I am the administrator for Spectrum in our company and overall the Experience has been very good!

Ease of administration and our accounting team rarely has any issues with the software

Pros

The support team is amazing. They are extremely helpful and are good at fixing the annoying bugs and getting to the root causes of our problems. The accounting and hr side of the software works extremely well and I have very few if any complaints or issues that I have to fix or call support for.

Cons

The project manangement side of the software was never really completed so its less than impressive. But I think on the positive side since Viewpoint has purchased Spectrum I think that integrating it with their Team software will make a huge difference in this section!

2 years in and we're still learning.

We've found errors in the software. When we reached out to Spectrum to ask for a fix we were told it was our own fault, asked us to pay for the fix, passed around, then finally Spectrum said it was their fault and would begin to fix. No timeline was given however. We need better customer service or IT turnaround times. It is incredibly frustrating to reach out with an issue, or suggest a much needed feature, with little or no response.

Pros

Document imaging is great. We also enjoy the invoice approval feature. Took us a while to implement and learn the system (well, we're still learning).

Cons

Payroll adjustments we'd like to do behind-the-scenes and not on a paycheque are a nightmare. The inability to track the purchaser of AP invoices. We use a user-defined field, but it does not link to the payroll module. Definitely not as user friendly as we would have liked (we came from Quickbooks though). The pricing module sucks. We need to pay for amount of users at one time (as some users access maybe once a week at most), not for named users.

Spectrum - Great features but could be better

Pros

Document imaging is truly built inside the software. The image storage was built inside every module for anything you want to scan. All of our AP (invoices, vendor contracts, Insurance Certs), AR (invoice supporting documents, MSA's), equipment files (titles, registrations), etc. were stored electronically and very easy to review. When approving AP, right inside the pre-check register I could review an electronic copy of any invoice making approval on the road very simple. There were also reports that could be run telling you when contracts were to expire, registrations were due, etc. The bottom line is that the designers not only listened to what the end users wanted, they also spent a lot of time making sure they designed it to make it easy for everyone. There are also a lot of user designed fields that allow you to customize things to fit your needs.

Cons

We had problems keeping the TB in balance. At least every three months, we had a transaction that only posted 1/2 of the entry, so when we ran a trial balance, it was out of balance (and the rebuild utilities wouldn't fix it), we then had to spend hours researching witch entry didn't post correctly, figure out the other side of the entry and then pay someone with backdoor access to recreate the missing entries. When we called Dexter and Chaney's support team, they had no answers as to why it happened; they would just help us figure out how to fix it (charged per hour). The financial report writer needs a lot of work. They do not support any of the better 3rd party systems like FRx, F-9, Hyperion, etc. Therefore, there was a lot of dumping to Excel and re-keying things into formats we could use. There was also zero drill-down capability. If you ran a TB and questioned what was in the line item, you had to run a detailed TB to see the detail. Then, if it came from another sub-ledger you had to run a report there to see the source document. Our implementation consultant was not very good; her training seemed poor and her knowledge of the workings of Spectrum were great, but she had no experience with the every day use of it, so I frequently pushed back on how it would work in the real world. Eventually she would concede that it would work better the way I proposed.

Great product has some flaws but nothing we were not able to work around.

It's been a great product that we've used for the last 9 years.

Pros

The way that as technology changes they system is updated to match.

Cons

Vacation accrual system is not what I'd like it to be. I have to do my own spreadsheet to get it to work properly.

In-Depth Program With Great Potential

Overall I do like Spectrum. I feel like there are areas it could improve in and that I could be made more modern/ appealing to the eye. When I am busy I am able to answer the phone and navigate through Spectrum quickly to get the information I need right away. The depth of the program is a very good thing as long as they focus on having ways to be able to dig deep quickly or else finding information can become a headache.

Pros

I really like all the different reports that are made available. There are many places to add all different kinds of information and once the information is added in Spectrum allows you to pull reports for everything. Another feature I like a lot is the Favorites Bar. Spectrum is very broad and the Favorites Bar makes it very easy to quickly assess certain features of Spectrum that are specific to your role.

Cons

Some features about the software can be "glitchy" in certain features. For instance we have a tab with lots of information added in to one thing and this can cause Spectrum to freeze up and I will have to close completely out and log back in and start over what I was working on at the time. We have tried different recommendations to resolve this issue, but we get the same result.

