Fishbowl

Avantages

the support system is very good and I only sent the screenshot for my fishbowl problem and the agent knows what is the cause of the problem

Inconvénients

time difference, when I want to schedule a meeting or support assistant, I need to wait the time where the agent will be available to support me.

Avantages

Keeps inventory counts great. Real easy to use for the most part.

Inconvénients

Can't back anything out if made mistake once it posts to QuickBooks.

Avantages

Love their customer service! It's nice knowing if we ever have an issue they are on hand to help deal with it and get us back up and running as quickly as possible.

Inconvénients

Nothing! The program is great and so it their customer support

Avantages

the support is getting much better and faster

Inconvénients

just send the zoom invite when you send the outlook invite initially
read the comments in support
Make your outlook agenda that is based on support ticket

Avantages

1- Ease of use for end users
2- Ease of use for administrator
3- Functionality for process manufacturing
4- Pricepoint

Inconvénients

Having used other, more expensive manufacturing software in the past, there is nothing that I do not like about Fishbowl

Avantages

Keeps track of everything pertaining to a business and easy to use.

Inconvénients

Lacks of some modifications that you need to achieve.

Avantages

Efficient and cost effective for small business applications

Inconvénients

Training/tech support sometimes not adequate.

Avantages

Inventory tracking features. Fishbowl wikipedia is somewhat helpful.

Inconvénients

No support without a service contract even though the problems are inherent with Fishbowl software, not caused by the user(s). Some of the sales and technical staff are rude/disrespectful.

Avantages

It is very easy to use and support is 1 click away

Inconvénients

Nothing that i can think of. it currently satisfy all our needs

Avantages

The dashboard feature is nice since it helps you keep track of partial shipments on orders.

Inconvénients

The support is a joke. Do not expect anyone to pickup the phone.

Avantages

Once you get setup it's solid program. The program inside all work together.

Inconvénients

Every time I have called in for a report it ends up costing.

Avantages

Performs as expected; UI is clean but dated

Inconvénients

QuickBooks interface is buggy but once established is reliable.
I wish the tool would run as a service and not as an application.

Avantages

User friendly
Easy to find modules
Easy to run reports

Inconvénients

I can't think of anything at the moment.
There were some reports that I couldn't get, but we had custom ones made.

Avantages

Not a whole lot. Tracking the location of items: For us many items come and go in inventory; they go from the warehouse to staging, to deployment to return from deployment to RMA and back to inventory. We are currently looking at asset management programs rather than inventory management programs. This program probably works ok if you are stocking 20 of this and 10 of that and then using them in different work orders. For us this is not really working well at all.

Inconvénients

It Freezes, which got blamed on it being on our server, we checked into it, it was on theirs. Some days reports don't run, this was blamed on our server space but we could not get a quick answer on how much we have and how much we used. If you put a picture (you can only put one) on the parts side you cannot see it on the inventory side - neither can you see any notes that are made on the parts side on the inventory side. You can switch from parts to inventory but not from inventory to parts. You cannot edit a title of an item in inventory, you have to go back to parts. You will end up using more and more space on the server because deleting an item or deleting a location is not possible. This is a program that probably was state of the art when we started using it but has not grown with the time. We tried using Fishbowl Go: not a fan. I can find an item using it but moving it works much better on the computer. You cannot search for an item by serial number of extension ID. I could go on but what is the point!

Avantages

User-friendly interface and tons of training materials.

Inconvénients

Reports customization. Cost of goods calculation.

Avantages

[sensitive content hidden] was very helpful and patient helping us migrate our database to a new server.

Inconvénients

How difficult and time consuming it was to update and migrate our database

Avantages

Its very easy to use and track any item.

Inconvénients

Not give a heads up if inventory is low.

Avantages

The technical support in particular [sensitive content hidden] were attentive and professional in resolving my issue.

Inconvénients

The issue was with a Global shipping selection for Saturday Delivery. This box try's to dictate all of your shipments arrive on Saturday when checked.

Avantages

Managing inventory and creating SO->PO with ease.

Inconvénients

There is no option to void/cancel/backtrack on certain steps after transferring/receiving purchase orders.

Avantages

Quick, friendly, and professional. Short wait times.

Inconvénients

Limited support hours (after-hours/weekends).

Avantages

Really good at Sales, very helpful customer service

Inconvénients

Not user friendly, takes awhile to learn the system.

