Certinia ERP Cloud vs. Viewpoint Spectrum

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Certinia ERP Cloud
Score 5.5 out of 10
N/A
Certinia ERP Cloud automates financial management on the Salesforce platform. The customer-centric ERP software includes a general ledger, automated billing processes, and financial intelligence.N/A
Viewpoint Spectrum
Score 8.5 out of 10
N/A
Viewpoint Spectrum is a cloud-based construction ERP suite with project management, accounting, resource management, and reporting and analytics. Key features include workflow automation and collaboration tools, document imaging and sharing, cost estimating tools, and RFI management tools.N/A
Pricing
Certinia ERP CloudViewpoint Spectrum
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Certinia ERP CloudViewpoint Spectrum
Free Trial
YesNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional DetailsProspective buyers may contact vendor directly for a price quote.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Certinia ERP CloudViewpoint Spectrum
Considered Both Products
Certinia ERP Cloud
Chose Certinia ERP Cloud
FinancialForce Subscription & Usage Billing has more features, more useability, and manages higher numbers of customers. The systems I have used in the past are easier to navigate but couldn't handle this number of customers.
Chose Certinia ERP Cloud
Infinitely better. We are much happier with FinancialForce ERP rather than Netsuite. This allows us so much more flexibility and growth potential. There is a good chance we will use other functionality of FinancialForce in the future to stay within the same ecosystem. We …
Chose Certinia ERP Cloud
FFA is built on the SalesForce platform, giving us one source of data for our KPIs. Unlike Dynamics, FFA allows us to create custom reports and dashboards through which we can share financial results. We were able to better automate and streamline accounts payable using FFA. …
Chose Certinia ERP Cloud
NetSuite is much better in that it can produce financial statements, has a subscription module, and is just as customizable as FinancialForce. If you have a midsized company, NetSuite may be better suited for your business needs. FinancialForce requires a lot of in-house …
Chose Certinia ERP Cloud
Compared to other accounting software FinancialForce Accounting has its good and bad aspects but overall it is a good option. Reporting directly from FinancialForce Accounting can be difficult to do, but standard accounting tasks are straightforward and not time-consuming to …
Chose Certinia ERP Cloud
The initial allure of FinancialForce Accounting was the fact that we were very happy with Salesforce.com and the ability to integrate FinancialForce Accounting with Salesforce.com easily (although it was time-consuming). But after analyzing its functionality it was also …
Chose Certinia ERP Cloud
Outside CPA was strong proponent of Quickbooks and it was evaluated initially, but size of company, complexity of transactions, eventual move to Salesforce and need for multi-company and multicurrency ruled it out almost from the start. As the only accounting system built …
Viewpoint Spectrum
Chose Viewpoint Spectrum
The cloud-based system is great, and the ease of use compared to other systems is why we chose it.
Chose Viewpoint Spectrum
Viewpoint Spectrum allows us to have one platform to do payroll, invoice for projects, and manage the cost of a project. Whereas Procore didn't have those features and we were using multiple other platforms to do all of those things.
Chose Viewpoint Spectrum
Spectrum, when compared to Simply accounting, is better. It has more options, and it is easy to navigate. Spectrum meets our needs better. Spectrum, when compared to Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate, is better. Spectrum has better connectivity between its project …
Chose Viewpoint Spectrum
Not sure how comparable these software are. Both are great and were used for different reasons for different companies and circumstances. I use Viewpoint Spectrum for the Roadway Contruction industry and SAP for the chemical manufacturing world. There are similarities but a lot …
Chose Viewpoint Spectrum
Spectrum is much more comprehensive than its competitors, and provides a much deeper level of insight into project costing. From bidding to project closeout, Spectrum's software allows for cohesiveness and fluidity where other programs are very segmented and difficult to track.
