Avis clients sur Windward System Five

Highly customizable software that you can really tailor to your business for an affordable price.

Commentaires : Reduced IT costs, Improved staff experience and greater overall efficiency of our business practices.

Avantages :

I give this review after having tried many different software packages over the last 15 years. Some costing x10 the price of Windard, some costing x10 less. What I'm left with over these years is perspective, and that perspective was hard earned. You will not find a more complete point of sale, inventory control, accounting, crm, etc. for this price range. With the ability to fine tune it to your exact business needs, it's easiest to configure, maintain and operate...especially compared to the "enterprise" software world where your eyes will water from pricing. Its got lightning fastest Point of sale with the absolute best part find search tool I can recall using. The special order management is the best complete solution from any I've tried. If your serious about your Business, you should consider Windard. I honestly think that in the long run it has improved our business, staff and bottom dollar.

Inconvénients :

There is no such thing as perfect software. With that being said, there are issues...but then it's technology. You have to considering that it is a highly customizable product that able to serve an amazing range of business types with thousands of options. What Windward has that sets it apart is a fantastic support team with Canadian staff and an out-of-country team that is admittingly fantastic...probably the best off-shore support that I have ever experienced in IT. Tech support is typically same day, commonly instant or within a few hours of placing a call. If you have an urgent problem, they will find someone for you RIGHT NOW. If you have problems using Windward software...you will most probably have problems using another piece of software. The key with any software, especially if you are new to it, is to have patience and use every opportunity to learn.

Great system management

Commentaires : When we first took over this long-time local business, previous owners did most reports or tracking by hand (ie hand-written invoices entered into QB and hand-written price books) WWS5 helps us keep track of items in inventory, current prices and mark-ups for inventory, general price increases from vendors, EOD reports and sales, and AR accounts much more easily. We do not currently use the accounting portion, but hope to move over to the accounting option with the new data set.

Avantages :

We currently use Windward for our POS and AR needs. This helps keep us on track for monthly billing to AR clients and keeps up with the daily till. We do very much like the additional features such as inventory management, price checks/updates, but have trouble at time keeping it current due to staffing issues. With more staff, this system would be absolutely amazing.

Inconvénients :

When we first installed Windward, there were issues with understanding the larger picture during set-up. Understanding more about the system prior to set up would have helped. We are currently setting up a new database now that we understand more about the full operation of WWS5.

Gets the job done. Do not do the updates.

Avantages :

Very thorough software with lots of room/areas to store Information and very easy to use. The point and click ability of the software makes it easier to train new staff. Can access the software from anywhere in the world using remote desktop connection.

Inconvénients :

The updates do not seem to go very smoothly. And update me fix one problem but two new problems arise that were not problems before. We have actually stopped getting updates and have continued to use our current version for years. We have developed our own internal ways to use the software to its fullest potential without getting updates. Software support is readily available however very expensive and a lot of the problems that we have encountered do not have the solution. In order to get the solution we have to pay for the entire resource development team and have to be very very patient to see results. The yearly license fee does not benefit our company as we do not complete the updates. So we paid the fee however are using an out of date software program Because we are afraid to update. Phoning for tech-support can be quite challenging when the bill is charged per minute and we are on hold for 80 percent of the call. We are usually on hold while the tech support discusses with superior or development team to solve our more complex problems. At the end of the day the software program helps us maintain our current business but is not helping us grow our business. We are not ready to commit thousands of dollars to the software program that still has many issues even if we were to update to most current version

Windward Software is an amazing program to help you run your business in every aspect.

Commentaires : Inventory was a huge issue for us before we started using System Five. We absolutely cannot imagine running our business without Windward System Five at this point.

Avantages :

The Support is A1 and the features of everything from Inventory to Sales Invoices, everything is connected and very user friendly. Reports are easy to run, reconciliations, sales and purchase invoicing, ageing, financials are easy to read and all other functions are again, user friendly.

Inconvénients :

No cons at this time. We didn't like that it didn't have a payroll feature when we started with it but now it does.

