Better Reviews

Pros

This software is very robust and complex. If you have a lot of details that need to be stored about the clients/customers, this is the product you need. Once a thorough understanding of the functionality is achieved and in use, this is product that can work for you.

Cons

The mobile version is not stable and is the part I struggle with the most. I have staff out in the field that need to access to details but often times they are not able to even get the app to properly load.

Pros

I like that it has an app based platform that allows our staff to access jobs and client information. Easy to access and easy to use.

Cons

Don’t like the notifications feature and the lack of an auto batch credit card processing feature like other softwares.

Alternatives Considered

WorkWave Service

Reasons for Choosing Better

I was forced by oye franchisor

Reasons for Switching to Better

I didn’t I was forced but I preferred work wave

Pros

When it comes to customer support I couldn't ask for anything better. Official and the team are ALWAYS there to help me with any issues and fix mistakes that happen. I never have to wait or deal with an automated system, and the IM support in fantastic.

For the basic features BPRO does when it needs to do. Moving beyond basic scheduling is when it becomes tricky.

Cons

Outise of the calendar feature, the software is not user friendly. The automated emails have been difficult to set up, there are limited triggers to start the email campaigns and the fact that you have to go through so many steps to get to what you want can be frustrating. The Actual Email campaigns are a good thought but there is a very limited scope to what you can utilize.

Our previous software had the ability to create a list of "floating" jobs that were not a hard scheduled time and could be completed whenever we were in the area, which is something we miss. I find that I have a ton of sticky notes on my desk with names of these customers because I lose track of who is a hard schedule and who isn't.

The recurring jobs is a pain in the but. There is No way to recognize what is a job that is SUPPOSED to be scheduled (i.e. customers that want cleanings in april and october require you to schedule them for actual days and times and assign to specific assets). This makes is difficult to see which have been confirmed and which jobs are one that need to be set up.

Finding the specific information you need in some of the reports can be difficult as well. I often find myself pulling multiple reports and importing information into excel so I can get everything I need in one place. This is time consuming and often inaccurate, as it is easy to miss things when you are having to do it this way.

Pros

It's affordable and comes with most of the functionality you would need/expect to run a rental business (ours is a corporate AV company). Contact data as well as order history and billing is all done from one software, plus it's in the cloud, so it's accessible anywhere. The chat support is pretty good, and if you miss them out of office hours you will probably have a response when you get to work the next morning.

Cons

Customization/personalization is limited. For example, there is a pretty rigid order/invoice layout that allows you to move a couple blocks of text around but you can't make wholesale changes to "make it your own." The various reports have become more useful over time and generally cover all the basics (most of the data can be spit out via at least one of the built-in reports), but you can't create and save your own reports. For example, I run an Opportunity Report every month to track sales. It would be nice if I could format that report so it spits out just the 6 columns I want to look at in the order I want to see them, rather than exporting to Excel and reordering it every month.

Pros

The software fits our needs and we are able to customize what we want to. Our crews can access on their IPads all the info they need before they get to the job site, and once there, can save details to be shared with next crew or office. We use it often to consult for ongoing projects. There are more features like handing job responsibilities, pipelines and calendar, that I want to use more fully. I wish we had this software when the company first started! Customer service has always been quick, responsive, helpful and fun (!) to work with.

Cons

I am still working on get the pipeline and actions properly set for our type of work flow. This is due to the limited amount of time I have to get the software application set up. Like trying to walk and tie my shoe at the same time. I like it and need it, but need some down time to get it all correctly set up.

Pros

initially it was simple but useful and their staff was responsive.

Cons

they updated to a new version, took out all the functions that worked for our business and then promised endlessly to get it working for us. We had one staff member on the phone with tech support DAILY for months trying to work out the issues. They'd fix one thing just for it to mess up something else. In the end, they basically admitted they were moving in a different direction that what they had sold us on and told us they would no longer be able to meet our needs. They had no issue taking our money for an extra year before deciding that they wouldn't continue to develop the program as promised. Biggest issue was that they market as being able to keep track of inventory over multiple locations but the particular function was the one that always glitched. At one point we had to reinput ALL of our inventory numbers for two locations because they had messed it up so badly it was better to just start from scratch. The amount of staff hours we paid, on top of the cost of the program, it was not worth it.

Alternatives Considered

Point of Rental Software

Reasons for Switching to Better

They seemed like they would be able to meet our needs more closely. And they had a willingness to work with us to tweak the program specifically for us. Also their sales team wasn't near as arrogant as the Point of Rental rep in our area.

Pros

I liked the interface and ease of use with the Better Software. Also their customer service was always quick to respond and super helpful.

Cons

We ultimately ended up switching to a software that included payment within the software - while Better Software offered to integrate with Quickbooks we wanted a payment module within our software and the ability to send clients a link to make payment from their end.

Alternatives Considered

Current RMS and Point of Rental Software

Reasons for Choosing Better

The interface with The Better Software was much more user friendly and up to date with current technology trends.

Reasons for Switching to Better

The customer service and interface

Pros

Their support is prompt. But they put in a ticket and it goes nowhere. Literally nowhere off months.

Cons

They made changes to their software and it cannot be trusted. Orders are being dropped, double booked or you need a work around because of problems with the system.
I started with them 5 years ago and everything started great. Then it got so bad I had to switch because it cost me thousands of dollars because of their system issues.
Some mornings we would come into work and the system would have multiple duplicated orders so we were stuck without sny way of directing our teams. They would not be in until 9-10am to start working on it so we nearly list the whole morning.