A daily tool

Pros

Spectrum gives me an instant look at open POs or subcontracts, payment history, job and equipment costs, helps to manage compliance (licensing, current COI, etc.), time reports, timecards, vendors, phase/GL/job codes. I can instantly find out whether an invoice has been paid, when we invoiced a customer, whether new equipment has been added to inventory. We have nearly eliminated paper files using Spectrum and digital files. In the past couple of years, Viewpoint has created an outstanding suite of user support that ranges from daily updates, web-based free training, and a responsive staff that helps find learning resources or the right technician/trainer to answer questions. The Viewpoint Network was a game changer for me.

Cons

The reporting function is limited if you don't know Crystal Reports, and the reports aren't consistent. Some are available in comma delimited format, which makes it relatively easy to structure the information in Excel. Others download only as preformatted Excel reports, using an older version of Excel, which is awkward to use.

I am always learning something new with Spectrum!

I benefit daily from spectrum from payroll and certified payroll reports it really is helpful to get those reports from spectrum and every Contractor I have sent them to has excepted them. We also benefit from job costs and equipment costs management .

Pros

What I like most about spectrum is it really is an all in one program and is always improving, also being able to pull reports on jobs and costs is very convenient and easy.

Cons

Customer support be a bit time consuming. There is so much to spectrum that it can be a bit overwhelming if you are a smaller company.

Very User Friendly

Pros

The software is very user friendly. It is easy to navigate the multiple screens throughout the software. The integration/implementation of the software was a pretty smooth process as well. Customer service is always very helpful, and they almost always find a solution to my problem the same day. I love that you can customize all of the different module options in Spectrum to fit the needs of each company/user.

Cons

We started using Spectrum before there was a "cloud" option, and now all of the new modules or field apps require you to be a user of their cloud instead of self-hosted. This is unfortunate since many companies made a significant investment when initially switching to a self-hosted Spectrum platform. We are either forced to switch to the cloud and pay a significantly higher price each year or miss out on all of the new features of Spectrum.

Tons of features, but could use better reporting.

Spectrum support has become an issue in the last couple of years. When you can reach someone, the support is excellent. They have great people in support, but it has become increasingly difficult to get support on a timely basis.

Pros

Spectrum is fairly easy to use and navigate. We are paperless and the document imaging is easy to use and functional. Most reports can be downloaded in various formats, which is great.

Cons

Working in payroll, it is sometimes difficult to find the report(s) that contain the necessary data for the task at hand and sometimes the report needed doesn't exist. InfoLink allows us to extract data from Spectrum directly to Excel, but the tables are difficult to navigate and this process is very time consuming.

Feels like service is going backwards

It qives our accounting team the tools they need to provide a quick and accurate overview for our company. They are able to perform all accounting functions in one platform.

Pros

Familiar feel, rather easy to train new users. Features are simple and quick to learn. It has served our company well for numerous years.

Cons

Customer service and new features feel like that are going backwards. Takes forever to get issues solved when a few years ago it was quick

Spectrum - Consistent Navigation for all Accounting Processes

Pros

I really like that the look and feel of Spectrum is consistent throughout the system. The A/P and Payroll processing is similar which helps the user become familiar with new job responsibilities quickly.

Cons

The General Ledger module is period driven, not date. So when running a Trial Balance a specific date is not available, without extracting to excel. For example, if you want to know the total Cash GL as of January 15th, the Trial Balance will only run for the period.

OK

It is fine, easy to use, I use it everyday, it has some bugs sometimes but nothing really serious, some features need to improve.

Pros

I would say is easy to use, it has all in the box, ok for a PM software.

Cons

They need to improve some features, I would like to have a punch list section and somehow tie schedule to the software to track my cost/schedule.

Full featured software package

As with any large, complex and flexible software package like Spectrum, it can be rather complicated to set up and train users in operating it. We have been overall pleased in using it since we switched back in 2009. During this time our business has just about tripled in size and we do not feel as if we have out grown it.

Pros

Lots of modules available with a fairly robust implementation, continuing active additions of new features and improvements, document imaging allows easy access to attached documents, security rights for employees can be adjusted down to individual menu selections if necessary, customer support is very good and transparent (we are notified if something doesn't work as expected with suggested workarounds - even if we didn't report the issue), and the ability to create custom reports in Crystal.

Cons

While subscriptions for updated US and state income tax tables are available, local income tax tables are not. When a sales/use tax code is entered into the screen, it cannot be marked inactive if it is no longer used (there are some other setups with the same issue). If a report has been previewed or exported in one form (pdf, for example), it cannot be immediately exported in another (such as Excel) without re-running the report. While most reports run quickly, there are some that can take a while and having to wait the additional time for the same information can be frustrating.