Windward Review

Commentaires : Mostly positive when it comes to day to day interaction. Any negatives are more nit-picking issues.

Avantages :

Required Orders system and ability to interact with the invoice easily throughout.

Inconvénients :

Lack of multiple kits. Purchase orders with SO items become buggy with large quantities. If a user moves too quickly in the system, it can break.

continuing forward

Commentaires : We are continuing to use System Five as migration is a challenge for a small business like ours. The support crew at Windward work well to address issues; however, our account manager failed to address items that were still in process just prior to go live. Those items remain outstanding as support is unable to address them.

Avantages :

Immediate processing of credit card transactions. The fact that System 5 is in the cloud is one of the primary reasons we purchased the product.

Inconvénients :

Not enough explanation of defaults in System 5 caused redundancy in our chart of accounts. The monthly reconciliation requires that several routines be performed before you can have a reliable balance report of income/expense reports. Modifiers were disappointing as we learned that they must be setup on an item-by-item basis, rather than a category or brand basis. Custom reporting is extremely lacking and doesn't allow for us to produce the reports we need.

Tami McQuown

Commentaires : Its been a great experience!

Avantages :

Ease of use, technical support answers all questions

Inconvénients :

Credit card transactions did not go well at first

Would like to set up the system again knowing so much more now than was first told.

Avantages :

Windward is easy to navigate and manipulate. Inventory items are easy to add and change. Like the way the payroll system integrates with Windward so no need to journal . Love the support I have received when requiring assistance from the team in the Philippines . They are prompt in getting back to you and try to assist at all times.

Inconvénients :

When trying to customise the system to suit our requirements alot of manual hours are required to change simple things like updating prices and modifications. When we needed to collect information from the system we required a special programme be written to fulfil government requirements. This additional reporting is cumbersome to produce. There is also alot of double entry when making a payment and then having to do a journal entry to reflect the same. A journal entry should be automatic. Would like the ability to make ledger numbers inactive Although we have a very confusing payroll and tax system, we experienced many issues with setting up the payroll system with this year being the first year we have successfully produced a payroll summary. Even then it required alot of double/triple checking to ensure the information was correct. Adding a new employee is once again difficult and time consuming. It would be great to be able to copy an existing one.

This softwear has made our business extremely essential to operate.

Commentaires : the main function of our business, our retail set up revolves around the software making it easy to operate day to week, to month to yearly. it has been absolutely essential. recording & keeping track of everything form our substantial amount of inventory, along with accounting, reports, staff, ect. our main source of operations for sure. :)

Avantages :

that is is absolutely fluent in keeping all of our information organized & keeps me able to do my job as a 1 woman Owner/Operator. without this softwear we would not have been able to stay open for the past 11 years without the ease of Windward System 5, for my retail business.

Inconvénients :

for us a small retail shop, the maintenance & updating costs are quite high & out of our price range on a year to year basis.

I've been a Windward user for close to 20 years. Overall, my experience is frustration.

Commentaires : The system has a good POS system. It is quite easy to use but does have serious flaws. You can integrate VISA processing with the system, however, this opens another set of problems.

Avantages :

The ability to expand on transactions no matter which module you are in is a nice feature. The GST function is also very good.

Inconvénients :

With every update, there is a new set of problems. In addition, you can not add additional data bases, terminals nor change your company information such as address, phone etc. Windward's main goal seems to be collecting licence renewal fees and support fees at higher than market rates. They control the number of users - unlike Simply Accounting who allows up to 10 users for a basic license. Windward also charges a licence fee PER DATA BASE. This is bogus! Overall, I am disenchanted with Windward and moving away from the product after over a decade of use.