Avantages

It was good in the past... fishbowl has gone downhill

Inconvénients

Fishbowl support doesn't know how to fix their own software. My fishbowl has been unusable for months, I have been in contact with Fishbowl on a number of occasions trying to get the issue resolved.. the GUI keeps glitching. The user interface is not display properly and the glitching in the GUI makes it impossible to work. Instead of fixing the problem me They just try and blame it on your computer. I have a new Alienware computer that is extremely powerful. I've been a very loyal Fishbowl customer over the years, but if this issue doesn't get resolved , I will have no choice but to bring my business elsewhere.

Avantages

We thought it was a long term solution, NOPE !

Inconvénients

Takes us 10 minutes to load a part inventory. Excruciatingly slow with zero answers from anyone at FB how to improve speed. They're only response is start over with a new database. Complete and utter disaster. We have used for several years and speed has steadily declined to now its almost impossible to use, is delaying ability to complete task.

Avantages

The reporting feature is the only good part of this whole system

Inconvénients

Everything. It constantly has bugs and needs updates. The inventory is always off no matter what. Their support is extremely costly. And their employees have the worst customer service

Avantages

At first the customer support was great. You could call and a human would answer the phone and log into your screen and help you quickly. Those days are over apparently.

Inconvénients

Fishbowl support has gone in the toilet. The phone menu you get for support doesn't even have an option for just solving a workflow problem or explaining an unexpected error or problem. They have the call back feature, which can take hours, if they actually call back. They promise to look into problems and then don't.

Avantages

The entry and setup are easy to use. It is a pretty simple MRP.

Inconvénients

The reporting and label creation/printing capabilities are weak and cumbersome. There is no PLM functionality. It would be nice to setup prototype BOMs and then walk that product through a workflow that saves all of the changes, revisions and approvals throughout the product history.

Avantages

QuickBooks integration is probably the feature I appreciate the most about Fishbowl. Any small to mid sized business that is outgrowing QuickBooks inventory management features but doesn't want to pay the price of an all-inclusive ERP program targeted for larger corporations should consider Fishbowl Inventory. The ability to track inventory by location, assign multiple vendors to one item, create intuitive bill of materials items that are as simple or complex as you wish, add multitudes of pricing rules for your products and customers, assign reorder points and order up to levels for your parts to quickly reorder items that are low, Fishbowl plugins that connect to a wide range of third party programs, I could go on for a long time about what there is to like about this program. Their support has definitely improved over the years as well, with a response to a support ticket usually within the hour.

Inconvénients

One inherent weakness with Fishbowl is the QuickBooks export connection. Fishbowl has made tremendous improvements in this area since we first started using it, but there are still multiple times that we need to restart the connection before running an export. To be fair, this may be as much QuickBooks' problem as Fishbowl's. The software also tends to be buggy after new releases. Again, they have improved lightyears over what they were 8 years ago, but still be prepared to have some weird things happen occasionally when a software update is released. Also, Fishbowl only has rudimentary accounting functions and leaves the majority of accounting related tasks to QuickBooks. This can create accounting headaches and even nightmares if the wrong QuickBooks accounts are assigned to items in Fishbowl. I do miss the QuickBooks ability to map transactions directly to expense accounts. In Fishbowl, you must create an item and then map it to the correct QuickBooks expense account, which again asks for accountant's nightmares.

Avantages

Fishbowl software is easy to use. I like that you always have step by step instructions and some videos to help guide you. If you don't find what you are looking for, all it takes is an email, and support helps you as quickly as they can.

Inconvénients

The only negative issue I have while using Fishbowl software is with the reports. Even though they have multiple reports to choose from, I feel as some of them can be upgraded to include more than one product a t a time. Example, when searching for a product that was sold on a particular day, and you have more than one size of the same product, it would be nice to be able to select as many products as you want to look at versus one at a time.

Avantages

I absolutely love that FB is easy to use and easy to teach. It has all the features that our company uses daily. Examples include customer pricing rules, customer "numbers" or customer sku's, Auto PO function, The import/export feature has been a God-send when we need to import products to our website or send information to our customers. The substitute feature is very helpful too. We also really love how we can create custom fields within every module. I really love how the FB team remembers our company when we call and goes above and beyond when we have a hiccup or questions. We can thank FB for some of our company's success. W/o being able to correctly track inventory and use it for daily operations, we wouldn't be operating at the level we are today.