From an AR Perspective

Overall Spectrum is a time saver. It has helped bring project management into the loop of being able to resolve customer issues. The best part is it has allowed me to be able to work from home two days a week for a year now!

Pros

The navigation make it so you can figure out what you need to do next with a minimum amount of training on how to use the system. The customizable reports are a great asset. Billing reports are easy to pull together.

Cons

Draw Request is my least favorite in this system. When you open draw request it shows you in the upper right in financials you have previous work. The total schedule of values is NOT showing. If you have amounts in both this period and materials stored the system will not give you a total of combined for the draw. Also when you are in the draw the entire line needs to highlight while scrolling down for the line you need. It gets very frustrating at times. When something is entered into job cost under the wrong phase, there needs to be a way to change the phase and not have to do multiple entries for negative to to incorrect phase and a positive to the correct phase. That would be ha huge time saver.

I am employed by a large, heavy civil construction contractor in Oregon. I was hired five years ago in the payroll department, and Spectrum was the software that this company was already using. In the past, I had used a construction software called Foundation which was exceptional at job costing materials by piece versus hourly wage. Spectrum's latest upgrade to the new version 14 has had some major changes in the payroll and human resource module, and has taken some time to get used to. I found that the basic data entry screens are easy to use but it's taken more time to locate where the functions are than I had hoped. If our company had invested in having on-site training prior to the upgrade, I believe these changes would've been easier on all of our employees. One of our employees did attend the Seattle conference but she was disappointed that there was not more hands-on learning and training, and thought that our company should have received a team training session prior to the upgrade, as well. Our payroll, human resource, purchasing department, contract administration, and accounts payable departments have all requested additional training with this latest upgrade so that they can use Spectrum with confidence, and complete their daily tasks faster on a regular basis. I am awaiting several changes that our company has requested from Dexter and Chaney's support team via telephone and multiple emails. The human resource module needs some serious work in terms of versatility. I am still hoping to take a crystal reports training class in order to create reports in Spectrum, rather than exporting everything into an Excel spreadsheet and spending hours manipulating the reports to get the outcome that our company required for individual, specialized reports in payroll and human resources. The project management module also has one grave error in changing the appearance, flexibility, and directory for creating and maintaining transmittals. This particular flaw has cost our company a minimum of 5 hours per week in additional office clerical hours just to keep up the creating, sending, and scanning of all documents through transmittals. That's very upsetting to a fast-passed construction company that processes between 75 and 100 transmittals per week! The largest advantage I've seen since this last upgrade is that the system works faster on the Internet and I am able to access Spectrum from home.

Excellent construction accounting software

Our experience with Spectrum has been good over the 6 years we are using the software.

Pros

This software does a good job of integrating our construction operations. We do not use the project management part of it though. We do a lot of job costing for our projects.

Cons

I think the inventory module should be modernized and brought up to current standards. It is not very easy to use.

Spectrum 14.24

Like all programs that have a significant number of features, the more your staff learns about the software the better the ROI. The user interface has a lot going on and can be overwhelming at first. However, there is a logic to it and once learned a diverse array of features can be accessed quickly.

Pros

The ability to access many features from one screen. The connectivity of features on screen. For example, if a job is displayed, all of the customer information is available as well. No need to add software to each workstation, software runs within a browser (I've used Internet Explorer, Chrome, Firefox and my cell phone browser, I understand other browsers are supported as well) All reports can be emailed right from the display screen.

Cons

Many of the reports must be customized to meet user needs. Some features are not located in an intuitive place. Financial statement writer is basic and pretty weak.

Four years and counting

Pros

I have been using Spectrum V14 since it was released. I like the apps on the Site Map and the shortcuts menu. I train our project manager and project engineers on this software regularly and these two areas I think get used the most by our people. I promote these areas on a regular basis and encourage everyone to use the ones we have already created and also create their own.

Cons

My wish list would include a link to Outlook for ease of obtaining and maintaining a list of current contacts. Also, RSS feeds hardly ever get used, but links to actual websites would be a better feature. Also, insurance tracking feature is confusing when working between the vendor and the job-specific side. It would be very helpful if the Help Menu broke down the available features related to insurance and how each one can or should be used.

We have been with Spectrum since 1997 (when it was Forefront). This software is a workhorse!

Ease of use and great support!

Pros

I like how easy this program is to use. If I can't find the report I need, I can easily export to Excel or Crystal Reports. The document imaging module saves us time when we need to review invoices or other documentation later. When I have issues, the support team is right there and usually can fix the problem while we are on the phone. It is rare for us to have an open ticket.

