USING STRUCTURE MY SKIN IS CLEAR & MY CROPS ARE FLOURISHING. WELL NOT REALLY, BUT MY BUSINESS IS!

Streamlining our office processes, time saved by having less transactions without info that have to be researched before being processed, the document management has allowed sales people to easily access documents and complete their own project research rather than reaching out to AP to get invoice copies and such.

Pros

We are a commercial flooring dealer and use job costing for all of our projects. We use Structure for sales/estimating which then feeds into placing orders to vendors and receiving the AP invoices for those vendors, which is super slick and cuts down on a lot of inter-office research on who ordered what and how much for where, it's all right there matching and lining up from the bid process to the order process to the AP process. On the AR side there are multiple options for creating your AR documentation depending on the types of projects and customers, we use several different formats and it has been working out nicely. Being able to create the shedules of value for AIA applications straight from the bid is a huge time saver!

Cons

My only con, is not really a con, it's just warning that if you make a mistake you have to actually follow all the steps to undo it. Void your item re-enter it re-process it. No QuickBooks style open it up and edit it and it was never a mistake. Which was hard for me to get used to at first, but has paid off when I look something up and wonder why it's different, I have a transaction trail to follow of when I did what.

We are a Virginia based General Contractor with a focus on large commercial buildings as well as convenience stores and gas stations. We have our own Pump and Tank Division for the installation and removal of underground storage tanks. Our search for new software began in 2001, and we looked at a lot of packages. We had been using Peachtree but with our sales increasing rapidly it was suggested by our outside accountants that we obtain a product that would grow with us. We eventually were introduced to C/F Data Systems by an outside business consultant and after reviewing what C/F Data offered and the cost differential of competitors it was an easy choice. After purchasing STRUCTURE we began the implementation process, which to anyone who has experience knows can be nightmare. The staff at C/F Data with their online classes and telephone support made it a breeze. They were with me every step of the way supportive and inquisitive; making sure I was making the best use of their product. We have been up and running now for nine and a half years, and I am still very impressed with the support C/F Data Systems provides. I always get the answers and help I need and it is always from a friendly and courteous person, eager to help. I truly enjoy the C/F Data staff. Currently we have all the key modules we need for our business and recently added the Project Manager Module. It was interesting to watch our PM’s eyes light up when they were first exposed to their new tool. It will help them keep better track of their jobs and all the associated documents. It will also help with all the necessary communication between Owner and Subcontractors to assure better efficiency. The past few years have been tough on General Contractors, and in my position I get to see why a lot of the companies in this business fail. One of the main reasons is not tracking the data needed to understand where you are on a job. I can say with confidence that C/F Data Systems has provided us with the information that has helped us survive.

Very user friendly! They are always trying to improve their product!

We are able to run our business more efficiently. We can check our profitability per job, division, and overall company quickly.

Pros

I like being able to scan in vendor invoices so that others can see the invoice without having to dig thru a filing cabinet. Dispatch board lets you see all techs, you can open the work order from the dispatch board and issue POs. This software is very easy to learn and use! The customer service is awesome - quick response! They are always making improvements and updates!

Cons

Some reports are confusing to read. Customer statements can be hard to understand what you are looking at.

Easy to use great support

Cost reporting in a real time

Pros

Bent Electrical have been using STRUCTURE FOR 25+ years, I have been a user for 13 years. Bent use the AP, AR, GL, Purchase Orders, Payroll, Work Orders, and Project Management modules, all the modules integrate seamlessly. Their support is outstanding and they listen to their users. I strongly recommend STRUCTURE to any size construction company.

Cons

As with most software they are not specifically written for Bent Electrical. STRUCTURE deals with by working with you to ensure you are getting the most out of their program.

Great overall, user-friendly!

CF/Data software run almost our entire business and it is great to have everything all in one place and great customer support whenever needed!

Pros

The customer service is awesome, I love that they can log in and help you solve issues that cannot be fixed over the phone. I also enjoy the efforts in moving towards making our business more paperless every day.