Windward- Success for Power Equipment, Construction Supplies and Rental

Commentaires : We have been using System 5 since 2003. The system has scaled to our operation as we grow. The accounting side is robust and handles all our AP- AR- and General Ledger needs. Purchasing is fully automated. Billing customers can be fully modified with "Types" and "subTypes" to keep the status of orders updated and classified. Our inventory and product locations have been controlled and managed with the Advanced Inventory Control. The system is constantly being improved with fixes and new features multiple times per month. The database is rock solid. After 14 years, we never have had data corruption requiring the loading of a backup. All our employees depend on the info from system 5 to make decisions and give customers information. The ability to customize and provide information to users is endless and grows each year. We have used the barcode function and have 40,000 SKUs barcoded and labeled. We have even barcoded our rental equipment. We rely on this system for everything and for 14 years it has been bulletproof. Because we sell, service and rent serialized equipment, the "UNIT" way of handling things is great. Provides cost, service and income information.

Avantages :

We could not run our business without the information and order that the system provides! 1. Ease of use- Everything is in one program 2. Total integration- We don't need to transfer data to another program like QuickBooks 3. Strong Accounting, Control, and reports- Ability to customize GL and P&L format and multiple years. 4. Hundreds of pre-built Reports- We rarely do custom 5. Ability to create custom reports 6. Barcoding and Barcode printing- Couldn't live without it 7. Integrated Credit card Processing-Vantiv- Saves errors and time 8. Moves easily from desktop to desktop - configures easily when replacing stations 9. Weekly online training to learn features. 10 Responsive support staff who find the answers to any questions. 11. Ability to attach pictures and documents. 12. Unit history on serialized items. 13. Automated output of data, pictures pricing and descriptions to our Website

Inconvénients :

Probably not really a con But there are so many features available, it take some time to learn and put them into daily practice. The rest are just enhancements we'd like to see !! First, We would like to see the RMA system simplified. Second, we would like to see the E-commerce platform developed more. We are using it now for our website, but we would like to see more features and search options. Third, we would like to see the Timecard function developed and enhanced. Fourth, we would like to see the offering of more credit card processing options. Fifth, we would like the ability to attach PDF's to items, instead of JPG. But all in all, the system works really well!

From your friends at Bob's

Commentaires : Windward 5 does so much above and beyond the POS/accounting systems I have used in the past, and I know I haven’t made it through all it has to offer. The integrated CRM is very useful for keeping track of appointments and follow ups. I’m able to see that staff has made these appointments and keep them accountable for follow ups.
There is so much that can be done to organize and track inventory. Set multiple selling prices, build kits out of existing parts. Add pictures for staff and customers to reference, and way more.
Booking orders use to take me days to put together. Now the system tells me what I need based on past years. Some orders now take me less then a hour. Information and automation. Windward tracks so much for you and automates tasks. Saving you 100’s of hours and $1000’s of dollars a year. I am very happy I made this investment

Avantages :

Windward 5 does so much above and beyond the POS/accounting systems I have used in the past, and I know I haven’t made it through all it has to offer. The integrated CRM is very useful for keeping track of appointments and follow ups. I’m able to see that staff has made these appointments and keep them accountable for follow ups. There is so much that can be done to organize and track inventory. Set multiple selling prices, build kits out of existing parts. Add pictures for staff and customers to reference, and way more. Booking orders use to take me days to put together. Now the system tells me what I need based on past years. Some orders now take me less then a hour. Information and automation. Windward tracks so much for you and automates tasks. Saving you 100’s of hours and $1000’s of dollars a year. I am very happy I made this investment

Inconvénients :

It does take some time to set up, but you do get some great help. There is allot to learn. Be prepared to give this some attention, it will be worth it.

Windward can't do that, but let's try to come up with a "Workaround" for you....

Commentaires : Headaches

Avantages :

I like the ability to special order a product on a work order and have it directly linked to the purchase order. Great for tracking an item through.

Inconvénients :

INVENTORY!!!! There is no direct link between the inventory sub-ledger and the ledger. There is no transaction list of what is recorded in the sub-ledger, so balancing inventory and determining where an outage may have occurred is a long, tedious process that involves tracking every purchase order received, bill, work order and invoice put into the system. Implementing the software is very time consuming and self-regulated. Enhancements to the software can be requested if your company agrees to pay for the programming time to develop it.

Scalable multi-user POS retail from a company that listens and adapts.