Cons

There are some differences between modules. When you exit a previewed report, some take you back to the site map while others take you back to the report page so you can adjust and run again if necessary. Consistency would be nice. It isn't a big deal, it could save a few steps.

Great for Costing, Not for investigation of transactions, terrible for CDN Payroll

While the product has great features for costing, the reports and review capabilities are limited. It is very difficult to drill down on certain types of transactions and get enough information. There are also many issues with Canadian Payroll and a lack of support with knowledge. The new upgrade also has many bugs and requires a significant amount of time with developers to take corrective action. While this is free of charge, does not seem to respect that my time spent costs the company money. I don't trust the accuracy of posting in Spectrum.

Pros

It is really great for costing. It provides simple job costing for labour, equipment, and cost management. There is free product support (US based) and (most of) the people there are extremely helpful and want to help y ou find a solution.

Cons

-The biggest flaw is the very small field space for memo lines. We have to keep many backup journals -If any payments are made other than through the AP module, it is really difficult to drill down on a prior transaction. -Posting errors for payroll (such as posting to the wrong job or equipment number) can only be corrected by completely voiding and re-entering the entire payroll. There are obviously times where an employee is going to mix up information. We can do a correcting journal entry so the costs are correct, however, labour cost reports don't pick up Journal Entries.

Spectrum

Difficult at first to navigate. Set and implementation was horrible. Training not good

Pros

I like the different detailed functions. attachments, tracking, invoice approval routing, T&M billing when it works forrect

Cons

reports. the standard reports are not what i need. T&M billing does not always work correctly. Invoice corrections are messy. not clean. Can not reverse invoice when it is assigned a PO without approving even though invoice is not approved. The have to reverse. and reeer.

Love Spectrum

I used Spectrum at least 15 years. The best major financial and construction software. One thing I truly like is the Tech Support. [SENSITIVE CONTENT HIDDEN] is the best one. Besides the question I asked, he can always be proactive to provide me more info on the related items I need to know. Others are good, too.

Pros

User friendly. Experienced Tech Support. Listening to the customers' needs, and always growing with better function. I used Oracle before. It's very hard to use. No common sense and always have to check for error. Although we can't customize a software like Oracle JD Edwards, but it's actually better. As a user, we don't need to "design" a software. We only need a software that works and easier to use.

Cons

My only complain is still the Time off Bank. The effective date should be the Work Period End Date, not the Pay Date.

Great System!

My overall experience with Spectrum has been great, their customer service seems to have declined slightly since the merge with Viewpoint, but hopefully that gets better with time.

Pros

I am a huge fan of Spectrum, coming from a different system that was way too slow and couldn't handle the amount of data we had in it, I feel as if Spectrum is a great system that is always upgrading and shifting. We have been a customer since 2016 and I have nothing but good things to say about the software.

Cons

I would say there are a few things I dislike about the system, but the biggest dislike would probably be the fact that you need to void invoices and invoice numbers to make any kind of change on them.

Construction Software

I am a project accountant and have been a Spectrum user since 1996 when it was called ForeFront and this is the only construction software I've used. Overall I find the software easy to use. I've participated in training led by Spectrum trainers and their help and advise is invaluable. The ability to export data in different file types for analysis - exporting to excel file, data only is one I use regularly. We're also lucky to have an IT software support specialist with extensive Spectrum background who is able to provide SQL reports for those times when the standard reports and exports don't give us enough flexibility with the data for analysis.

Pros

Most processes in Spectrum are intuitive for the user.

Cons

As a long time user of Spectrum, we have a heavily customized Job Cost Report. It's becoming more difficult to accommodate our custom needs as new versions are released.

Spectrum - Construction Software

The company that I joined in 2014 began using Spectrum in 1997. Over the last few years we have researched a few other accounting software platforms in means of further upgrading our department. Nothing has come as close to our needs as Spectrum. The integration between the modules is seamless and the ease of use is refreshing.

Pros

Ease of use and integration between modules! This software is very user friendly. The ability to export reports/data to excel is also wonderful and used almost daily.

Cons

We have not implemented the Project Management/Team side of Spectrum. It is constantly evolving, however our it does not quite fit our PM department needs...yet. As with all upgrades, we are continuing to watch their new innovations and hope to utilize it in the future.

Don't fix what isn't broken

Spectrum has continued to grow their products. They have a superb support department. The staff is fairly consistent with not a lot of turn-over. You get to know the people behind the scenes and build relationships with them and their network.

