Flowlens Reviews

“powerful workflow”

Pros

The features are really useful and the platform makes complicated tasks feel much simpler and manageable.

Cons

A few features could still be improved. For example, when clicking "go back," it returns to the original screen instead of the previous page.

“great reporting feature”

Pros

I find the interface very user friendly and the drill down linking makes it simple to get into the details. Having dedicated email addresses for each quote order and similar records is really useful. The inventory management tools, tagging feature, customer detail management and asset tracking by company all work well. Document revision control, pipeline stage tracking and the reporting features are also strong parts of the system.

Cons

Some things still need work. There's no way to include titles such as Professor or Doctor which can be limiting. The customer's specific address doesn't appear properly on quotes. Also, when the quote title is too long, it affects the document length, makes the quote name disappear and leaves awkward blank spaces so the document ends up unnecessarily long. There's also no option to add optional extras to quotes without them being included in the total cost. Another limitation is that assets can't be assigned to specific company addresses.

“Amazing fit for our operations”

Pros

It takes a bit of time to get everything integrated and the platform adapts well to the way our business already works instead of forcing us to change our processes to fit the software.

Cons

Nothing has really stood out as a downside. We've found the system to be accessible and uncomplicated.

“clean UI”

Pros

Getting this up and running was an easy process, the support team has been really helpful and the interface looks very polished too.

Cons

One thing that's still missing is the ability to set up automatic reports, like weekly reports that get sent directly by email.

“An all in one platform”

Pros

We originally chose this platform because it combines CRM and MRP in one system and connects well with our third party accounts package and the extra features have completely changed how we operate. The tasks module really improves collaboration and gives everyone better visibility of what's happening. Creating BOMs and pricing is simple which has helped us quote more accurately and maintain more consistent margins and that's been a huge benefit. The customised forms also make it much easier to manage the rest of the business properly. On top of that having full remote access across all platforms gives us a lot of flexibility. At this point we use Flowlens to run almost every part of the business and for a fast growing company, having a single source of data is incredibly valuable. Our saying now is, "If it ain't on Flowlens, it never happened!"

Cons

It covered about 90% of what we needed right away. There are still a few features that would be nice to have and we've spoken with the Flowlens team about them and they've been very open to adding new features when they feel it could benefit a wider group of users which is really encouraging.

“invaluable support during setup”

Pros

While helping a client integrate Flowlens, the guidance and input from the Flowlens team proved incredibly valuable throughout the process.

Cons

From an installation and integration standpoint, I was very pleased with how the software performed.

“user friendly”

Pros

Being cloud based is a big plus since there's no client software to install and it's always running the latest version. It's easy to use, user friendly, secure and everything updates in real time which makes day to day use really convenient.

Cons

We need to assess and quote repairs which Flowlens can already handle and we'd also like the option to create a contextual sales order linked to the repair. That would fit better with how most of our customers prefer to work, rather than relying on just an invoice.

“practical fit for our workflow”

Pros

It matched our processes and procedures really well. It's easy to use and feels really logical and organized while you use it which makes it easy to adopt into our day to day work.

Cons

A limitation is the layout flexibility for certain forms. It feels like it should be able to generate documents to complete our document packs, such as CofC and test certificates and at the moment it doesn't.

“flexible rollout”

Pros

Right away the screen layout and menu structure made a lot of sense. There are plenty of links between screens that guide users through the full Quote to Cash process which has made the system very easy to pick up. My team thought that it was really user friendly and that has been especially valuable for team members who are not in the system every day. Flowlens turned out to be the right fit for us because we could decide when to bring in the Accounting Software element instead of having to install everything at once. The rest of the platform works well without accounting included until we're ready which was a big advantage compared with many of the other systems we considered. Those alternatives would have forced us to switch the whole system over in one go. With Flowlens, we've been able to take a much more modular approach to installation.

Cons

Kits work well in the system when you're selling a single item with a parts list underneath it. Where it becomes less effective is when that parts list includes serialised items. At the Dispatch or Invoice stage, there's no option to break out the parts list and display those serialised items individually which would be very helpful. Cost prices also rely on manual updates at the moment, whereas ideally they would update continuously based on stock movements. Another area that would be really useful in the future is support for custom reports and documents which is not currently available.

“Well-connected features”

Pros

The process flows feel carefully designed from beginning to end and it's clear a lot of thought went into how everything connects across the full workflow.

