Aptean ERP Reviews

“flexible reporting and imports

Pros

Working with data feels very convenient especially when it comes to running different enquiries and reports and I find the import features really useful for handling mass updates and larger data entry tasks.

Cons

At times, it's hard to understand all the consequences of certain actions. It would help if the documentation were more descriptive more often. Setting up integrations with third-party systems can also be quite challenging.

“Frustrating downtime and weak support

Pros

There are 100+ modules available which cover a lot of what our operations team needs and I have seen the order management and EDI components work well in practice.

Cons

Customer service has been a huge letdown. We've had outages lasting more than three hours on two occasions just in the past month and there's been almost no sense of urgency from support. It's extremely frustrating when there's no one available to speak with. The UI is also a major downside, if you've looked at screenshots, that alone is enough to make you think twice. On top of that, the financial side is missing basic functionality like balance sheets, P&L, trial balance and A/R aging.

“Great inventory and ordering

Pros

Apprise works well for our wholesale distribution business. The inventory management, customer order handling and purchase order features are easy to use and I also appreciate how it allows us to customize products for our customers within the system.

Cons

One thing I'm not thrilled about is that order fulfillment and shipping aren't handled inside Apprise. We have to connect it with another system to finish that part of the workflow.

“modern interface with strong features

Pros

Coming from an ERP system we had used for 15 years, the updated interface feels much more modern and I personally find it easier to work with. It has also been very valuable that users can pull their own data without depending on someone else and I have been impressed by the wide range of functions available. Another big plus is that it runs across a WAN with very little latency which I have seen work very well for our setup.

Cons

That said the layout and overall functionality still feel weak in places. There's basically no useful help text or guidance built in to show users what to do by example. On top of that, too many tasks still require manual effort when they really should be handled by simple switches, scheduled processes, or full automation.

“flexible data presentation

Pros

What I really enjoy about the system is its versatility, as it can be set up and formatted to display almost any data needed which I find very useful.

Cons

That same flexibility can also be a downside when it comes to specific reporting. It doesn't handle detailed reports very well so I usually have to export the data to Excel and work with it there.

“Customizable features but weak support

Pros

There is a strong set of features here and the software offers a good amount of customization which I find helpful for meeting different business needs. It includes most of the tools required to run a company effectively.

Cons

At the same time, it falls short in some important areas. Since the company was acquired, the drop in support and cooperation has been pretty noticeable. The .NET version also doesn't perform particularly well and the overall process flow still feels underdeveloped.

“dtc efficiency boost

Pros

Running a DTC business with a large product catalog and an even larger customer base meant we needed one system that could tie everything together and I have seen Apprise do that very effectively. The accounting, purchasing and warehouse modules work in sync which has helped us operate more efficiently and keep better focus on the bottom line. Overall I feel that partnering with Apprise has significantly improved our company's profitability.

Cons

On the downside, the merchandising, product management and manufacturing workflows feel a little more tough than we originally expected. That likely has to do with Apprise shifting its focus as it evolves into a more DTC-friendly system. We're hoping version 8.0 addresses this and clears up what is, in the end, a fairly minor issue in an otherwise very strong system.

“Powerful fit for complex operations

Pros

Right from the start, Apprise stood out by bringing purchasing, logistics, manufacturing, warehouse management and accounting into one well-organized, user-friendly system which I found very impressive. As our business expanded, the software kept pace without any trouble and I ended up using capabilities I had not even expected to need when we first launched it. There is a process built in for nearly everything and I have seen that following those steps leads to better efficiency and much clearer visibility across the business.

Cons

This probably isn't the best match for a company that is mostly B2C, has a huge customer list and doesn't deal with much operational complexity. Apprise really shines in situations where flexibility is needed to manage complicated operational areas that can easily become unclear, such as manufacturing or working with overseas suppliers.

“responsive support and a reliable team

Pros

Getting people up to speed with it does not take much effort and the system is easy to use which I have noticed during onboarding. Customer support has been consistently strong and I appreciate that the company, being smaller, really understands specific business needs. Their staff has also been very consistent over the years which gives me added confidence.

Cons

One challenge is finding employees who already know this particular ERP and Progress databases. Upgrades also need to be planned well ahead of time because their team tends to book up quickly.

“Easy to learn and use

Pros

Once you get familiar with how it works, using it becomes very simple and easy which I have experienced over time.

Cons

There are times when the program crashes and we have to get IT involved to sort it out.

“quick to learn overall

Pros

Becoming comfortable with the system does not take long although I did find the beginning a bit confusing until everything started to make sense.

Cons

It does freeze once in a while and when that happens in the middle of a task, you end up having to start over.

“apprise does it all

Pros

Apprise covers everything I need to get done and I find that it has all the tools and functionality required to manage tasks in one place.

Cons

Every now and then, it freezes and when that happens, there's a chance the work in progress gets lost.

“edi automation that delivers

Pros

Selling to Walmart and other EDI-heavy retailers becomes much more manageable with the EDI Transaction Manager and I have seen how Apprise takes a largely hands-off approach that lets the team stay focused on handling orders instead of dealing with technical complexities. The chargeback and allowance management tools also help significantly with post-sale deductions and I find the Supplier Production Monitoring feature especially useful for tracking production and delivery timelines with better visibility.

Cons

Like most ERP systems with a broad scope, success during implementation really depends on having the right people involved from your organization. Both technical staff and business users need to play an active role for the go-live to go well. Trying to roll out Apprise without the proper expertise can put the entire implementation at risk and set the business up for failure.

“custom layout that works

Pros

Using it feels very easy and I like that I can arrange the apps on my home screen exactly the way I want.

Cons

It does freeze at times and when that happens you have to force it to close and start over from scratch.

“helpful and quick to learn

Pros

It did not take much effort to learn and I found the tabs to be self-explanatory. The system has also been helpful when it comes to finding what I need and learning how to use it.

Cons

It tends to freeze pretty often which can be frustrating. It also feels limited in terms of options and having more features would help make certain processes less time-consuming.

“order tracking is helpful

Pros

It is really useful to be able to pinpoint order information quickly and I rely on this feature quite often.

Cons

Same as mentioned above.

“flexible but needs more depth

Pros

One thing I appreciate is the system's reliability and the fact that it can be tailored to match specific business needs.

Cons

The rollout takes quite a while and I'd really like to see more built-in features and better personalized reporting options.