Chose Viewpoint Spectrum
Quickbooks Enterprise is much easier to use with a lot of the same more advanced features. From my experience, I wouldn't recommend Viewpoint Spectrum
Chose Viewpoint Spectrum
Viewpoint is much more user friendly than Sage 300, but is more limited (less customizable). It is not easy to get custom reports out of Viewpoint, whereas Sage is perfect for customization. With that comes more attention to detail in Sage, from all users, to avoid erroneous …
Chose Viewpoint Spectrum
Spectrum is the only one I have used since starting here 2 years ago.
Chose Viewpoint Spectrum
Viewpoint Spectrum is much more construction based.
Chose Viewpoint Spectrum
I originally came off of the American Contractor when it reached its end of life, and my company converted to using Spectrum. American Contractor didn't give us half the visibility that Spectrum does - we still had to rely heavily on outside systems and processes to gain a full …
Chose Viewpoint Spectrum
Prior to acquisition by Viewpoint and then Trimble, the customer support was a major selling point of the software. Unfortunately at this time, that is no longer the case.
Chose Viewpoint Spectrum
Foundation has some nice features that Spectrum doesn't and vice versa. Procore is much more complicated to use but it has better company wide reporting. I think Viewpoint will be a better choice in the long term. They are rolling out updates all the time. The cost is …
Chose Viewpoint Spectrum
This is my first construction job and Spectrum is the only software I've used. The company used to use Sage
Chose Viewpoint Spectrum
Spectrum seems to be a better option for now since current leadership is comfortable with the financial aspect that Spectrum bring but some in the leadership team are not happy with the other offers that Trimble has.
Chose Viewpoint Spectrum
On my old accounting software one feature I miss is the feature where I could run a GL detail report and actually click on a line to see the actual entry.
Chose Viewpoint Spectrum
We selected Viewpoint Spectrum because it allowed us to run our construction and projects department along with our service department all in one application. We are into year five with Viewpoint Spectrum and are still very pleased with our decision.
Chose Viewpoint Spectrum
I have only evaluated the products. I chose Spectrum because it was (at the time) relatively inexpensive or on par with the others and seemed like the best option that fits our business model. It has not proven to be very costly for what we are getting in my opinion and nothing …
Chose Viewpoint Spectrum
Have not previously utilized any construction software. Our company has been on Viewpoint Spectrum for over 10 years.
Chose Viewpoint Spectrum
I wasn't part of the evaluation, but I did give input on what I thought of Viewpoint Spectrum before we bought it. I had used Timberline and Sage, before we got to Spectrum.
Chose Viewpoint Spectrum
Spectrum is an ERP system that was built with construction in mind. It has more applicability vs. Dynamics, which is used across many types of companies.
Chose Viewpoint Spectrum
I investigated Sage, Timberline, ConMast, and Quickbooks some 25 years ago. Viewpoint Spectrum was the best overall in most coverage and flexibility, ease of use, and mastery. I do not have any knowledge on other software currently.