Cons

It would be really helpful to have price lists and discount structures built around supplier product groups for FIFO buying and selling of goods, not only for manufacturing. More editable and flexible reporting instead of fixed reports would also make a big difference.

“good fit”

Pros

Running a service business, we needed one system that could handle both newly manufactured products and customer equipment coming in for repair or service. Flowlens does exactly that. Adopting it into our workflows wasn't that hard and it probably would have been even simpler if we had been moving over from an existing system. Most of the difficulty came from our old Excel and Access databases, not from the software itself. On top of that the team was fantastic with their support and helped us get everything up and running successfully.

Cons

The service side works well enough for us and at times it feels a bit like the neglected part of the system. It would be really helpful if some of the features available in Sales and Projects was carried over into the service area especially for service focused businesses like ours.

“User friendly with helpful features”

Pros

Flowlens feels very user friendly and accessible. Managing users is also simple when you're responsible for overseeing them and it comes with plenty of useful features that really help support the business.

Cons

One thing that's missing is a non nettable location for rejected parts since they currently still appear in the overall total. Scanning also isn't available as a function at the moment.

“excellent value with Xero support”

Pros

For a growing company getting plenty of features without overspending really matters and it delivers that well. It covers all the essentials we need, offers strong value for the money and doesnt feel overly complicated like some competing systems. Having local support is also a big plus and the compatibility with Xero makes it even more useful.

Cons

I'd still like to see the CRM side of Flowlens developed further especially around service and warranty features.

“solid shop floor control”

Pros

We recently tested it as an MRP option to work alongside Xero and build out a stronger ERP setup. The Xero integration wasnt complicated and it also did a good job of handling shop floor operations.

Cons

It started to show limitations when we looked at more complex sub assemblies and the management of multiple intricate products. It feels better suited to manufacturers with simpler production needs.

“Perfect fit for our business”

Pros

From the start this tool has been a fantastic addition to our business. It integrated into the way we work without much effort and all of its different functions tie together really well. On the few occasions we've needed help, customer support has been fast and efficient.

Cons

Actually there's very little to complain about with this software. The only thing that would occasionally help is having the option to create customized reports and it's a minor issue and we've been able to work around it without trouble.

“Procurement management done right”

Pros

It has been fantastic for keeping our procurement work organized. It handles supplier communication, purchasing activities and ordering overall in a really simple and effective way.

Cons

I really don't have any complaints at all. I'm very happy with the tool.

“my experience with Flowlens”

Pros

From the first enquiry all the way through despatch and invoicing, this software handles the whole process really well for us. It creates clear documentation at every stage and once everything is complete, it also pushes the sale through to our accounting package which is a big help.

Cons

I'm not sold on the email integration. Sending emails from within the software works fine and because it uses a Flowlens mailbox, it can be a bit confusing.

“tailored fit for manufacturers”

Pros

It feels approachable. The interface is clean and user friendly so it doesn't overwhelm new users and unlike some other systems, it isn't cluttered with unnecessary boxes, fields or wasted screen space. The important information is exactly where you expect it to be. The form templates give us plenty of flexibility to tailor things to our business especially for capturing customer requirements in sales leads, creating technical sales support notes or even producing simple covering notes to print and label free issued materials from customers. The Xero integration for accounts works flawlessly as well. It's also helpful that access can be limited by role which keeps the interface relevant and focused for each user. Whenever we've had questions, support has been excellent. On top of that the product clearly suits businesses like ours, small to medium manufacturers and solution providers so it felt aligned with how we work from day one rather than forcing us into a system that didn't fit.

Cons

One limitation is that the system generated documents come in a fixed format. Most of the time, probably 90% of cases, we can make them work by using the existing fields to include the information we need and there are still occasions where having a fully editable document would be a better fit. There are also a few bulk actions missing at the moment, such as archiving multiple obsolete products at once although I understand that may be added soon.

“A great platform”

Pros

Switching to this has been a massive relief. It's really simple to use and understand, saves me hours on admin and sales tasks and the team is incredibly helpful. After using Salesforce before which felt overpriced, too complicated and not really suited to an SME, Flowlens feels like a breath of fresh air. Admin doesn't feel like a chore anymore.

Cons

There's nothing I dislike about it.

“excellent lead and quote tracking”

Pros

Its been a really good way to store quotes and leads. It's especially useful being able to keep track of all enquiries and set tasks so I can follow them up properly.

Cons

I can't think of any negatives so far.