program advantage at any computer, tablet or cell phone that I have with me. If you are looking for a product that handles everything you need to make a home builders company run better and become more professional UDA Constructionsuite is one of the best if not the best I have used and will use for many years to come.

I have been using UDA Construction Suite since the early days

Avantages :

The Vendor, the support is 2nd to none. Every time I call in it seems like everyone remembers our company and is extremely helpful. The software , with each update , it seems to get better and better . I have been using the software for many years, I had switch to another company years ago which was more expensive and couldn't do the things this CM software does. I ended up switching back after 1yr and have never left.

Inconvénients :

I wish it integrated with outlook, construction online when the job is done , that I could download the log book , and photos into a job site log file. I also wish that there were apps for my windows tablet, the apple and android apps are awesome. The Job costing still needs a little work, and a searchable feature would also be nice.

Good

Commentaires : Great

Avantages :

The program is easy to use, it keeps my files in order.

Inconvénients :

NA

Professional, Patient and Helpful

Commentaires : Full CRM, Project Management, Document Management, etc...

Avantages :

I probably call UDA Support more than anyone... I am beginning to know people on a first-name basis and I'm sure they know who I am, yet every time I call, I am always greeted and treated like it's my first time calling! A huge thank you to the customer service rep for her level of support, patients, and professionalism. We are 100% satisfied and glad we chose UDA!

Inconvénients :

I think it would be good to invest more 1 on 1 time with clients initially to help get them off the ground.

I have had a very good experience with resolving an issue with the notes from an estimate

Avantages :

Easy and simple to use and understand from estimating to scheduling. The short length of time I had to wait before I was speaking with a live person to solve my problem