Why BusinessVision Users are Switching to Spire
Sage BusinessVision is a business management software used by a number of small to mid-sized wholesale distributors, manufacturers, and service-oriented businesses. It has been the go-to solution for Canadian companies looking for an easier way to manage their business. However, the past few years is proving that this is not the case anymore.
What’s Wrong with BusinessVision?
When Sage BusinessVision was first launched, no other business software could match its value for its class. However, for the past 6 to 7 years, the majority of BusinessVision users are replacing BV with other software. Here are a few reasons why this is happening:
The biggest issue with BusinessVision has to do with its technology. The technology used now is the same technology they used when it was first developed. By modern standards, this is considered to be outdated and can put your business at risk with performance and security issues.
Sage BusinessVision relies on Pervasive v10 and Crystal Reports v10. Pervasive v10 is no longer supported by its very own vendor. Sage has relied on this old version for many years and never upgraded to a higher-performing database engine. For reporting, BusinessVision uses Crystal Reports v10 as their business intelligence application. However, this version of Crystal Reports is no longer supported by its vendor as well. With reliance on outdated and non-supported technology, BusinessVision customers have to come to terms that their software is obsolete.
In its heyday, BusinessVision had a constant stream of new functionalities. In the past few years, however, new version releases included only bug fixes with no new features or technology.
This is a clear indication that Sage is no longer investing in BusinessVision, and therefore, has no interest in making BusinessVision a modern business management solution.
If you are using BusinessVision but not paying your software assurance, you will not be able to input transactions beyond Dec 31, 2020. The only way to do so is to pay your outstanding software assurance to get access to this bug fix. However, it’s important to consider if it’s worth your time to pay the outstanding fees or transition to better software.
Is Spire a Suitable Replacement for BusinessVision?
Technology is evolving at a rapid pace. Businesses expect more from their software and that means new features, greater flexibility, and an enhanced user experience to simplify the complexities of managing day-to-day operations.
Spire is the only reliable replacement for BusinessVision users that want a modern solution to manage their business. Spire not only matches the features in BusinessVision but also provides more functionality to help you improve business efficiency, productivity, and profitability.
Here’s why BusinessVision users are switching to Spire:
User Experience
Data is presented in a grid format so all records for that module can be seen at once. Columns can be moved and sorted in any order, which makes it easy to view, update and analyze data.
ion relies on Pervasive v10 and Crystal Reports v10. Pervasive v10 is no longer supported by its very own vendor. Sage has relied on this old version for many years and never upgraded to a higher-performing database engine. For reporting, BusinessVision uses Crystal Reports v10 as their business intelligence application. However, this version of Crystal Reports is no longer supported by its vendor as well. With reliance on outdated and non-supported technology, BusinessVision customers have to come to terms that their software is obsolete.
Filters can be used to select data right on the screen and can be saved for future reference, including the column layout and sorting.
Modules can be opened in a new window so that you can view multiple modules at the same time. Multiple screens of the same module can be opened as well.
Information can be easily found based on single and multiple word searches for each module.
All modules are completely integrated so that you can view and maintain sales and purchase orders wherever they appear, such as in the Customer, Vendor and Inventory modules.
All reports and forms are found in the related module and can be printed or email merged to separate recipients. Different reports and forms can also be printed simultaneously.
Features
This module integrates purchasing requirements derived from Sales Orders, Inventory and Production Manager (a separate add-on module for manufacturers).
Customer pricing can be set based on a wide range of variables, such as specific customer/inventory combinations, customer types, inventory product codes or territories. This module supports multiple price points based on volume, date ranges, cost plus pricing and cumulative price breaks. It also has the ability to push customer-specific pricing to the matrix from an order or quote.
The Communication module can be used to create follow up items that can be assigned to yourself or coworkers. Pop up alerts can be created to display a message regarding a specific customer, vendor or inventory item whenever that information is relevant.
Data can be exported easily to Excel from all module lists. All data on screen exports in the same column and row format as seen on the screen.
Inventory adjustments and transfers can be done in a batch, instead of one item at a time.
This module creates a bill of material for any manufactured or kitted item.
Default landed cost % can be established by item. Landed cost can be allocated to items on a PO receipt by weight, quantity or value.
Ability to track lots from purchasing to production to sales.
Users can print or email merge documents to a selected group of customers in the Customer module.
Vendor, customer and employee pre-authorized debits can be exported and submitted to the bank, significantly improving the collection and payment process.
A customer’s sales history can be viewed from within a sales order. The sales history is quickly filtered for the items already on the order, showing the quantity and price of prior sales.
Once the desired margin by product code is established, the margin will turn red on each line item that falls below that desired margin in sales orders.
The Fill Order tab in Sales Orders and Receive Order tab in Purchase Orders are designed to work with barcode scanners to improve accuracy and efficiency.
Custom-built phases can track all activity for a sales, purchase or production order.
Any form or report can be emailed using a template. Email templates are a set of user-defined standard messages that can be edited before they are sent.
Non-financial information on an invoice can be edited in Sales History (ex. customer PO number, salesperson, territory, or item description).
A group of inventory items, customers or vendors can be edited all at once.
Users can assign different foreground and background colours for specific customers, vendors, inventory, and sales order types.
Inventory, customer and vendor codes can be amended to reflect revised part numbers, customer and vendor names.
Discounts can be offered based on a minimum quantity of items purchased over multiple items matching a certain criteria (ex. product code).
Labels, including barcodes, are easily created for inventory, purchase orders, and sales orders.
Permissions can be set for sales reps to only see the sales orders and sales history for their own customers, customers within a specific territory, or salesperson code.
Headings can be created in the Detail section of sales orders to better organize items. These can be subtotalled if desired with form/report customization.
The sales order list displays deposits received and outstanding amounts.
Components for a kitted inventory item can be specified. When that kit is added to an order, the system will prompt to ask which items should be included in that order.
Job costing can be done on a line-by-line basis on a sales or purchase order.
Sales orders can be set to repeat at specified intervals based on location and date.
Sales order details can be sorted and will show the number of lines on each order.
Technology
Virtually all of BusinessVision data is migrated into Spire.
Spire uses PostgreSQL, a more modern and faster database than BusinessVision’s Pervasive database.
Spire has a comprehensive Application Programming Interface (API), which allows third-party developers to easily read and write Spire data.
Users do not have to be added in groups 5 or 10, and can be added one at a time. There is no change in technology as a company grows from one user to an unlimited number of users.
Data in Spire is much more secure than in BusinessVision as it resides in a password-protected database. Backups are fast and can be done when users are logged in.