What is your preferred POS software and why?

Create a Post
L

lise

CGF II, Certified Grumble Framer Level 2
Joined
Jun 3, 2000
Posts
359
Loc
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
I was at the Las Vegas Trade Show and realize that our shop needs POS software. FrameReady and SpecialtySoft both had booths. I only had time to go to the SecialtySoft both. We are located in Calgary,Canada. What has your experience been and if you were to buy today which POS software would you purchase. We will be purchasing a CMC this year as well, I hav narrowed it down to the Fletcher or Eclipse. Feedback would be appreciated.

Gregor
"The Mule That Pulls The Wagon"
 
lise,

Surprised that nobody has responded to your question.......I honestly believe that either one of these programs would probably work for you. In our shop, we went with Speciatly Soft after a long look at all of them, FerenSoft, LifeSaver, FrameReady, Full Calc, and Artisan Storefront. Each has different features and "looks" that you need to evaluate, plus support issues that need to be examined.

The discussion on <u>Cost to supply data to POS software publishers</u> has actually brought up several issues that you should examine and differences between the way the POS folk react and respond. In this disscussion it should be evident that manufacturers like Crescent supply very few of us directly, but will inform distributors of price increases well before they take effect. Those distributors can then update their prices, and if you subscribe to a POS service, you can typically have the increases in place BEFORE they actually take place.

For example.......This is a sample of an E-mail that we regularly receive from Specialty Soft regarding updates.
From: Tech Support
To: sales@specialtysoft.com
Sent: Friday, February 22, 2002 4:34 PM
Subject: Vendor Updates

The following vendors were updated on www.specialtysoft.com today:

AMCI
AMPF
Arquati/Proframe
Bravura Moulding
Complete Framer's Supply
Decor Moulding
Framer's Market of Connecticut
MPF Moulding
Monarch Moulding
Williamson Moulding

SpecialtySoft Tech Support
(910) 794-4023
Click to expand...
We can then determine if we need to respond to the updates or not.....If we stock any of the items, we simply go to their website and download the changes....Specialty Soft.....we'd then click on the customer window, and the Download hyperlink.

Although I believe that the other programs listed at the top of this page are very good, the main reason we selected Specialty Soft over the others was 1) Professional approach, 2)Broadness of features, 3)Reliable Tech Support.

Regards,

John
 
Lise, I could have sworn that I replied to your post way back when. The reason I thought I already answered your inquiry about POS software is you are located in Canada and the FrameReady people are also located in Canada. I contacted them about SOMEBODY'S questions and found out that your taxing is different than here in the States. You have a tax matrix to deal with and it is different in each province. I am trying to remember what Bert deRoo told me about the matrix system so I may be incorrect in something here. I do know that FrameReady supplies updates within 48 hours of receiving them from producers and they offer them for POS users in the States and a matrix version for those Canadian POS users who fall under this matrix tax system.

I endorse FrameReady for the same reasons that John favors Specialty Soft:

Very Professional people. They go out of their way to accomodate their customer's problems and questions.

Their support is almost like calling a professor in a college course about a problem with the course material. They usually are so well versed in what they teach that they not only field the question but they will usually give you additional hints and tips that you didn't even think of.

And the new FrameReady 4.1 has a 60 day free trial usage for the full blown program which gives you more than adequate time to evaluate the software and decide if it is what you need for your operation. You can call Bert, Carol, or Evelyn during this trial period and they will treat you exactly like a paying customer. So you will see exactly how they treat their customers before you buy.

FGII
 
John's right, lise; this thread should be loaded up with comments. And that has been an informative thread about vendor updates, as well.

Looking back with an admittedly jaundiced eye on the recent history of framing POS systems, it seems to me that FullCalc got there fustest with the mostest and were eventually eclipsed by Lifesaver. Ferensoft, with what seems like a beautiful system, never really has taken hold and may well be a lesson for training marketing analysts in b-schools.

Speaking of business schools, we are happy to know that they are training even more generations of Enron types for our society since they consider the basis of their ethical teachings to be standing firm on the theory of relativism. Now THERE's an oxymoron to rival the best of them!

Anyway. it seems to me that Specialty Soft and FrameReady are at the top of their games right now and really present a beautiful product and service both. Although I'm personally intrigued with Artisan StoreFront and its apparent efficiency, I just don't like looking at the dated DOS screens in this day and age.

Now here's some perverse thinking which has to drive marketing people schizo (which is their most productive modus operandi anyway). I'm quite familiar with the FileMaker Pro platform on which FrameReady is based (and therefore understand its utility and limitations). I don't know squat about the VBase-based Specialty Soft platform but programmers use it for lots of different stuff, including difficult real-time simulation programs where UNIX used to reign.

Now here's where it gets perverse :eek: : Bein' as I could come close to doing something which resembled FrameReady myself, it must not be near as smart as SpecialtySoft's program because I don't know diddly about how it works.

Now that is so illogical it even burns me up! :mad: Go figger.
 
Huh?

If po'framer said anything obscene, would somebody let me know so I can edit his post?

Thank you.

Ron
 
Reading John's report on "Specialty Soft" sounded like what we say about FrameReady. After having WinCalc and Full-Calc for seven years it was like coming in from the cold to get a program that did the things we needed. We picked Frame Ready because it is written in FileMaker Pro and allows you to change the way you view your data entry and reports. I can add new reports, change field layouts and customize the program for your own business without writting any code. We just design the report on the screen and the program writes the code for it.

But, after saying all that, the main reason was the support you receive from FrameReady. Vendor updates are on the web site within 48 hours of the time the vendor releases them to FrameReady.

We, like John, know that we could not manage our business without a good POS program and like John we picked what we felt was best for our business. The real joy is knowing you have the most current information available in your computer to price your framing sales. When your cost goes up--you still have you profit margin on the sale.
 
I'd tell you mesef if I knew, Ron, but I'm still looking up most of those words to figger out if they got used right.

:D
 
Create a Post
Back
Top