Pros

A wide variety of options and uses. Capability to connect easily with customers, schedule appointments, send invoices, and accept payments. Can track and follow jobs from start to finish. So much potential for recurring jobs/emails/marketing, reminders, etc. Could really help a small business grow with marketing features, customer service options, and partnerships.

Cons

Not the most user-friendly. A lot of little things that could be changed to improve functionality and flow, such as merging duplicate customers, job details when hovering on the dispatch calendar, drag/move line items in the cart, tab for current job/line item prices per customer, one card payment for multiple jobs, select and email specific customers without having to create a lead/marketing email. Also, could really use a written manual/instructions for specific functions/features. Unfortunately, in a small office time is limited and I do not have the time to videos or click around to figure out how to use each feature. I would love to be able to utilize reminder emails and schedule specific recurring emails, etc. but it is too complicated and confusing without step by step instructions. I would really love to be able to delete customers, estimates, and jobs that are not needed or created in error. There is too much clutter and sometimes too many unnecessary details.

Pros

The Software does a great job of Tracking inventory and when it is out plus it is easy to see jobs of the week.

Cons

I have several items I do not like about the Software. Don't ask if you don't want to know!
-Projects Screen - If you have more than 8 jobs in you are currently working on (Not been paid, Future Jobs, Quotes not closed yet), which I hope everyone has more than 8. if you have need to scroll to the right or if you want to know what column you are looking at below the 8th job you have to scroll to the bottom the move to the right and then return to where you were working. Hopefully you remember what job you were on or the phone didn't ring so you can finish what you are working on. The new things they are working on are great but I know a little about programming and the ability to see the slider in an attribute that could likely be changed in less than an hours of work.

-Cash Basis while i realize you are not account software you do interact with it especially in Reporting sales. and Tax Reports. I am not 100% sure as I am not an accountant but the way i was trained by tax people and accountant for a Cash Basis Accounting when there is a Deposit it is NOT SALES and Not Taxable until the project has been delivered. So if someone pre pays for linens I can not take the money as sales until I deliver the Project it is a Liability not Sales. So when there are Deposits for jobs that have Sales Tax (Most of mine do not because it is a Resale Exemption) you enter into unearned income where it sits until you deliver the job. Sometimes it is a Year later .

Pros

We love the help we get from [SENSITIVE CONTENT HIDDEN]
but it's not fit for purpose.

I don't want to use a system that just about gets by, I want a system that does it all.

For $115 per month, it is over priced particularly as it does not have half the features other CRM's have and scheduling software does.

The interface / dashboard is big and clumpy and cumbersome. It does not flow and is not really customize compared to others we have used. It's got potential but we have waited 6 months for it to be fully functional and it is still a very long way off of being near to other services.

It periodically crashes Chrome and Internet Explorer.

Cons

The customer service. Beyond that, absolutely nothing.

Alternatives Considered

The Customer Factor, Jobber, mHelpDesk and ZenMaid

Reasons for Switching to Better

We were forced to by our Franchisor on the proviso that it was state of the art. It's a long way off of that and all of the above we took to like a duck to water, B-Pro just doesn't flow and is unnecessarily difficult to use.

Pros

Blue button to chat with an expert.

Cons

To optimize the system you need to set aside time for training. The software has a lot of capabilities, so it takes time to know how to utilize all the aspects of it.

Pros

Software is super easy to use. Any level user can feel comfortable clicking though. Accessibility...on the go, on the desk top. Customer support is excellent. If we ever have a question or do not know something, customer support gets back to us with a solution very quickly. Customization, most times our wishlist is developed over time. We love the software!

Cons

n/a

Pros

The software is very easy to use and very user friendly. Adding customer and schedule is very nice. Keeps all my customer organized and easy to find

Cons

I like the document and adding photos but I wish I can customize my own documents to save to use for every customer and have them sign it through the software.

Pros

The new layout is so much easier to use with less clicks to get my job done.

Cons

I'm not loving the fact when you "win" a proposal, you automatically lose the others without having to create a new estimate for potential service at a later date.

Pros

Mobile friendly
Easy Scheduling
Branded
Hubs

Cons

Clicks
Not a great clear distinction between prospects and customers

Pros

I like how I can customize it to the needs of my company & my employees.

Cons

It doesn’t work well on the mobile app.

Pros

Product is user friendly, and integration with my business was very easy.

Cons

The software seemed very overwhelming at first. There is a lot to learn. But I am figuring it out.

Pros

The system keeps things organized and in one place

Cons

Lots of updates and changes once you’re familiar w/it

Pros

The ease of use, very user friendly. Excellent customer support.

Cons

I've had some printing issues on a few things

Pros

Calendar is easy to manage. Reports are also useful

Cons

Way to many clicks to create an invoice.

Pros

Customizable, consistently being upgraded, and very affordable! Questions get answered very quickly.

Cons

Navigation sometimes can take some time to learn. Like all web-based software, you're at the mercy of your Internet connection speed which sometimes slows us down.

Pros

The inventory feature is what made our business run smoother.

Cons

Sometimes I feel as if the software is geared more toward other types of businesses, but I realize the company is in the process of streamlining the software towards the party rental business.

Pros

I liked the ability to track my clients personal information and history, and provide an invoice/estimate that looked clean and professional using our company logo.

Cons

Couldn't schedule or process payments - but that is coming down the line, or is already here.

Pros

The software has a lot of different features to offer.

Cons

Anything is easy to use but it's getting to the stage of knowing how and to feel comfortable with it.