Avantages :

Excellent customer support 24/7. A product that is scalable to your business. One of the few softwares that have a stand-a-lone ability that allow sales and lookup when the main server is offline or unavailable. Inventory orders in cases or singles by multiple suppliers with multiple part numbers and UPC codes for a single item. Capable of printing price tags on the fly when receiving. Easy lookup of products at the POS terminal by description, barcodes, serial numbers, etc. (Think about a phone caller asking for an item that is not in your hand, no numbers available and you need to quote the price.) Easy Purchase ordering. Easy resorting of POs in a fashion that matches the packing list. Complete control of forms, receipts, printers, slip printers, faxes etc. Multiple price groups and quantity price levels allowing maximum flexibility to different retail environments. Matrix pricing, kit pricing (both dynamic and static) with prices broken out or just single line on receipts. This software is our forth in 30 years and in our use since 2003. Regular updates and revisions are available to keep it fresh and up to date with changes in the ever changing retail industry. This is a very robust software and does far more than given here.

Inconvénients :

Back office reporting is probably the weekest area. However, custom reports are available and creatable. If you are looking into any software you should have a list of what you need to know daily, weekly and monthly and have it demonstrated to you. Another area is handling price protection from manufacturers. It is not easy to drop cost on items that receive price protection. It can be done but is time consuming.

Very flexible, comprehensive software package with a somewhat cumbersome user interface.

Avantages :

the flexibility thanks to various data load and import options, the ability to chain import/exports and call external scripts; detailed permission settings; the numerous features; lots of customisable reports easily ported to spreadsheet or similar.

Inconvénients :

- documentation is very fragmented, incomplete and sometimes just wrong. - the user interface is not intuitive and a long way from modern apps. I couldnt convince our sales team to use the tasks/appointment/history-comments section as they found it too complex (but feature wise I think it's good). - the one time we needed support, we received bad advise which would have crippled this company if it had been followed. - a selection of sample scripts would really help with implementation of more complex customisations. - the unique email feature is applied across both suppliers and customers. this is problematic where a customer is also a supplier. - no support for linux pervasive engines any more. - no support for Sys5Script.exe any more. - the template editor is very unpleasant to use. Very tricky to create a visually pleasing document.

Honest Thoughts

Commentaires : This system is chalk full of great concepts but it always falls short of our needs. The band-aids given for our issues are never a resolution, just a temporary fix and often more work. System Five does work, it crashes every few months but overall we can continue with business. We will continue with System Five.

Avantages :

There are many features that could be incredibly useful. The reports have vast options which we utilize often.

Inconvénients :

It seems every update an equal amount fixed gets broken. We always seem to be chasing down issues and fixing bugs. There is not one week we do not have issues in our system, user or system error. Every feature seems to tap out in functionality. They all have an amazing idea, but when we try to use them there is always a reason it does not work for our system or with our data.

It was difficult to learn as I came into this system with no business background.

Avantages :

Customer service was excellent, the people at the help desk were patient, kind and skilled in training me on the system and in accounting. It is excellent for tracking inventory, clients and suppliers. The reports are helpful, too.

Inconvénients :

Creating forms is difficult as well as some of the terminology. I have difficulty using the help menu because what I look up what I think something is called.

Best system around if you are willing to put the effort in before you go live, super easy POS side.

Commentaires : Best system I have ever used, to date have implemented this system in 2 businesses. This system has increased speed of transactions and lowered overheads. Best all round system.

Avantages :

Have put this system in 2 businesses have had no real issues to date that have not been easy to fix. POS is pretty flawless and easy to use. You can report on just about anything. Support staff are fantastic, and implementation was easy. Windward are with you the whole way making sure everything works.

Inconvénients :

To date have non, anything that I have ever had an issue with usually stems from user error. There are some processes that I would like to have, and they can absolutely be custom programed, like seeing what items on the invoice are have customer contract pricing, but this does not affect most sales and can be checked other ways. So not really a con just something that my end would be great, more than likely there is a way to do this. I am always learning new things to stream line the process.