Inconvénients

There aren't things that I like "the least" but there are things I wish FB offered/had that would help our type of business/company. This includes:
1) Since we are a product distributor, we provide a lot of our customers w/ "quotes." FB has the ability to create an "estimate" but no way to store it or look back at it for reference. Pricing rules are essentially only created in our line of operation when a customer begins buying a product. So, we have to create "quotes" on excel sheets and save them on our network folder. So it would be easier if it was all w/in FB. Or if there was a different section from pricing rules that you could make a pricing rule? If that makes sense
2) Wish we could customize reports that are staples of FB w/o paying high dollar. For ex. the packing slip should have a signature line or at least the option to include it. Or there should be options on layouts or what columns to include. Also, we've gotten feedback from customers on how they wish the item # and description where split into different columns.
3) If FB alerted a user if a sales order has been in the system for "x" amount of time. Like a dormant SO in FB
4) Be able to sort the packing slip. Ex. by Item #, customer #, item description, etc.
5) Had a UNSPSC code field. We've found that this is going to be an important code for future web sales.

Avantages

I have used other CRM/inventory management applications over the years and Fishbowl is by far one of the most robust, all-in-one solutions for our business. It's ease of use, stability, and accessibility has helped run our business for the past several years in terms of POS operations, inventory control, and handling purchase orders.

Inconvénients

My only complaints are that, under the customer tab, the SAVE and DELETE buttons are next to each other. Also under the customer tab, the check balance is next to the history button (which we have to utilize constantly throughout the day). If we accidentally hit CHECK BALANCE, the process runs and holds up Fishbowl for upwards towards a minute. Since this is not something that we utilize, is there a way to possibly disable that button?

Avantages

I'm an Advanced QuickBooks Pro Advisor and I specialize in Inventory set up and management. I haven't found any program with as many capabilities at such a low cost range as Fishbowl. Netsuite can handle what Fishbowl does but can easily go into the hundreds of thousands to setup and get started and I found the process very complex. Fishbowl on the other hand, can import from QuickBooks and have you set up and running in just a few minutes, though I stress that this should be used as test only. To accurately use Fishbowl it can take months to setup and learn properly. This largely depends on your current experience with technology, accounting practices and inventory knowledge.

Inconvénients

The support isn't stable. Depending on your time zone, you'll get a different team. Some zones, depending on the day and time, will pick up your call immediately and be very knowledgeable and helpful. Others will take a day to get back to you and you'll get someone who's only been there a few months but will confidently tell you something as fact and you might find our later they don't actually know what they're talking about. However, the online wiki is very detailed so if you're someone who can figure out things on your own, this will be a huge help. Basically, I've found that most people who complain about Fishbowl are really complaining about inventory, which is hugely complex. But if you're a detail oriented company with personnel who don't cut corners, Fishbowl can be an excellent fit for you. Just don't expect it to be easy!

Avantages

Software does the basics for small retail and manufacturing operations

Inconvénients

Report generation is rigid and difficult. We ended up extracting all the data we needed to an external tool

Avantages

This software is easy to use and easy to deploy. Great extension for QB users. It can also connect Shopify, Amazon, Ebay, Shipping management such as Shiprush, etc.

Inconvénients

In Inventory, you have 2 types of materials: Part and Product. This is somehow confusing.

Avantages

Ease of use but especially the customer service. the employees are very knowledgeable of the product and how it should be used.

Inconvénients

I really do not have one . If there is a problem I can always count on customer service to assist.

Alternatives envisagées 

Pourquoi passer à Fishbowl

Avantages

Fishbowl is a great asset to our company. It has been wonderful in helping us manage inventory for our warehouse and tracking errors. The customer support is always amazing. [SENSITIVE CONTENT HIDDEN] our representative is one of the most helpful people. He goes above and beyond to make sure we are satisfied with the product.

Inconvénients

Some reports cost extra, but I understand that it takes them time to write it. The turn around is usually fast.

Avantages

Relatively easy to implement and lots of integration options. We use it for manufacturing and it gets the job done.

Inconvénients

The software integrates nicely with Quickbooks but you definitely need someone in your team that is very comfortable with Quickbooks and understand account mapping. Fishbowl uses default accounts which depending on how your Quickbooks is setup may not end up where you expected. So would highly recommend spending a little more up front to make sure the mapping is where you need it.

Also ,if you have customs pluggins, make sure you check with Fishbowl Dev team before pushing updates to avoid surprises.

Avantages

Many, many features available for inventory control and manufacturing, and the program integrates seemlessly with Quickbooks. The recently improved Material Requirements Forcasting feature should be a great help with just-in-time purchasing. The overall product is slowly but consistently improved at no charge to customers under their support contract.

