Vista Software

Looking forward to moving to V7

Pros

Improvements are constantly being made. Changes in benefits directly affect payroll. There is no need for duplicate entry. Exit programs make it easy to customize the software without requiring software changes.

Cons

Missing tracking of intermittent FMLA. Customs were required to accomplish this task that all employers must comply with.

Overall we have been happy with the Vista 7 upgrade. I look forward to seeing what the payroll change will bring.

Pros

We upgraded to the Vista 7 platform in September after being on PDS Vista for 9 years. The new version is a lot more intuitive and our self-service employees love the icons instead of drop downs for finding their information. As a payroll user I like that there is more information on each tab, a lot less clicking. I also like that all the payroll processes, reports and timesheets are in one pop up box.

Cons

Some of the things that used to work fine in 4.1 don't work in 7. I like that there is more screen print buttons added , but they only print the screen showing, not all the information on the page if you have to scroll down. It kind of defeats the purpose when it doesn't print all the information. Also when using the timesheet to add deduction or fringe adjustments that apply only for the specific pay period it doesn't stay on the same tab when changing employees.

The customer support makes this system a great system and the company a great company to do business with.

Pros

I have supported many HR and Payroll systems and this is by far the most flexible and risiliant systems that I have worked with. The system is designed to allow for installing updates as well as for including custom code in a way that preserves the functionality and integrity of the original base code. This is essential when considering the long term support and maintenance of a system. Customer support is great and very personal. The techs know me and my system and are always able to provide insight and assistance in a timely manner.

Cons

I am not a fan of the crystal reporting engine but this implementation seems to be sound and pretty resiliant. We were able to create reports we needed to fit our organizations needs. I prefer SSRS.

We are going online with HR and Payroll, next will be Benefits Admin and Performance Management.

Pros

Full service program, covering entire employee life cycle. We are coming from a setup where we have 4-5 disparate systems "talking" to each other. Having everything under one umbrella is great. Love the base system model vs. chopping up and paying for modules. Very customizable to our processes, some of which are rather unique. Implementation team is great, very responsive. Very excited about the employee self-service components.

Cons

I don't think there is anything that I don't like at this time. There are things that we can't do 100% the same as we did before, but we can get pretty close.

I am genuinely excited to see what the future holds for the PDS group and Vista products. If you like personalized service and a team who genuinely cares about their customers you should definitely consider use of this product.

Pros

I love the multitude of layers available in security, and the ease with which the system can be customized to meet our needs. Customer service is top notch! It seems to me each person I've encountered with PDS handles my questions and concerns as if it were personally impacting them. I have never been made to feel like I should have known how to do something before reaching out for help and for that alone I am eternally grateful!

Cons

Vista 4.1 is a bit less user friendly than other HRMS systems I have used in the past, but I think this may be attributed to our initial installation and set-up. We are working to improve those things as we prepare to upgrade to the new platform.

Pros

The flexibility of customization and the back end reporting. The SQL ability was a must for our organization.

Cons

The applicant tracking system and the candidate drop off that we have. People have to create a profile and apply, would be nice not to have to create the profile.

Pros

It is cleaner than 4 and it is more intuitive. The upgrade went smoothly thanks to the help of PDS Team. They were very knowledgeable.

Cons

The position structure is very cumbersome and difficult to update. Though it has changed quite a bit from Vista 4 the changes made weren't for the better.

Pros

Flexibility and Customer service. The security in the system is also great for multiple companies in multiple pay groups.

Cons

Job history has been really hard to accurately track. Tracking applicants in multiple reqs has also been hard.

Likes Best

Flexible full HRMS solution. This is PDS' core product line versus developers who also dabble in payroll, project accounting, accounts payable, etc. For PDS it is their bread and butter.

Likes Least

The old COBOL reports that currently exist in the system. However PDS is in process of replacing these in 2017.

Recommendations

Look at all the reports and get full disclosure on the backend of the product. We were told this was a SQL product. While the DB is in SQL much of the old code and reports are still in COBOL. There is a plan for change however it still varies from what our understanding of the product was during the demo process.

Likes Best

Vista HRMS is a complete and comprehensive HR system, from the hiring process, through benefits, payroll, taxes, time management, etc. The Vendor is always on top of the latest tax laws (at least in the US) as well as always moving forward in the use of new technology while maintaining for those who haven’t quite caught up in technology. In addition, the system is open enough to allow the general super user to customize to fit their needs or for higher level customizations to meet even the most out-of-reach needs.

Likes Least

I personally came in after our Vista HRMS was installed and in use. What I found was our staff was lacking the training to make the system do what they needed. When inquiring our staff of this, it was expressed that the training they did receive was rushed and not understood. Since we went through a 3rd party instead of PDS directly, we were not able to work with PDS which reflected this lack of training. I cannot say that this is the vendors down fall exactly as I know my users but had there been a choice we would choose to work directly with PDS.

Recommendations

Be prepared by laying out all rules, policies, procedures, responsibilities where everyone (your team) can review and understand. The system will do anything you need and want it to do but if you really don't have the specifics laid out and agreed on by your team, it can easily spiral downhill.