I am extremely happy with Clearview Infocus. They have been amazing in their customer service department and help when I need it with trouble shooting. They have gotten better about adding tutorials and training modules, and even adding in person workshops to help expand my knowledge and learn more about the software. They are always listening to their customers and adding updates to include features their clients want to see.

I like that the software is able to integrate all aspects of our business, from timesheets to expense reports, invoicing, and bill payment, etc. It is a one stop shop kind of software.

The hardest part of the software is getting it to generate the reports you want if they are not already built into the system, if you want a custom report do you do need to know some sequel background to run a report. I have also found that it is an extremely powerful tool but I am only scrapping the surface, and if I knew more information it could be even more useful. Adding custom boxes to applets to make it more specific to our business.

Huge time savings getting through invoicing. All information input into one system. Ability to have projects and invoicing tied together.

I like that we can build estimates and track a project from beginning to end. All costs go in and are automatically available for invoicing at markup rates. Flexible and able to have multiple price sheets. Integrated with project scheduled, resource planning, time sheet and expenses.

Interface is a little outdated. Some standard reports you get in products like Quickbooks are not present. Mobile timesheet is a little outdated but works.

I like that each PM has the means to review and prepare their own invoice. I would like to know more on how to set up a template style that can be imported for each project and then alter from there.

I wish it were easier to move time tickets around. It takes many clicks to get to move a time ticket to where it needs to be when entered in the wrong location. I wish uploading documents was easier and that I did not have to put on my desk top to move. To edit fees you need to be in one place, to add tasks you need to be in another. The program is not intuitive.

Timesheets are in on time due to the capability to use app on cell phones. Can close the books in a day versus 3-5 days as in the past. Invoices are sent faster than before.

Easy to use, very intuitive, software is always available and have never had any issues with connectivity

Would love more canned reports to choose from

Positive

Ease of daily use and streamlining of all of my tasks.

there is nothing that I dislike about this software.

With hundreds of projects and five offices our managers need to stay current on the status of their work and have the tools to develop new proposals. InFocus is indispensable for personnel management and project performance. Plus it provides financial statement and accounting data that is crucial for senior management and independent accountants. The data available and the variety of the reports are limitless. Also, our clients want their invoices and reports in a wide variety of styles. The open structure and adaptability of the InFocus system is a constant marvel at design and intuition.

Its flexibility, power and data retrieval ability. We have forty-five people in our company, with five office locations and six profit centers (disciplines). Of these forty-five people, more than two thirds are field personnel that are often asked to work in various disciplines or support the work in our other offices. At any one time we have a couple hundred projects open for scores of clients. Keeping track of this is incredibly difficult. We worked with Clearview for a couple of months in order to transfer our existing clients, projects, time records and accounting records to our new system. With over 16,000 historical projects and a current work in process in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, we matched to the penny. Working with them is a pleasure. Not only is the InFocus package all that it claims to be, the folks at Clearview are great to work with. Sure there is a bit of a learning curve, but the answers are so intuitive you can’t believe you did not think of it yourself. Their support literature, training videos, white papers and support site are extremely helpful. There may be comparable products out there, but I seriously doubt there is anything better. If there was a better product or solution, these folks would match or exceed it. We all have competition; we need competition to push us to do a better job.

Getting others in our organization to appreciate and better use this management too.

Being a newer accountant in the engineering industry, I had a bit to learn about how jobs are billed, tracked, etc. It is definitely a different process than accounting for goods being sold! I came into my job as the implementer of InFocus and learned A LOT simply by learning the system. InFocus is so easy to use and straight forward. If there is something that I don't catch onto right away, the Clearview support team is always ready to help and quickly help resolve the issue. As the years have gone on they have updated the system based on feedback from their clients, which is amazing! The changes they have made make things run more smoothly and it is great to know that they are listening to the needs and desires of their clients. InFocus also has a built-in reports, but also its own report builder tool if the report you need isn't automatically there you can create it yourself! Overall, I would definitely recommend InFocus to anyone looking for new engineering software. The program is easy to learn, easy to maneuver in and provides everything you would need. Even your specific need isn't met you can simply reach out to their support staff and be taken care of. It is a great software, but even better customer service - thank you Clearview team!

Ease of use, availability of support staff, resolution of issues, suggestion forum Clearview provides

Export to excel needs manipulated often, if modified the journals will show both versions

All accounting software and data is offsite, no servers or data to worry about locally! :)

* No need to keep software on servers on site. Everything is in the cloud. * Local client install. * Easy to use trouble ticket system when there is an issue. * Since it is cloud based, it is always up to date.

* Occasional data slow downs which we have no control over because the software is running on Clearview's servers. * The Microsoft ClickOnce technology used for the local client requires web browser ClickOnce integration which is built into Internet Explorer and Edge web browsers, but doesn't always work well with edge. You can get a ClickOnce plugin for Google Chrome, but it's not a transparent "click the icon on the desktop" scenario there either. * No hosted SMTP server. If you want to send email, you'll have to utilize your own SMTP server, at an additional cost and there is also a charge if you want Clearview to help you set it up. This is my only real "gripe" about the service. It should come with it's own email capability for the cost and to truly be a service. * I think it is a great Software As A Service overall, but you should know about the weaknesses going in.

