Determining profitability at a line item level or at a customer level in our legacy software was almost impossible and very tedious so we used to make a lot of decisions at a high level versus being able to really determine where our issues were. We not have instant visibility and can make decisions daily vs waiting until month end and using volumes of spreadsheets to perform analysis. We have been able to grow our revenue without an increase in operational staffing.

Grove has used P21 for 12 years now and are very happy. We love the fact that we can see rebated costs in the software at order entry and determine exactly what we are making on an order. Everything is part of one package so you are not worrying about add on packages that integrate with P21 as it is all a P21 product. If there is an issue, there is only one vendor to deal with. Our inventory accuracy is extremely high and we can always tell where an order is in process simply by drilling down within the system. Great product.

If there was anything I didn't like I would say that there are some bells and whistles in other parts of the system that have not made its way to the accounting piece. For example, you cannot enter notes in accounts payable like you can in other parts of the software so you have to develop a work around. However, we have always figured out a solution to what we need.

We have experienced a exceptional partnership with Epicor. There have been some bumps in the road but ultimately Epicor listens and responds. We have participated in all of the User Conferences and User Group Conferences. There is an awesome World Wide User Group (WWUG) that is very active and supportive. We have tried to take advantage and apply all of the P21 features that we can and see great return on that effort.

The application is loaded with features and benefits, particularly on the distribution side of the software. Our business consists of both Light Manufacturing (35%) and Distribution (65%) which is one of the key areas of the P21 functionality. You can search the market and find excellent distribution software and also search the market and find excellent manufacturing software, but try to find one that is excellent in both. P21 is the leader in this area and they are continuing to enhance both "sides" of the application. We also like the Windows environment which makes it very easy for new users to learn the navigation. Epicor has a lot of third party partners and providers that can bring volumes of additional resources and functionalities to the table. The SQL database is open which provides a ton of value when it comes to additional functionalities. I also love the ability to modify the baseline software appearance with Dynachange, and basic functional logic using Business Rules, and many other similar features.

P21 was built on an older database structure and has become limited in modifications such as lengthening the Item ID, or improving speed, and other core database structure. This can be limiting, however the solution most of these has been introduced with the Web enabled P21 application. Otherwise we have had a great experience.

increased productivity from order entry and production (kitting) processes

Ease of access to different programs from multiple points. Ease of adding things like contract pricing and customer item numbers

Lack of basic reports that make sense to me. (seems reports must have been written by a programmer that would not be using them on a daily basis). High cost of special reports and basic changes. Basic things like letting you move out of a field without entering anything and it is a required field.

The vast amount of features allows it to be compatible with many different business models throughout several industries which can make it a little over complicated on what to do via data-entry as your company doesn't use every single piece of functionality and you have to fill in the appropriate area for what your company is using as there are allot of fields and tabs that you could have to update. So it can produce very detailed information if allot of the fields are utilized. Speed is a huge concern with this software as it has multiple layers of programming on top of an outdated platform that makes the data entry workable but painfully slow once you get used to running the software. I am not part of the financial portion so I only gave it one star because it wouldn't let me erase and make it no stars. See Advise to Others for more details.

Scale-ability and the capability to mold to a lot of different companies business models. The Purchasing/Forecasting functionality is top notch and very mold-able to any purchasing model ranging from central purchasing down to individualized seasonal items. Once set up it will let you get away with a smaller procurement department as the system will tell you what you need to order. The vendor is good about fixing issues quickly but sometimes difficult to distinguish between an actual error and a company specific business process. There are a ton of purchasable add-on's from the Vendor them-self along with even more third party add-on's that makes this a wonderful software if you have the money and skilled personnel to support it.

Scale-ability and the capability to mold to a lot of different companies business models. Since this software can mold to a large variety of business models it can make training difficult and long due to the complexities of the software's advanced features. This also makes data entry combersome as you have to know what fields to enter depending on what functionality you are using. Slow to implement vendor driven Idea's Network from user ideas. The product feels extremely slow once you get used to running the system and is glitchy because of the method chosen to release updates and advancements. Developers run a continuous improvement program with multiple releases a year so as they are designing new features at the same time they are cleaning errors and glitches rather than waiting a long time for advancements and a rock solid release. This could also be considered good and bad if you need an advancement, you don't have to wait! The companies move to have the first level of support go to India can lead to frustrations because of the communication blearier along with the new support teams are not yet very knowledgeable with the software and the level of experiences with the software is still being developed

We are using Epicor Eclipse (Eterm) to handle our accounting functions, financial reporting functions, sales, purchases, inventory control and whatever else I may have forgotten. We rely on this system, almost to the point of live or die by it.

I like how easy it is to actually use (after set up). I also like how easy it is to learn how to use, especially if you have some previous experience using another brand ERP software. The point upgrades are extremely easy to perform as well.

There are a few things I don't like about this software. The report writer is tricky to use if you only write reports once every couple of years, you can easily forget how it is done/what is necessary. There are certain processes that aren't clearly laid out in the system like hot keys in certain screens aren't laid out.

Integration with credit card processing and sales tax software.

Flexibility to integrate with E-commerce environment.

Ease of use, adaptability when needing to add a specific feature or field.

"Tabbing" to jump from field to field can sometimes get messy. When it's first opened you can use the tab key to jump from different fields like any other GUI. However, after some use for reasons unknown, eventually the "tab track" will slip off the rails and suddenly hitting the "Tab" key just makes it cycle through the top row of fields instead of the entire interface.

The base Eclipse program is very expensive, but is not user friendly. If Eclipse itself operated like JM, then I would give it 5 stars.

Only the job management adder is worth using. It is VERY user friendly when it doesn't act glitchy.

The base system is overly robust and requires extensive training for the average new employee. It is very expensive for a mid size distributor to commit to using.

