WebCheckout Reviews

Pros

When you're managing equipment and a steady flow of patron transactions some kind of tracking system is absolutely necessary. This handles all the day to day activity really well, from checkouts to returns. It also stores a huge amount of detail for every item, including order date, invoice number, budget number, model, serial number, room location, shelf spot and more. On top of that it tracks usage data and can apply fines when needed to help encourage timely returns. It's a highly customizable piece of software.

Cons

At times, it can take a bit of digging to locate certain information in the system. The good part is that the built in documentation is solid and searchable so answers are usually there. If not, customer service has been consistently responsive by email or phone.

Pros

One thing that really helps is being able to quickly tell one student from another by their name or student ID and check which items they have checked out at any time without any hassle.

Cons

Something I really dislike is the way some error messages appear when trying to check out inventory. They could be much clearer and more specific about what actually went wrong.

Pros

Getting around WCO felt user friendly right away and it offers a wide range of tools for managing loans, reservations and detailed records for equipment and locations. There are plenty of add on options to customize it to your needs, including invoicing, email functions, SSO, repair ticket tracking and even staff scheduling. The reporting is very flexible, simple to run and covers all kinds of useful data like turn downs, overdue items and usage. Adding new equipment and keeping records updated was also fairly easy.

Cons

We're no longer using the system but over time we purchased several add on modules which made it feel a bit expensive. I can't clearly remember which features were included in the base product versus what required extra modules but the costs definitely added up. I also handled downloading our patron list manually because automating that connection with our system would have cost more. It wasn't a huge problem since we only had around 3,000 clients but it still meant an extra step. There were also quite a few extra fields on our side that couldn't be removed so having a more customizable layout would have helped. Installing newer software releases was also challenging for me because of our firewall and the need to coordinate access for the support team although that was partly due to our own setup.

Pros

The app is simple to use for operators, with regular updates and ongoing improvements.

Cons

Some updates remove functionality and the only way to restore it is to purchase new modules.

Pros

Patron details, allocations, schedules, tickets and invoices are all organized well. My student workers learn the system without much trouble and tend to get the hang of it quickly. The dashboard is useful.

Cons

It would be useful to set holds as the default for every new reservation or just for selected people (students rather than staff, for instance), without having to buy the Patron Portal. After around five years with WebCheckout, I still can't tell how sections, authsets and groups differ in what they can do.

Pros

We can keep track of all our campus equipment with this tool and its strong search and data collation tools make complex data sets easy to review.

Cons

New employees can find the interface intimidating during onboarding and the product costs a lot.

Pros

This has become a valuable tool for our facilities in several ways. We use it to track equipment, automate communication between our Checkout Center and students and access details like communication history, late fees, renter history, equipment information, inventory, usage logs and more. The system has significantly sped up our workflow, helped us save money on losses and late equipment and given us a consistent process for our daily work.

Cons

Some usability pieces still feel like they're missing. A few tasks take a roundabout path and need five to eight clicks rather than two or three. During busy periods, that adds time to checkout and affects customer service overall. That said, it does a very good job of listening to clients and updates continue to come steadily.

Pros

It seems like nearly every need is covered, from inventory and circulation (walk ins, reservations, delivery and more) to help desk tickets, a patron portal and notifications.

Cons

With so much capability, getting started can feel a little intimidating for new users though I'm not sure that can really be avoided.

Pros

I can add extra information quickly whenever it's needed.

Cons

Some interface areas needed updating but that issue has since been addressed.

Pros

Having it's Patron Portal is a plus though its interface needs more study and development.

Cons

Too many parts of the interface feel laggy making it difficult to teach students how to navigate. More places are needed to add notes to a reservation. Managing policy is very confusing and I'd like the ability to create custom reports. To set different circulation limits for different patron classes, I have to figure out a workaround in Origin that could stop working at any time, rather than setting limits at the group level which would be simple.

Pros

Customer support is excellent! Importing and exporting data makes managing the system simple even offline. Using barcodes also makes checking items in and out quick.

Cons

I can't give an honest assessment since we're still using version 4.4.1 and haven't tried a newer release. From what I can see, newer versions offer all the features we could have asked for and then some.

Pros

Among software made in the USA, WCO is the only program I know of that manages, schedules, circulates and tracks inventory for both physical equipment and rooms so effectively. Each item can hold a lot of useful information, including purchase history, usage, maintenance and repairs. Items are organized by type making it easy to see how many are available, in use and so on. Scheduling helps keep resources in use without conflicts and the optional Patron Portal lets end users make their own bookings according to permissions set by operators. The program also includes basic inventory, with more advanced features available as an option, plus maintenance tickets and staff scheduling. Operators can customize extensive messaging to keep users updated about reservations, pickups, returns and reminders. The app also gets several substantial updates each year, with feature requests and capabilities largely driven by users. After using it for four or five years, I've watched it keep improving for both the institutions and their end users.

Cons

WCO isn't a product from Google, Apple or Microsoft. A relatively small team in the Midwest created it and continues to manage it. As a result, occasional bugs and other problems come up that I don't see in most other software. On the other hand, support is quick and personal and I often work with someone who knows me and my school. They're consistently committed to resolving problems and making improvements. Regular updates also tend to address features or capabilities that are missing or fall short.

Pros

Its modular setup is easy to adapt, with detailed control over resources and patrons. It's simple to use and the Patron Portal improves with every release.

Cons

Getting help has been a persistent problem. Live support is available only from 9 to 5 Central time and replies usually take 30 45 minutes. That much downtime is unacceptable when the system crashes which happens more often than we'd like. I also preferred how "Groups" worked before version 7.