Pros

My favorite thing about Spectrum is that it continues to grow with our business. We have been Spectrum users for 25 years. In these 25 years Spectrum has been on the cutting edge of technology. We continue to get value from the updates and software collaborations.

Cons

My least favorite thing is it takes too long to get updates. I would like the easy updates to come out once a month. I realize this is not cost effective, but typically if there is anything I am disgruntled about it will show up in a future quarterly update.

We've been using Dexter & Chaney Spectrum (previously Forefront) for over 12 years; longer than I've actually been employed by the construction company I work for. We originally (and for many years) only used Spectrum for some basic accounting functions. After finally upgrading to the current version (we are currently on V13), we expanded our use of the software, utilizing the system on a much broader base - from purchasing and subcontracts, to projecting costs, and financial reporting/WIP. We have found that with the increased functionality came increased training needs. We had project managers that had never used the system previously, and suddenly needing to do their projections directly in the system. Navigation has been a source of contention, but we think that version 14 shows some promise on being much easier to navigate for non-computer-savvy users. Computer savvy users have generally been able to quickly learn to use the system. The flexibility of the system does allow a large range of ways to enter and report information, and this has been a positive and a negative. It's a positive as we can choose to set up jobs in different ways depending on how we want to run and report that job. It's a negative in that there are so many choices to make, and that some users can get confused if given too many options. Customer support was initially very poor, as we were on a very old version that really wasn't being supported well. Since we've upgraded to a more recent version, customer support has improved. Custom programming can be very expensive, and we've encountered some issues that required custom programming, but Spectrum, for the most part, has enough functionality in place with the base product to meet most needs. I've used a few other systems, and Spectrum seems to be far better than the other ones I've used. I've heard others complain sometimes, but I think that some of that comes from confusion over the wide variety of options and the navigation difficulties (not being intuitive). All-in-all, I think it's a pretty good product.

I have been a Spectrum user for 20+ years. I am in accounting and really like the program.

Pros

I like that it is very user friendly. It has easy to read reports. Our payroll is very complicated, yet Spectrum was able to handle our payroll without any special programming. I also love the document imaging. I can now look up everything from my desktop when I need to see a timecard, A/R invoice or A/P invoice.

Cons

When writing reports sometimes it is very hard to find where the information is that you need. I think that BI is going to take care of this but you must be hosted by Spectrum, which we are not.

Our business has two divisions - Commercial Construction and Service Maintenance. We’re based in Pennsylvania and have been operating for about 28 years. The computer system we had been using prior to switching to Dexter + Chaney was outdated for our uses. After carefully reviewing all the options, Dexter + Chaney was high on our list. One of the main functions we were looking for was something that would tie together both divisions of our company. We liked what the sales team told us about the software, and it seemed to better suit our needs than the system we had. We were told it had modules that would make it possible to tie in both of our divisions, with great customer support, reports that were easy to use, and to meet all of our needs, etc. We started with Dexter + Chaney in 2005 (about 8 years ago), having high hopes that Spectrum (or Forefront as it was called at that point) could perform all the functions we were looking for, and more. We spent several months preparing for the change over/familiarizing ourselves with the screens/and inputting information. Every Vendor/Employee/Client had to be reentered manually, which was very monotonous, but relatively simple. Some of the modules were similar to the program we had used prior, but others were more difficult and required calls to support. It took us several months to feel comfortable using Forefront, and probably a year+ until we felt like we really had a decent grasp of it. Since we’re a smaller business, we have the ability to notice problems with reports/programs more easily than a company with hundreds of employees. After we went live with Dexter Chaney we came across several issues, but attributed most of them to new user errors. As we have become more and more confidence with Spectrum, we have found several major bugs in the system that were unknown to Dexter + Chaney, or they had thought were resolved. On a few of these occasions, we had to really push for them to investigate and resolve the issues. One of the biggest problems we’ve seen is that the new Versions seem to be released before they are thoroughly checked, and there are repeat problems. We have received some good, and some lacking, customer support. There are several really knowledgeable reps who have helped us through our problems quickly. We have also spoken to other reps and management in support that have been very difficult, ignoring our concerns and refusing to listen or respond to our calls/emails. At one point, we were not getting updates on a problem and logged onto their website to see if anything new was posted for our issue. We didn’t get an answer, but instead found a string of emails they had accidentally posted, making it clear that our problem wasn’t being taken seriously on their end. Something as simple as calling in to support has proven to be a hassle since Dexter + Chaney only allows 3 people on the contact list, and we have 6 regular users. Some of the programs cannot be used to the full extent of what they are shown. Example: Payroll is set up so you can do multiple check sequences in one pay run for an employee. The problem is that it’s not set up to calculate the correct taxes/deductions if you do this. If they are paying a tax/deduction that reaches the limit in the first check, it will also be taken out of the second check, and there’s a possibility for the reports to be wrong. We purchased the Infolink module a few years ago to help us write reports in Excel using Database Query. We were told by the sales team that it would be easy to use and we could create reports with the exact information we wanted. The training we received on it barely covered the basics. It’s far from easy to use, and many of the reports that come up cannot pull the requested information. Overall, I would say Dexter Chaney is average at best. We are able to use Spectrum for most functions, but not as easily as we were promised. Support in general is lacking, as is our confidence in the product any time there is an upgrade. It’s not as good as we were led to believe.