This software is the most in depth software program we have found.

Commentaires : The best benefit is being able to control inventory.

Avantages :

It tracks model and serial numbers of appliances for customers and stores the details. Easy to use.

Inconvénients :

Set up was a little hard just because you had to create every outstanding work order you already had and every inventory item you have and when you are dealing with appliances, furniture, mattresses, and appliance parts it was a lot to do. The system upgrades and up front costs are somewhat pricey.

IN THE LAST 2 1/2 YEARS OF USING THE SYSTEM I HAVE HAD SEVERAL PROBLEMS!EVEN LOST RECURRING RENTALS

Commentaires : TAX WRITE 0FF, I COULD HAVE USED BETTER !!!

Avantages :

INVENTORY/ RENTAL SET-UP , PAYROLL AND TIME CLOCK.

Inconvénients :

RECURRING RENTALS LOST IN SYSTEM TO WHERE 5 MONTHS OF RENTAL LOST. COST OF THE SYSTEM WAS EXPENSIVE AND AFTER A GLICK IN THE SYSTEM IT COST ME ANOTHER 1500 TO GET IT UP AND GOING AGAIN ! WISH i WOULD HAVE DONE MORE TRIALS WITH OTHER RENTAL SOFTWARE !!!

This software is a good POS system for garden centers and an adequate accounting system.

Commentaires : Inventory Control

Avantages :

Very fast at the registers - was also fast for cards until recent changes Easy to drill down pretty well throughout the system Good stock control system Easy to export items to Excel

Inconvénients :

Often reports don't align ie it produces different numbers depending upon the report you make - it's all fairly mysterious but it's something to do with the integration of the accounting system. Way too many available reports with confusing names, but obvious reports such as what our sales were today / yesterday / last week etc. are either hidden or need a workaround to access. Accounting system seems adequate to me but is hated by my bookkeeper. It was great 7 years ago when we installed it but it hasn't changed much since and I suspect that there are more intuitive systems out there today.

Basic programming and intigration issues.

Commentaires : Having trouble intigrating Windward System Five, with shipping programs.

Avantages :

Easy for the sales people to use, once they are very familiar with the system.

Inconvénients :

There are basic programming errors, such as date changes, Currency type, etc. that do not flow through the je, you have to change existing je's line by line. The control numbers should change what is in the je. When I addressed the issue, I was brushed off and just told to adjust the entries. When you try to use a date range for printing vendor accounts it does not work. Trying to get it to work with other programs has been a problem, and everthing has a price tag associated with it.

SOFTWARD THAT DOES IT ALL

Commentaires : It took a little time to learn the features but we have been very pleased with how this software works for us in our retail Hobby Shop. We have a huge inventory which is constantly changing - no problem for Windward. Windward handles our point of sale including receivables. Tracks our purchases and payables and allows us to create reports and bar codes and so much more. I can't imagine a type of business that could not function with this very extensive software at a reasonable price. Lots of good updates and fast help available when you need it.

Avantages :

Ability to design inventory reports that provide us detail on what has been sold in a date range and allows us to purchase wisely.

Inconvénients :

Only one thing I would like to see added: A report to show income and expense in a spreadsheet by month.

Not the right system for our type of business. Probably better for a small retail company.

Avantages :

I really don't know what we like most about the software. We have had the system for almost 10 years and it has never worked well for us, even after investing tens of thousands of dollars...

Inconvénients :

Not user friendly. Expensive. Support doesn't know how to fix the problem most of the time. System not capable of performing functions that are necessary for our business. Confusing. Have spent hours and hours trying to get the system to work correctly without success. Hired someone to come help us learn the system better that cost us almost so much money and we weren't any further ahead than before they came.

Using Windward software for our small business has saved hours of time

Commentaires : Improved inventory management and tracking of customer service orders

Avantages :

We like the way we can track service and parts for our customers and how the point of sale system tracks our inventory

Inconvénients :

The payroll module isn't as easy to use as the point of sale module and fine tuning forms can be very confusing