Chose Viewpoint Spectrum
We stayed with Spectrum for what we thought would be an easy upgrade and transition. However, we are evaluating how we are going to use ViewpointOne Teams because we've suffered many roadblocks to daily use like daily logs and uploading of photos using the app. Also, choosing …
Chose Viewpoint Spectrum
We originally had Jonas Premier prior to Viewpoint based on cost and flexibility (report writing). However, we discovered that Jonas reports are not available as described in the demo. And reports were not easy to read because they had to be created. It was challenging to …
Features
Certinia ERP CloudViewpoint Spectrum
Payroll Management
Comparison of Payroll Management features of Product A and Product B
Certinia ERP Cloud
8.4
Ratings
16% above category average
Viewpoint Spectrum
5.0
Ratings
36% below category average
Pay calculation8.50 Ratings7.70 Ratings
Benefit plan administration8.00 Ratings7.00 Ratings
Direct deposit files9.00 Ratings8.20 Ratings
Customization
Comparison of Customization features of Product A and Product B
Certinia ERP Cloud
8.4
Ratings
10% above category average
Viewpoint Spectrum
5.3
Ratings
36% below category average
API for custom integration8.80 Ratings5.30 Ratings
Plug-ins8.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Security
Comparison of Security features of Product A and Product B
Certinia ERP Cloud
8.4
Ratings
3% above category average
Viewpoint Spectrum
8.3
Ratings
1% above category average
Single sign-on capability8.60 Ratings9.50 Ratings
Role-based user permissions8.10 Ratings7.00 Ratings
Reporting & Analytics
Comparison of Reporting & Analytics features of Product A and Product B
Certinia ERP Cloud
7.9
Ratings
9% above category average
Viewpoint Spectrum
3.6
Ratings
67% below category average
Dashboards8.40 Ratings7.80 Ratings
Standard reports6.50 Ratings3.30 Ratings
Custom reports8.80 Ratings2.50 Ratings
General Ledger and Configurable Accounting
Comparison of General Ledger and Configurable Accounting features of Product A and Product B
Certinia ERP Cloud
7.9
Ratings
2% above category average
Viewpoint Spectrum
8.9
Ratings
14% above category average
Accounts payable8.00 Ratings8.00 Ratings
Accounts receivable7.10 Ratings8.00 Ratings
Global Financial Support8.00 Ratings9.30 Ratings
Primary and Secondary Ledgers7.00 Ratings9.40 Ratings
Journals and Reconciliations6.30 Ratings8.70 Ratings
Configurable Accounting7.40 Ratings9.20 Ratings
Standardized Processes8.70 Ratings9.40 Ratings
Inventory Management
Comparison of Inventory Management features of Product A and Product B
Certinia ERP Cloud
10.0
Ratings
23% above category average
Viewpoint Spectrum
6.2
Ratings
24% below category average
Inventory tracking10.00 Ratings5.10 Ratings
Automatic reordering10.00 Ratings6.00 Ratings
Location management10.00 Ratings7.40 Ratings
Order Management
Comparison of Order Management features of Product A and Product B
Certinia ERP Cloud
8.1
Ratings
3% above category average
Viewpoint Spectrum
7.8
Ratings
1% below category average
Pricing8.00 Ratings7.20 Ratings
Order entry8.00 Ratings7.20 Ratings
Credit card processing8.50 Ratings8.80 Ratings
Cost of goods sold8.00 Ratings8.10 Ratings
Subledger and Financial Process
Comparison of Subledger and Financial Process features of Product A and Product B
Certinia ERP Cloud
8.7
Ratings
15% above category average
Viewpoint Spectrum
8.1
Ratings
8% above category average
Travel & Expense Management10.00 Ratings7.00 Ratings
Budgetary Control & Encumbrance Accounting7.00 Ratings7.00 Ratings
Billing Management00 Ratings9.50 Ratings
Cash and Asset Management00 Ratings8.00 Ratings
Period Close00 Ratings8.80 Ratings
Project Financial Management
Comparison of Project Financial Management features of Product A and Product B
Certinia ERP Cloud
9.3
Ratings
20% above category average
Viewpoint Spectrum
-
Ratings
Budgeting and Forecasting9.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Project Costing9.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Cost Capture10.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Capital Project Management9.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Customer Contract Compliance10.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Project Revenue Recognition10.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Project Execution Management
Comparison of Project Execution Management features of Product A and Product B
Certinia ERP Cloud
8.2
Ratings
18% above category average
Viewpoint Spectrum
6.7
Ratings
2% below category average
Project Planning and Scheduling7.00 Ratings5.00 Ratings
Task Insight for Project Managers7.00 Ratings7.10 Ratings
Project Mobile Functionality8.00 Ratings7.30 Ratings
Definable Resource Pools8.00 Ratings7.20 Ratings
Procurement
Comparison of Procurement features of Product A and Product B
Certinia ERP Cloud
-
Ratings
Viewpoint Spectrum
7.8
Ratings