Look elsewhere if you want a successful implementation with a company that cares.

If you want a successful implementation with a company that responds promptly and effectively when problems arise, look elsewhere! On our "go live week", Spectrum was not configured, AP and AR were not fully imported and the parts that were imported did not match up. Due to overworked Project Managers, it often took 2-3 days out to schedule a call time with them and no one from Spectrum senior leadership team seemed to care that our implementation was not proceeding successfully. We had to cancel the implementation and revert back to our previous accounting system (at substantial financial cost). I am currently waiting for my PM to update me on how they plan to take us live yet again with a detailed project plan so the above never happens again (Note: My PM never offered any suggestions here, I had to proactively reach out asking for a go-forward plan to keep them organized.) See below for all the struggles we have had with Spectrum. Also if you are transitioning from anyone other then the major accounting software systems, stay away! They promised that they had the past experience and knowledge to transition us from our current accounting software, Starbuilder, but when it came time to transition they had no one who knew how to do it. See "Cons" below for additional problems I will continue to update this post as things evolve.

Pros

-None so far as they failed to take us live. -Competitive pricing -Great user community with a forum.

Cons

Cons: -Custom projects not delivered on time for "Go Live". At least 1.5 months behind schedule -Sales team would send a contract and then when we went to sign said they made a mistake and increased contract price. -Never provided solutions to problems. -Implementation specialist what tell us features about features that we would be using then come back to us and say those features are actually not included and would be additional. -Never told us when purchasing that future modules might not be available for self-hosted customers only to more pricey cloud hosted customers (2 are already not available for self-hosted) -PM teams are not proactive or reactive. -Concerns and problems are documented by PMs but are never reviewed or escalated to management. -The purchase of Dexter+Cheny by Viewpoint has hurt the customers as admitted to by employees and seen by users (Short staffed, reassigned positions, information not shared across teams/ companies. ) -Dexter Chaney/ VIewpoint has not once, without a fight, offered acceptable solutions and any problems caused by them. -User is billed for time spent by PM team to fix problems caused by Dexter Chaney/ VIewpoint -This list can go on for another 30 bullet points at least.

Customer Service is by far the best. They are always able to help with even the simplest questions.

Pros

The ability to pull out reports with any bit of information needed. I like that it show cost in real time as long as it is entered in a timely manner. The support that is offered is amazing someone is always able to help out.

Cons

I wish there was a way to email out pay stubs. I also wish the quarterly tax reports were printed on to the approved IRS or State forms already(less mistakes and less time taken) The same goes for certified reports - contractor make us transfer the information on the state approved forms.

Spectrum Review

This was the fourth software package we've had since I have been with the company (30 years). It was by far the best decision we've made in this area and have been using Spectrum for many years.

Pros

Ease of use and data is all in one package

Cons

I can't think of any issues at present but initially data conversion was a pain (but what software conversion isn't)

Connecting the dots from field to upper management

Customer support is impeccable. If you have an issue, they are very quick to respond. Really enjoy the Spectrum Network to reach out to other users and find out what helps them the most. Great community.

Pros

Since going web based, Spectrum is much easier to use. The job info bar gives easy access to all areas of your job and instantly know where you are at with costs, revenue, etc. Being able to customize our reports has been very useful. Documentation and document imaging keep everything in one place and easy to navigate.

Cons

Would like the Project Management module to be a little beefier and give better access to change how the forms and reports look, somewhat limited.

APM Review - Spectrum & Viewpoint

Overall a solid product that I use on a daily basis. It gets the job done and I would recommend to others.

Pros

I like that there are a ton of automated functions. Instead of the old spreadsheets, you can generate reports straight from the system very quickly. I use Viewpoint for submittals and RFI's that's about it. It too has many functions within the system. Good for storing public documents for subs to access.