We have greatly enhanced and automated the project cost management using InFocus.

*Tracks project costs easily *Many options for project set up *Allows users to enter time and expenses from anywhere *Electronic file attachments allowed throughout the software

*Cumbersome or lacking drill down capabilities in multiple modules *Missing a few warning messages in critical areas such as the ability to post AP/AR to closed periods

What I like the most about this software is the fact that it is very versatile and can be customized to suit your company's needs.

What I like least about this software is that when the product needs an update the users who are in the field and do not have access to good internet are left unable to do their time sheets because they cannot get into the screens without the update being done.

Choosing InFocus is one of the best decision we've made. Training can be a challenge when adopting any new system. Clearview offers extensive training videos, consultations, and webinars. Considering most software products continue to improve and implement client-suggested upgrades, I appreciate Clearview's workshops, where users can continue their InFocus education on advanced levels. Having the opportunity to attend has helped me to really hone in on configuring our InFocus database in ways that are compatible with my company's workflow. I also picked up tips and tricks other users developed for their needs. Customer service is also very important to me. I appreciate responsive, knowledgeable technicians and staff members who listen. They do not over promise, over-sell, or mislead when discussing requests, issues or customization. They believe in empowering their users. I LOVE THIS!! They offer a workshop for those wanting to learn advanced report writing. Support staff will work through any issue or request until it has been satisfied. InFocus demonstrates its value. Invoicing is fast. Communicating project details flow more smoothly. Preparing invoices in various formats are easier. All this and more are offered for a low monthly cost per user. They even offer a training version of our data for a very low monthly fee, and any user can access it. This has been crucial when I'm working through project setup options and need to test my ideas. Overall, I love it.

It's easy to navigate, more intuitive than other products we've used, and customizable. It's difficult to pick my favorite aspect; it's such a great product overall.

I wish user's could change the color of the Sandbox (training environment). Having it the same color as the live version can make it a bit confusing when training others.

One benefit I have realized is the ability to make minor edits to Accounting entries without having to go back redo something. The flexibility of this software is unmatched.

One thing I like most about Infocus are the Gridgits on the dashboard that provide various information all in one place. I also prefer this program because of the flexibility in entering data so there is no more deleting something because you have to make a minor change. Infocus has a variety of reports that are easy to understand that provide a wide array of data. I also appreciate check processing in Infocus for Accounts Payable and Employee Reimbursables because it is very easy to use especially with the recent transaction tab. Timesheets are very easy to enter and approve in Infocus and benefits hours are easy to see for each employee.

One thing I like least is that some functionality of Infocus is not user-friendly (i.e. having to use F4 instead of Enter). I also would like to see benefit accrual more automated and payroll integration with outside software (i.e. Pensoft) made more seamless for companies that have salary plus employees.

Overall, flexible software accommodating engineering firms and great support team to work with.

Absolutely incredible customer service - a great team of highly skilled professionals providing a quick answer via an open ticket, a walk-thru via Webex or customization via a Work order. Customization in data presentations, security, permissions, reports. An end user can do a desired customization him/herself or ask the Clearview team to run a script to implement it. Constant development and training. Workshops, webinars, announcements, updates. Continuous improvement in all InFocus features and options. Clearview team always moves forward to the new advanced ways to use the system, always up to date with technology.

Whenever and whatever we like least in InFocus, we bring it up to the support team and try to change it to the way it would work out for us or find the best solution for it. In most cases it is all repairable and we get the changes we want to use InFocus more efficiently. InFocus team is open for ideas and suggestions and many improvements we asked for have been already in place and we use them routinely now.

It's a more cost-effective option than Deltek Vision. If that's your comparison as an ACEC firm, I'd say go for it! :)

* Reasonable setup and ongoing price per seat. Monthly billing available. * Quick and easy setup. We were online within 24 hours and had our data converted from Deltek within 7 business days. * Great technical support via dedicated user login message board interface. Answers/response are usually taken care of in under 2 hours for non-critical/emergency issues. * InFocus Custom Reports and Invoice Designs can be created and edited using the SQL Business Intelligence Development Studio 2005 from Microsoft.

The only real downside so far has been speed of the interface. We had this as an onsite server and response times were awesome with our own dedicated server. I would have hoped that with SaaS that the background horsepower for their servers would be a little better than what it is. Requests take approximately 4x as long to process as when we tested it as a local SQL installation. Please keep in mind that this is a "feels like" statement and not a technically measured out in milliseconds statement.

It's been great experience! We have been working with the Clearview team since 2012, the staff is not only professional in their approach to develop and improve the software but they genuinely care about their clients. We feel that we have had the opportunity to develop a partnering relationship with Clearview's management and staff. This relationship, and using the InFocus tools effectively have allowed us to do a more efficient job at managing our current operations and planning for the future.

The analytics help me to keep track of multiple data points without spending tons of time reviewing data. With a few clicks of my mouse I am able to see resource utilization in any timeframe I need, department and associate availability at a glance, projects that have budget concerns, I can see how well we are spending against our plans and easily track opportunities/proposal status at a glance. It's help make my job easier.

We use Project Planning and Resource Scheduler frequently and it works fine but I would like to see more effort go into improving the functionality of its components i.e. Earned Value, Change Order tracking and just having better tools to manipulate the scheduled data.