Countfire - Pros and cond

Excellent, the online support is fantastic, as is the software. There have been some containment drawings that I simply could not have lifted off with Pen and paper, but Countfire has made it possible and easy to review. If in doubt do the trial on a big job and see how you get on!

Pros

Whats not to like? Not much. Its a fantastic tool for estimators, the more you use it the faster you get and the more confidence you gain. Automatic counts - Brilliant Manual Counts - When you cant use automatic counts this is still super fast compared to pen and paper Measurements - Brilliant Splits and multiples - essential and very helpfull I have been using it for a year now and would recommend it to anyone involved in estimating or any other form of take offs.

Cons

Every now and again you get a bad drawing where all the symbols are slightly different and its a pain. Just use manual count and safe yourself a lot of frustration! The cost is pretty high (but worth it in time saved) If I was self employed it could be out of price range.

CountFire Automated Take-Off Software

I could not be more pleased with CounFire. It is fast, accurate, easy to use, and has cut my time to perform a take-off by a factor of 10. Some may question a factor of 10, but try it and see that drawing symbols when counted on one drawing are also counted on all other drawings within the project drawing package automatically. Orientation is not an issue, and items not picked up are easily identified and added to the correct symbol list. Check drawings are also supplied as part of the final report to assure all errors have been resolved.

Pros

CountFire being a cloud based service gets you up and running quickly. CountFire Sales is there to get you started and introduce you to Technical Assistance and Training. The On-Line Help function is integral to the CountFire Platform allowing you to be able to function seamlessly as you work on projects. I can count drawing elements or make extremely accurate measurements in one tenth of the time I did manually without the cost of drawing reproduction. The Final Reports are perfectly formatted in MSExcel and ready for Bill of Material development.

Cons

I am still looking for a Con. I thought that since CountFire is in Great Britain that communications might be hampered by five, (5) time zones, but this was not the case. CountFire was there 24X7 to solve my self-inflicted start-up issues.

Game Changer...

Using countfire has completely changed the way I do my job. I have gone from old school drawings and highlighters to paperless and streamlined. I would guess that it has increased my productivity by a factor of 3. Every day I learn of a new feature and if I have any questions or issues, they are dealt with quickly and efficiently by one of the superb and knowledgeable customer service gurus. I love that they are paying attention to what I am doing constantly and suggesting ways to improve how I'm doing it. Overall, this is a really great tool with FLAWLESS customer service, regardless of timezone issues. Thank you Countfire team.

Pros

It's easy to use, functions really well and they've thought of (almost!) everything! It's really great that it puts all the information into a nice, neat Excel spreadsheet so I can easily add my costings and work out my prices.

Cons

I'm only a couple of months into using countfire but there's nothing I don't like about it. I have made a couple of suggestions for features - I need to be able to switch from imperial to metric measurements at will being the main one. Autosave another. I think that these have been taken on board.

Neutral

When everything is peachy it works great and is fast.

Pros

When a pdf is is drawn properly it works great. Automatic counting etc. No I'm just trying to reach 100 characters

Cons

When a pdf is not drawn properly, i may as well count manually. Which is mostly the case. Simple things could be added to improve experience, such as a plan multiplier for drawings that cover multiple levels.

Amazing & Friendly Staff

Countfire has saved me tons of time performing takeoffs. It is also very helpful in accomplishing a set of takeoffs for a project with a quick turn around time.

Pros

I absolutely love the quick response from the members of the Countfire Staff. They are quick to respond and help resolve any issues you may have.

Cons

I love everything about the Countfire Program.