Inconvénients

The inventory module should integrate more seamlessly with other modules such as purchasing and sales orders without having to resort to using reports. Some online documentation is lacking, especially for integration plugins and lesser-used features.

Avantages

Product is easy to use for the most part is what I like about it.

Inconvénients

Having to reach out to get custom reports updated before updated software, Fishbowl should automatically ensure custom reports are compatible. Also support is not open 24 hours and operates in a different time zone than us can be inconvenient if their server is down (we host on FB server).

Avantages

It's great if you are manufacturing the same thing over and over, so you need 500 or 1000 widgets made the same way. It's a pretty powerful tool for warehousing and inventory. It costs for just the warehousing, plus users and add-ons. They'll give you a discount if you ask them, but you almost should just go with a saas program you'll get quicker updates. fishbowl you can save lots of money down the road if you don't buy there support package. They have a pretty good product development team, but it takes them at least a year it seems like to roll out any useful new features you talk to them about.

Inconvénients

Very challenging to set up, learning curve is huge in my opinion. The BOM stages work for the most part, but you'll spend a lot of time in a sandbox database seeing if what you want works (if your doing multi stage builds) If your doing 1 to 100 of anything, and what your making varies order to order, I'd recommend some other software like ordoo, shopvox, or corbridge. They are alot quicker to set up on the

Avantages

The Manufacturing option is complete is the best feature of the tool

Inconvénients

Forecast not been able to access from the cloud

Alternatives envisagées 

Pourquoi passer à Fishbowl

Avantages

It meets our basic needs for manufacturing and sales.

Inconvénients

The flow from the creation of a sales order to the fulfillment is flawed. If a customer pre-pays, we have to artificially fulfill the order, export it to QuickBooks, charge the customer through QuickBooks, then manually notify the fulfillment department to release the purchase order to UPS.

Avantages

Great features and integrations with other systems to fully synchronize product channels.

Inconvénients

Not as much flexibility to customize solution to fit exact needs of newer integrated 3rd party features.

Avantages

Ease of use, friendly environment, great customer support and it provides all the tools to manage inventory including tracking of each item

Inconvénients

Sometimes errors happen and items get stuck in Committed but is not a big issue since customer support is always available to help you fix any inconvenience.

VOID should be available for the Admin User Password at every level even when a transaction has been posted and needs to be revised

Avantages

I like the ability to cross reference multiple custom products with images and information in a wide variety of queries. I also love that the system can be scheduled to have automatic backups in the event of computer malfunction.

Inconvénients

Sometimes it takes a bit for support to reach back out to me, but once they are walking me through the details they are excellent at finding solutions.

Avantages

Sistema facil de usar. Funciones disponibles para escaneo de productos, envío y shipping. Generador de órdenes de pedidos e inventario

Inconvénients

En ocasiones muy lento. Cuando varios usuarios se loguean en la aplicación se torna muy lento o imposible de entrar

Avantages

It is easy to use after you figure the basics out. I would recommend taking advantage of the training that is offered

Inconvénients

The calculation of average cost gets tricky if you are not careful about what you are doing.

Avantages

Can be used in multiple locations via server. UPS integration. Accurate inventory control

Inconvénients

None to speak of. Every program will have it's pluses and minuses. Overall great value for the investment.

Avantages

It is powerful inventory tracking software that can be built out to your needs

Inconvénients

It can be expensive to build out custom reporting and features with fishbowl

Alternatives envisagées 

Pourquoi passer à Fishbowl

Avantages

The user interface allows new users to become proficient quickly. The ability to incorporate bar codes and product images is helpful. It is a great substitute for the Inventory module of QuickBooks if you need to do a lot of kitting and assemblies as well as calculating landed costs for imports.

Inconvénients

Report writing/modifying is cumbersome. End user is captive to Fishbowl or 3rd party authors. There should be more flexibility akin to Quickbooks for users to add/subtract columns of data as well as filtering by multiple criteria. Most filters are all/everything or just one Customer, Vendor, Part Number, etc. We also had to have custom reports created for some very basic inventory management reports - FB's main purpose. More end user input should have been/should be sought
EDI implementation is possible, but through 3rd party providers and automating order processing is limited.

Avantages

Controlling inventory and sales management

Inconvénients

Creating customized reports can be cumbersome

Alternatives envisagées 

Pourquoi passer à Fishbowl