One System ERP Solutions

Puntos a favor: The product is very flexible, detailed, and truly integrated. It is capable of delivering capabilities and options that most vendors only seem able to promise. This, matched with a very high reliability, makes the system a good match for most manufacturing organizations. The integration and interface make for a good user experience that is flexible enough to meet most users' needs. This is accomplished through the true integration of all major areas of functionality and makes operation very smooth. We rely heavily on the integrated Document Control systems to provide information relevant to users and customers through the manufacturing process and afterward. It is a huge timesaver and allows us to answer most customer questions on a single call, chat, or e-mail. Another great advantage of this is the company behind the software. First, you are dealing with a family owned company with no intention of selling. This speaks to the commitment of the company to the product and its support. Second, they are the developers of the software, which ensures a tight integration between modules and understanding of issues. And finally, the same organization selling and supporting the software is also writing it. This is huge and avoids drawn out finger-pointing sessions between the software company and VARs that leave you high and dry with other solutions.

Contras: Dealing with issues after upgrades and limited support for older versions are a hassle. Being that it is such a complex piece of software and is tweaked to each user's needs, I understand that issues crop up, but that doesn't make dealing with them any less difficult.

Comentarios: GSS has been a good fit for us by providing a fully developed, all-in-one business resource, from a software provider that acts more as a partner than a vendor.

Puntos a favor: We find GSS to be a highly developed ERP tool with some very sophisticated functionality; not all of which we need to take advantage of, but is there if/when we decide to. The extensive range of selective parameters allowed for flexibility in how we configured the software to function for our business, so the implementation process was key for us. And we find, even 10 years in, that these software options along with GSS’s continual commitment to software enhancements have been able to keep up with the evolving processes and informational demands of our business. And I can't say enough about their customer service support.. extremely responsive, always professional, and highly competent. In almost every instance, our service calls have been responded to the same day, and the norm is resolved to satisfaction within 48 hours of initial contact. With our business going 24/6, this level of responsiveness is critical.

Contras: Issues we had with moving between modules to gain information - or a "big picture" approach - have been satisfied with the introduction of dashboards throughout all areas of the software. Some lag in the system has developed from recent changes within the software but we believe are being addressed.

Comentarios: We went live in Global Shop on 04-01-15 and in virtually all areas of our company, it's simplified how we operate. Is there a learning curve? Yes, but we went into the transition expecting a learning curve! It was new, complex software that took the place of multiple homegrown systems. It took 4 months from when we started till we went "live", which for us exceeded our expectations.

Puntos a favor: 1. Customer Support - Global Shop was and has been with us every step of the way. It's an understatement to say selecting an ERP system is a big deal! There will be questions/issues to work through and when those questions/issues come up, you need answers ASAP. Global Shop has been there for us.
2. Simplifies operation - Having everything one umbrella has been a game changer for us. No more double entering.
3. The list goes on - Advanced Planning/Scheduling, visible inventory, real-time job costing, auto-purchasing, etc.

Contras: 1. The shop side has been fantastic. The office gals had a tough time transitioning the accounting side to Global Shop from Quickbooks. Although one thing I will say on this is, Global Shop was always there to answer questions, and now after we are up and going our accountant says her job is easier.
2. Updates (we've been updating yearly). We are committed to staying up to date with the software. So far I've done three updates. Two were seamless and one took a bit more work.

Puntos a favor: The product: GSS is truly a one-system ERP. Every aspect of our business will soon be done inside of GSS. There will be no more Word documents or spreadsheets! We utilize nearly all of the GSS modules and a few non-standard modules/programs in addition. One of the most valuable non-standard modules/programs for us has been the SolidWorks to GSS upload tool. This module allows us to model a custom job in SolidWorks and upload the Bill of Material directly to GSS.
One last thing that is nice about GSS is that the number of options for your company is vast. If you don't like the way GSS handles a certain process/action, there is probably an option to change it. Or, with GAB, you can change it yourself or ask GSS to write the GAB for you. The vendor: GSS is great to work with. They respond quickly to inquiries or problems and have a variety of pre-recorded or virtual training options (not to mention on-site training) available. The product and vendor: GSS does not stop moving. GSS continues to make their programs and services better and better.

Contras: The product: GSS heavily utilizes Crystal Reports to generate nearly all reports. Almost a year ago, SAP (Crystal Reports) changed the level of process GSS was able to use, making the report generation slower. It has been a minor inconvenience, but an inconvenience nonetheless. GSS has been working on solutions for this, and it has gotten better with the latest updates. We are an update or two behind the current version (shame on us!), in which the update notes have included details about fixing this issue. Obviously, it hasn't been enough of an inconvenience for us to install the update immediately. The vendor: Occasionally, if you are requesting personal (virtual) training with a specific trainer or on a specific topic, you may wait possibly up to a week or two. This has only happened once or twice, and they are usually able to accommodate much quicker.

Comentarios: I have been using Global Shop for 9 years. There is almost nothing this system can't do. We have barely scratched the surface of some of the capabilities of the software. Customer support was hit or miss back in the early days of our installation. It was hard to get support on the phone or by email when you really needed it. Over the last 4-5 years they have placed an emphasis on improving their customer support team and it shows! Most issues are resolved by Tier 1 support, either immediately on the phone or within 1-2 hrs by email after the entry of a support ticket online. If you have a more in-depth issue (which I usually do, unfortunately) the ticket is moved to Tier 2 or R&D, which can take longer but is usually resolved in a reasonable amount of time. The support staff is very friendly and always willing to do what it takes to resolve an issue or point you in the right direction to a new feature/function you may need. As with any system, there are some issues/challenges to deal with. While many of these have been addressed through updates, there are some withstanding. There is a lack on continuity from module to module as it pertains to search functions and feature properties. When searching for an item within the database there can be up to 4 different types of search windows that all behave a little differently. Small issues aside, this is a great product and I am sure they will resolve these issues in time as they have with any number of issues in the past. Their focus has always been customer driven and they live up to it every time I need them to.