12% above category average
Bids Analyzed and Compared00 Ratings8.80 Ratings
Contract Authoring00 Ratings8.10 Ratings
Contract Repository00 Ratings8.10 Ratings
Requisitions-to-Purchase Orders Integrated00 Ratings6.80 Ratings
Supplier Management00 Ratings7.30 Ratings
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Certinia ERP CloudViewpoint Spectrum
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Score 8.9 out of 10
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Score 8.9 out of 10
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Score 8.0 out of 10
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Infor VISUAL
Score 8.0 out of 10
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User Ratings
Certinia ERP CloudViewpoint Spectrum
Likelihood to Recommend
6.0
(0 ratings)
7.3
(0 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
10.0
(0 ratings)
9.1
(0 ratings)
Usability
10.0
(0 ratings)
8.7
(0 ratings)
Availability
10.0
(0 ratings)
9.0
(0 ratings)
Performance
9.0
(0 ratings)
8.5
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
10.0
(0 ratings)
6.4
(0 ratings)
In-Person Training
-
(0 ratings)
7.0
(0 ratings)
Online Training
10.0
(0 ratings)
9.1
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
10.0
(0 ratings)
8.9
(0 ratings)
Ease of integration
-
(0 ratings)
6.6
(0 ratings)
Product Scalability
-
(0 ratings)
7.6
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
Certinia ERP CloudViewpoint Spectrum
Likelihood to Recommend
FFA is a good product if you want the ability to customize functionality and reporting. However, all the setup can be overwhelming if you are looking for an out-of-the-box solution. FFA is a great choice is you are already using Salesforce and want to report on KPIs directly from the source data. There are a lot of applications to help you feed data into the system or export it out in a usable format.
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Viewpoint Spectrum would be fine for small to medium-sized companies. It would be great for transitioning from an in-house paper-based process, especially since it's designed with small construction companies in mind. They're making it even easier for smaller companies by offering additional features that you'd normally have to find in other products. However, companies can easily outgrow this system. We have about 15 years of data in the system, over 300 active jobs, and nearly 1,500 employees. In the past 3 years we've noticed slower performance and frequent locks in the system that require intervention from a system administrator. We moved to the cloud about 2 years ago and this has made troubleshooting even more difficult as we don't have the same access that we did before to resolve performance issues.
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Pros
  • Comprehensive spreadsheets and dashboards with filtering functions.
  • Ease of file upload and conversion to and from Excel.
  • The overall spread of the homepage makes for easy access to whatever information you're looking for.
  • I believe FFA has a tremendous ability to data easy to access by all departments, but also is complex enough to retrieve specific data that is needed.
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  • Dashboards make navigating to the crucial information quick and easy.
  • The layout with what we affectionately call the job info bar helps our project teams to quickly get where they need to go in the system.
  • Crystal reports are easily managed and integrated with Spectrum, giving us great flexibility in custom reports.
  • With a little training, and I mean a little, Spectrum is user friendly. Easy to create favorites/shortcuts for ease of use.
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Cons
  • It took a very very long time to implement and we had configuration issues after the implementation that had to be addressed.
  • Cannot run scheduled reports.
  • Difficult to run reports (training is needed to configure the reports).
Read full review
  • Subcontract Kiosk can be glitchy - allows subs to overbill on subcontract billing items
  • Document Imaging can be glitchy - often says users do not have adequate security to view/add documents, but they do - if they sign out and back in, it works fine
  • At times, support can be lacking - sometimes case responses are delayed or you get an incorrect answer
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Likelihood to Renew
The company has now converted its legacy, "home grown" operations system and built it on the force.com platform, and the integration between it and FinancialForce is deeply entrenched. No other application would be able to replicate this functionality, and the company will be able to scale and leverage the force.com platform as it grows.
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It checks all of our boxes at the moment.