Cons

It's still a work in progress in my mind. Some times weird glitches occur and things just don't make sense. Sometimes it seems like there are almost too many functions. Ease of use could be simplified.

Best I've used in 26 years

I first starting using spectrum when it was called Forefront in 1992. I was working as a controller for a large mechanical and needed software that was easily usable and would perform without having to have a large in house IT staff. Since then, I have worked for four major companies and have brought along Forefront/Spectrum to each one of the companies for whom I have worked. It's a great product with fantastic backup. I've worked and looked at others along the way, but have always come back to Spectrum.

Pros

Does all I like it to do. Provides great information and is usable in multiple ways. Great trainers and support for any use/problem.

Cons

Can't think of one. I've used others but they didn't match up for the construction industry.

Good Construction Software

Pros

We were looking for a software with a service side and strong job cost all in one. Spectrum nails it! Ease of use. Endless custom report options. Ability to create custom dashboard apps. Great security features. All in the cloud!

Cons

Purchasing add-ons to accommodate the project managers can get pricey, but there are a ton of options that integrate with Spectrum.

Spectrum Review

Pros

Pros Job Cost module - heart and soul for operations - sufficiently deep as you would want to go. Great customer support - they KNOW their software and have been around for a while. Special Projects crew is very good as well. Business Intelligence will be awesome and starts to bring data analysis to 2018. Data Exchange - allows data to uploaded using Excel. (Timecards, Journal Entries, ect.)

Cons

Cons Pro IV software - clunky and old. Security setup is challenging and you need to know what you are doing. Reporting uses Crystal Reports which is very, very complicated.

We purchased Spectrum a few months ago, and have been very pleased with it - especially with regards to managing a group of companies all within the same software. We're a developer building single family homes in British Columbia, and we were looking for a solution that allowed us to go paperless in the office, and at the same time, be able to have a project management component that linked the job site to the office. We upgraded quite substantially from Simply Accounting and have overhauled all our processes to ensure that things could be automated as much as possible where it made sense to do so. We're due to go live on September 2nd, and the implementation has gone very well. The team has supported us and explained things clearly any time we were struggling. It has taken about 3 months in total, by committing to meet with them over the phone for around 6 hours per week. The IT desk and other staff members we speak to are all very knowledgeable and pretty much always available to speak to when we need it. We have been eagerly anticipating the v14 update so that Canadian taxes are now able to be handled, so I'm looking forward to a paperless future. Its a very powerful tool as long as it's used in the right way and is fed with the right information. If I were to point out negatives for our company specifically, we need to be able to do property management through this system - which there is no add on for. The workaround we chose to go with was to use accounts receivable to track these things. I can also see that if we were wanting to pull all the detail from Simply Accounting and move it all over, then the implementation process would have been very lengthy. Instead we transferred only summary balances forward. One frustration we had is that our check stock is not compatible with Spectrum and we got a very expensive quote for them to tweak the system to change the format of our checks.

If you have a strong team with good buy-in you will have success with this software.

Moving from a stand-alone accounting solution to an ERP system has had many benefits and I only see the benefits increasing with the merger/acquisition by Viewpoint.

Pros

Extremely robust software with customization options. The software is flexible enough that you can grow it with your company and it can accommodate changes in your business.

Cons

At first it can seam like there are extra steps to perform tasks, but once you've used the software for a while you'll understand why. The controls are good and the software delivers accurate results when used properly. Thorough user training is critical.

Great Accounting Software

I love this software! The report options are endless!

Pros

For years my company used Mas90. While it was a good software, we needed something geared more toward job costing and our service department, that could also handle the growth of the company. We have also recently ventured toward multi-state payroll, multi-company. We are able to switch companies with ease - no logging out!

Cons

We have been using Spectrum since 2012 but have only touched the surface with its functionality. However, there support staff is wonderful as well as their training options.

Comprehensive Construction Accounting

Being able to provide up-to-the-minute job costs to our management is extremely important. Having the Spectrum team stay on top of the continuous changes in government reporting, and providing updates to keep us in compliance is vital.

Pros

Spectrum offers modules for each portion of construction accounting, with the ability to use as many or as few of the processes as you need.

Cons

Integration with Procore was underway and then stopped, so we are trying to find other avenues to get the data from one program to the other without having to do double-entry.