Cons

It took awhile to learn and get the hang of things especially when you have to self-teach the software but the customer support is great at getting in touch when you have questions.

we use structure blue for our daily work order entry, billing, accounts payable and dispatching.

Pros

Scanning invoices to Vouchers is great. Being able to print service reports is a great feature. Tech link is a great function and has added more flexibility and timely billing to our system. Online service report shows work order number in subject line. Can use multi-sessions at one time - eliminates toggling back and forth saving time and efficiency.

Cons

Uploading a picture to work order would be a huge stride. WOE history is limited. when suspending the order for parts, the signature of the client erases. If an update goes wrong, can't get out of it and continue the day. Dispatch board can not move an entire column to next day.

Great for construction!

All our processes from accounting to HR to service in one portal!

Pros

I like the simplicity of the program, its very intuitive. I do not have to read through a book to get what goes where, I can easily understand the flow from screen to screen. And C/F data's willingness to customize is the best!

Cons

In order to keep it simple sometimes features are missing but the essentials are there and with every update we get more and more features.

Very easy and I enjoy how secure this soft ware is.

Pros

I like the security about this software. It makes me feel secure knowing everyone has their own account which lets you know who has edited a certain job. I also enjoy the software letting me know how many attempts of logins.

Cons

what I like least about this software is that sometimes it will freeze or exit out of my screen. Not all of the time. there inst really anything I dislike about the software.

CF Data Accounting software

We have been working with CF Data for decades. With their support we were able to automate many of our processes and allow them to run smoothly and efficiently.

Pros

Ease of use and the ability to adjust the modules and reports is very helpful.

Cons

We use this software for Accounting and payroll primarily. The only downfall is that they are not a payroll specialized company so they are not able to meet all our needs in that regard.

Having utilized STRUCTURE as an employee (Controller) and also as a consultant to the construction industry, including contractors that use STRUCTURE, I've had the opportunity to see Structure used by small and large contractors, accounting and non-accounting personnel, sub-contractors and general contractors, over various business types. By far, STRUCTURE offers the most complete package, competitive price, high degree of "user friendliness", and support team readily available to answer your questions. My opinion is a result of over 20 years of experience partnering with C/F Data Systems. When evaluating job cost/accounting software, one of the features that is very important is the report writing capabilities. STRUCTURE gets very high marks from me when compared to other industry software products. Nothing is as easy to use, or create, across the modules, as STRUCTURE. This system provides contractors with: job costing information they need to manage their projects and their company; the modules required to process everything in house to create that information (A/P, A/R, payroll, G/L, etc.), and by processing the information in-house, it is a more cost effective and timely process. The financial reporting features are very solid. Often times, the ability to provide internal financials is a big plus with banks, bonding companies, etc. and is very helpful in running and growing your business. I would be happy to further discuss more features and benefits of using STRUCTURE, please let me know if i can help.

We initially switched to STRUCTURE from QuickBooks in 1998, after we grew from 13 to 25 electricians and wanted better cost controls on our projects. STRUCTURE was easy to implement and had great technical support. We changed to another solution in 2004 because we thought we could get better reporting features using more up-to-date technology and database. Our experience with the software was not good from an efficiency, productivity or financial standpoint, so we switched back to STRUCTURE in 2008. The Work Order module with the Dispatch Board makes it easy to schedule and run our service department. The Project Management module, coupled with the Workforce Scheduling module, makes it easy to track projects and schedule 100+ electricians. We use cost codes and budgets to track our costs and estimate so we can provide feedback to the foreman throughout the job and the estimators at the end of the job. We run our own weekly payroll with direct deposit, benefits and multiple deductions. The accounting modules put it all together so we don't need multiple software programs for the different aspects of our business. The best part is technical support. We get to talk to the people that wrote the software. We get input into new developments, straight answers to issues that we are having, and instantaneous resolution on many problems. The down side, and there is always a down side, is that the program looks and feels a little clunky and outdated. The older people like it but the younger people and the more technically savvy feel a bit disappointed - even though it works great! This is totally an appearance issue and not a technical one.