There is so many thing you can do with this program as it relates to your business. Specifically with each customer, their orders, etc along with inventory.

As mentioned above with so many options, the complexity and different ways to locate the same thing can be overwhelming and take time for those new to the program.

It allows us to make our quotes and keep track of sales orders and invoicing in the software.

There are some finicky issues with Epicor. If I have 2 monitors, and I move the program from one to the other, it is minuscule. There is a check mark that has to be unchecked if I need to change something in a quote. This can be rather annoying.

Prophet 21 has been a great ERP solution for us that has had a profound impact on our efficacy. We have also been able to reduce inventory substantially by using Prophet 21's inventory management tools.

Ease of use. Prophet 21 application designers have put a lot of thought into making Prophet 21 simple to use yet powerful enough to meet the demands of thousands of distribution businesses. Open database. I love the open database architecture. It allows me all the functionality I need to write custom reports for my business. Fits a wide range of business requirements.

Lots of stuff in there we just don't use. Can sometimes be slow aggregating data. Artificial limit on the number of windows that can be open in the software at one time. Most computers today are more than capable of handling a much higher limit.

We incorporate more government regulation obstacles into the software. The software helps so we can plan our next strategic steps.

Adaptability makes the software current with economic trends. We can update with modern technology and still use with legacy equipment.

Glitches that occur during product revision updates. More proof testing, with novice and seasoned users prior to release date might expose issues before a release.

Is a solid system, can't remember the last time we had a problem in the last 3 years.

Is hard to find support outside of EPICOR and is not easy to customize.

P21 has a lot of room to grow, it is great bare bones, and definitely a company you have to be patient with.

many features, room to expand, personalization, lots of networking options, helpful forum, multi functional

pricey, not intuitive, to take the learning courses it costs more money, features come with a basic versions and a "premium" paid for version, such as dynachange and crm

Fairly easy to understand and use.

Very robust, has the ability to do just about anything you could want. From custom pricing by customer to pricing for quantity breaks.

If you need to adjust anything, wording or calculations on an invoice all costs. Plus the cost of additional modules is up there.

It appears deceptively easy to use, but only after you become intimately aware of tab locations and features, and it has a somewhat pleasant GUI. Actually, there isn't much that I really like about it.

It has noticeable shortcomings, such as the inability to reference two or more items as one general preferred item. In other words, if you have the same item that is called 3-4 different item names depending upon the manufacturer of the item, it doesn't allow you to establish the preferred item, and we have been told this feature is a few versions away. The shipping address on POs is often incomplete because the user very often runs out of available space, yet typing in the order screen doesn't do the same thing. The most aggravating feature by far is the customer quotes.The software expressly forbids you to dictate a vendor other than what the system has established as the preferred vendor. It absolutely excludes the option. So what happens is that the order has to be changed to another vendor when processed. If you forget to do this at a later date, you can literally cost your company hundreds or thousands of dollars because the wrong vendor was given the PO.

To be 3 months into this system I feel the transition went well and Epicor is so so so so much better than our previous system. This is a very good ERP system and from a Purchasing/Inventory stand point this system is very robust. There is nothing I feel like I need that I don't have.

For a large system Epicor Supply Chain is fairly simple. It makes it simple to find what you are looking for. Most of the separate quarries you would want to see are a click away. Most anywhere you have a part number entered, you can click into open demand, inventory history, or available suppliers.

We implemented about 3 months ago and setting up to manage our inventory properly took some work. We had done a lot of set up before going live but had a few bumps, nothing that caused serious problems though.

We are a redistributor of janitorial and sanitation supplies in the mid-Atlantic region of the U.S. Our business model, while very successful for us, requires that we have access to, and the ability to manipulate data in unusual ways and Epicor Prophet 21 gave us the flexibility to do that. Because of its complexity and comprehensive nature, it can be a little intimidating to new users, but by incorporating many standard paradigms, it's never been a problem to train users or adapt the system to keep us performing at optimum levels.

As an open database product, we have complete control over the information. When we have run into any issues or had questions, the support staff has been stellar.

Full functionality may only be achieved with the addition of other products which come at a cost and may not integrate perfectly.

SQL databases are fairly easy to work with. Other than that, there's a lot of frustration.

Promises were made by the sales team that could not be met; reporting was not as promised (you mostly need to create your own using Crystal or Excel, and need an sql query writer for the more intricate ones).

I have had their software for 8 years, and every time I have had to call I have had the worst experience. You cannot call and get tech help you have to leave a message, and that message usually isn't returned for at least 24hours even with a system down. They have discontinued my software and while they will still charge me for it, they refuse to even answer a simple question without being rude and condescending. Even before they discontinued my software I still had multiple problems their tech support. I rarely write bad reviews but the last contact I had with this company was so unprofessional.

Because EPICOR uses windows base it makes navigation easy for first time users. Also its DOS orgins still offers the speed of keyboard fast paths.

What I like least is actually a function of the restrictions my company puts on us being able to reach peak potential. It takes a lot of training to truly understand the functionality

It has several things to point out. Has an advanced EDI Module, some other modules for accounts, clients but the best part is its production module.

Its production module.

Not very user friendly, excessive steps to make one thing.

Software is great but lacks reporting. I feel they are gouging you because you have nowhere else to go once you purchase the product. They promise you the world when they come to sell you the software but once you in implementation you find out that everything they told you the software can do out of the box, is a custom modification that is going to cost you alot of money.

We utilize the Prophet 21 software package. We are a medical distributor so we have unique needs. Epicor has addressed those needs and provided all the functionality needed by a medical distributor. They are always focused on new technology and new features needed by their users.

Its a great software with lot of options for customization which can suit any size industry, overall a positive experience.

Needs improvement in software updates and the help desk is not so helpful also the software is expensive.