Spectacular

Pros

Spectrum is very easy to learn by the instructions they provide, when we got this program, our Boss quit, and left us hanging but we had to forge on without the person, so went to instructions they provided with program and guess what we figured it out and got our jobs done. It was not complicated to learn and that is what was great about it.

Cons

the printing changed as the program got more upgraded, use to be able to print with one click now have to click 3 times to get our reports, so I don't like change too much.

Pam Manoloff

Support for the Spectrum software as provided by the original DC support group is well above average. Their response time on basic to intermediate issues is nearly always instantaneous, and they aren't afraid to dive into the areas that are more complex. They just take a bit more time. And the culture of staff from product support to development to sales to professional services is aimed toward providing solutions.

Pros

The API's are amazing. They provide bi-directional interface with Spectrum allowing maximum efficiency for internal processes. The SQL environment creates a platform for dynamic reporting power enabling the ability to link Spectrum data tables with other databases as well. The intuitive navigation provides a user-friendly experience, and the browser based application eliminates laborious client based software maintenance processes.

Cons

For an asphalt manufacturer and unit price contractor, some of the tools available need to be developed further. They have a good start and for simple analysis situations they may be enough. However, if it sophisticated analysis you are after, there needs to be further development in these areas.

Spectrum Software

Pros

The ease of getting data in and out of the system. Being able to download the data into Excel and Access to do reporting is invaluable. The introduction of the Web Services allowing data to flow in and out of Spectrum has changed the way we do our Project Management by allowing our PM's to stay in the project management software and bringing the data back into spectrum.

Cons

The non accounting users find the system hard to use. Downloading data into Excel needs to be updated to using more current versions of Excel.

Spectrum Rocks!

Pros

The software is very user-friendly, even for our non-computer friendly field techs. I love the dashboard apps. Especially the ones used with the Employee Kiosk and Field Tech modules. We can set these up for our employees where they are never really "in" the software but still able to do their work. The software being cloud-based is an A++ - no software to install! The report options are endless! The customer service is out of this world! You cannot go wrong with Spectrum.

Powerful software that has improved our business

Pros

Cloud platform allows anywhere access. We had several disjointed systems for document imaging, some billing functions, etc. With Spectrum, we were able to consolidate systems and introduce some much needed and improved processes for digital expense approval, time cards. Built on SQL we also implemented automated report functions that has saved lots of busy work. Customizable dashboards allow at a glance management by exception.

Cons

Complex setup, detailed data import could improve, annual maintenance fees are significant as compared to our previous package. Work order system field technician module only allows the most basic system functions.

Overall the software is user friendly & offers a lot of tools.

Pros

I love the document imaging function. We've been able to reduce the amount of paper files in our office. Additionally, it is now much easier to access information quickly when needed. We use the cloud based program, which gives us a lot of flexibility - everyone is able to work from anywhere with an internet connection.

Cons

The standard reports leave a lot to be desired. I find it extremely frustrating that in many cases the only option is to write a report in a separate program.

From ComputerEase to Spectrum

My primary concerns when looking for a new ERP platform were: 1) Integration with our HCSS and Command-Alkon software 2) Web-based platform that I could access just about anywhere 3) Intuitive for our people so the learning curve would be smaller 4) Better reporting options 5) Robust Job Costing

Pros

We have only been live for a month but so far Spectrum has lived up to its billing. Our people that use it daily have already remarked about how easy it is to use and how much time it is saving.

Cons

So far none other than self inflicted ones. What I mean by this is that our older system was a mess and conversion was made more difficult by that. I would put more time on the front end than you think you will need to make sure you are brining over as clean of data that you can. Additionally, the price was a little misleading at the beginning as the implementation can be anywhere from an additional 50% - 100% of the actual software cost. I think it is worth it 100% but just something to account for in your shopping and comparison process.

Very Robust Software for Medium to Large Companies

Our accounting group really likes the software. It seems like it could be a little more intuitive for PMs but once you learn it, it all makes sense.

Pros

Tons of options for tracking and measuring projects. Great WIP functionality. Good options for large projects and also for service work orders.

Cons

Different modules are addition cost. Work orders, inventory, field technician connectivity, etc are all add ins to the base package.Best to look at all the modules you would get good use of as one price.

Spectrum for Construction Project Management

We use Spectrum on a daily basis for our accounting/project management software. Once the reports are honed to what you need and you learn where everything is, it takes care of everything we need it to.

Pros

Very powerful for tracking projects and integrating accounting. Lots of features, many more than I will ever actually use, but it can do just about anything you need it to.

Cons

Definitely a learning curve and takes time to find how/where to accomplish certain tasks.