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Usability
Change management is always an issue, but the evidence of the application's usability is that both long-time employees (used to the legacy systems for many years) and newer employees have been able to learn the system and improve their business processes.
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Some things in Spectrum are NOT that intuitive, but I think knowledge of the software just comes with time. There are still some things I need assistance with in Spectrum but I'm very comfortable with my day to day items now that I've been using it for years. However, if there is something I don't do often or haven't done before, I don't find the software to be that intuitive, I actually find the logic on some things to be a little weird but it's fine once I know how to do it.
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Reliability and Availability
Unless the internet is completely unavailable - which has not happened yet - the application is always accessible. Since FinancialForce is built on the force.com platform, it's uptime is tied to Salesforce security and system performance standards
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Very little down time. They host our system.
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Performance
If Visualforce pages are enabled, they sometimes slow down the load time.
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For the most part the product is very reliable. Since we are hosted we sometimes have connectivity issues but I would say that is more our ISP than Spectrum.
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Support Rating
The response time for FinancialForce is exemplary. Immediate acknowledgement of the support request by automatically logging a case/ticket on the provider side, then less than 24-hour follow up by a support team member with specific questions, information or resolution for the issue.
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The support has recently changed. Last year, you could call in and get an immediate response. Now that doesn't seem possible unless you have an urgent situation with access to the software, payroll or payables. I have found that using chat or e-mail works nicely for the most part, but sometimes I feel it would be easier if someone from support would jump on our site and take a first-hand look rather than going back and forth
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Online Training
Through its Xtra login website available to its customers, FinancialForce offers a complete set of online, video tutorials, training and documentation. Each tutorial is "bite-sized", meaning it imparts instructional, step-by-step information in 2-3 minute narrated videos. For a particular cycle or process, like invoices to payments for example, each tutorial builds on the last so that the user can get a complete picture of the steps and process in less than 10 minutes.
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Our trainer was excellent and navigated the time zone differences expertly. She gave us test assignments to complete and was available for questions at any time.
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Implementation Rating
The company decided to run parallel for three months in order to soften the impact of the change from the legacy "system" - which users had been interfacing with for over a decade - to FinancialForce. While not recommended, this did provide time for the in-house "super user" team of 2 people to become completely familiar with the application, and thus provide hands-on training and be a resource for the users who would be processing the daily accounting transactions.
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It is important to have a strong implementation partner. It made the transition from our old system to the new system easier.
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Alternatives Considered
FinancialForce Subscription & Usage Billing has more features, more useability, and manages higher numbers of customers. The systems I have used in the past are easier to navigate but couldn't handle this number of customers.
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Spectrum, when compared to Simply accounting, is better. It has more options, and it is easy to navigate. Spectrum meets our needs better. Spectrum, when compared to Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate, is better. Spectrum has better connectivity between its project management system compared to Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate. Spectrum, when compared to CMIC, I believe they are equal. CMiC has a better project management system, but Spectrum has an easier accounting system to navigate.
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Scalability
No answers on this topic
You can grant user specific access which is nice. Project managers do not need all the same modules as Accounting. But Accounting does need access to PM modules as well
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Return on Investment
  • We moved to a subscription business, and FinancialForce cannot facilitate it. After using FinancialForce for 4 years, we had to switch to NetSuite. We had a negative return on investment with all the resources we used to do in-house development in FnancialForce.
  • FinancialForce did not have a good way to match payments against invoices, and it was a very manual process. We spent a lot of human hours to get it done.
  • It was still relatively cheap, so for the 4 years that we used it, the actual cost of the product was what we could only afford at the time.
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  • Viewpoint Spectrum has allowed us the opportunity to be proactive in analyzing the costs for a project in time to make a difference in the outcome of the project. It has allowed us defense in supporting our communications with the project owners.
  • Viewpoint Spectrum has allowed us to become more productive with its accounting software and the cohesion between the modules. It has definitely streamlined the processing necessary to account for the business.
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ScreenShots