Inventory & Accounting ERP Software
4.3/5 (31 avis)Avantages
When we first purchased Blue Link, the first couple years of our operations were great with the design of the system. I was able to customize to our needs. To the needs of my sales team, and warehouse. The accounting side needs work. It's very user friendly once you get to learn the system. The support staff is great. You need to build up issues because they charge for every 15 minutes regardless of the work. There is no user manual so you cant search things. At the beginning I was directly involved with major players that assisted us during IT troubles. It was great.
Inconvénients
It really hurts me to write this because I thought Blue Link was going to resolve our issues. I believe the people that work there are great. I spoke with Mark (the owner) during the whole process. And he delivered a product that worked for us. I was very involved in the customization for this product. I needed it to do exactly what we discussed. All of that was met. The issue becomes now, 6 years down the road they are refusing to do any more custom work. The customization I did is now obsolete because formatting changes by third party trucking lines we have to work with (out of our hands). Now I'm back to square one and they refuse to help even though I pay support hours to do contract work on our current edition. I went back to our emails and not once did they ever mention during the purchasing process we would be require to upgrade. Instead they are forcing us to upgrade to the current system which is $60,000. That's a brand new system. They've literally told me to look for another software option instead of trying to work with me. The adjustment to the customization is not a big deal, but the owner will not discuss this with me. They have become closed minded to me. I'm stuck for now being a small business.
Avantages
The most impressive part about BlueLink is not the software (more on that in a bit), but the people. When we did our due diligence in searching for a new accounting system, we narrowed our search down to three different providers. Each offered, for the most part, the same type of software and features that my company needed. What set BlueLink apart from the other two was the level of engagement we received from our initial phone call. We immediately felt at home and had not just the right software, but the right partner to grow our business. That partnership remains even stronger today.
As to the software, the ERP interface is perfect for our wholesale distribution company. From tracking inbound ocean containers to automated reporting, BlueLink saves us both time and money. One area that has really stood out for our organization is the level of customization we have been able to implement over the past 24 months that has really helped us streamline our operations. This level of customization would not be possible without the partnership we have been able to build over the past few years.
Inconvénients
BlueLink's software interface at times feels somewhat dated and can create some challenges in navigation. Their periodic updates have addressed many of these issues and has helped with additional drill-down capabilities. Database managment with our SKU count can be somewhat cumbersome and we have worked with BlueLink to help address and improve.
Thank you for this fantastic review, Michael. Our vision at Blue Link is to be the most valuable, important and trusted business partner in the eyes of our customers so we're beyond glad to hear that we have done just that. We have enjoyed getting to know you and your team over the years and hope to continue to our partnership for years to come!
As for our user interface, Furniture Classics will be upgraded to our latest version (V14) at the time of your next maintenance date in July. You'll find that the new user interface is a lot sleeker and smoother to operate on. We can't wait for you to try out all the new bells and whistles!
Avantages
Blue Link's system is easy to use and very intuitive once you under it and the multitude of features. The new interface is visually appealing and allows for an even better experience. Blue Link's customer support staff are fantastic and are always available to help and guide anyone from our team through both high level issues and minor details. Highly recommend!
Inconvénients
No system is perfect, but for a small-to-medium size business like ours, it's pretty close. I would make sure, when the time is right, to upgrade to the larger server storage available, as sometimes we find our data (always at the wrong time) eats up the basic storage package that comes with Blue Link
Thank you so much for your kind words, Tal. We really appreciate you taking the time out of your busy schedule to share your experience and so glad to hear that you like our new user interface! We look forward to continuing to be a part of Oliberte's growth.
Avantages
The reason we chose Blue Link is that we could customize lots of things that are specific to our business and operation. We also wanted a hosting option so we could get away from needing an in house server. Their staff (both tech support and sales) is very knowledgeable and I often turn to them for advice on how to manage aspects of my business.
Inconvénients
As a hosted customer I wish my contract included some basic tech support and I would not have to pay for support hours for simple questions or small problems we may encounter from time to time.
Thank you, Tahseen for your wonderful review. We're so fortunate to have a talented team to be able to customize features for our customers! It's important to us that all aspects of your business are implemented perfectly to help you remain competitive in the industry and we are glad you find our staff to be a great resource for your company. Thanks for being a great customer!
We have been using BL for a number of years now. We have a quite integrated platform, connecting our inventory management, warehouse management, accounting, CRM, website platform, and EDI relationships. Working quite closely with the team at BL has been very enjoyable and progressive. BL has supported our business through new developments and custom coding as we have grown over the years.
Avantages
All of our daily business activities are stored in once central place. We use multiple external services and they all work with BL. There has always been a team of people on BL side to help, support or customize any of our needs as we grow.
Remote Desktop connection allows us access to our system from anywhere in the world. Our data is stored on an external server, which keeps our business safe.
Inconvénients
Visual appeal could be upgraded, and this update is coming soon according to BL.
From the moment I contacted BlueLink ERP the experience was professional, truthful, and fun! Michael Benedict, our initial contact, spoke with our team on numerous occasions to determine our EXACT needs, he wanted to make sure that everything we needed specifically was something that his team could do. There was never pressure for us to buy, and no false promises. The transition team took over after we made the decision to go with BlueLink ERP and that was another great experience. Most everything was done remotely prior to going live. Mike Miner came to our business for two weeks, we did one week of training, and went live the second week. I have been through numerous software changes and this was BY FAR the easiest, most efficient and painless transition that I have been through. It has been smooth sailing since and we love the system.
Avantages
The A/R, A/P, G/L and the Bank Management modules are very user friendly. We are a small warehousing/manufacturing company and the inventory management/purchase order system was the main reason that we selected BlueLink and it has proven to be everything that we had hoped. Their Support Team is awesome and very prompt with responses.
Inconvénients
We have a very complicated salesman commission structure with three levels, and there has been a little difficulty in processing commissions. However, this is a minor issue in relation to the "entire package". The package was customized for us and overall it works well.
Overall, Blue Link is a superior ERP/WMS solution for small - mid sized companies for a very reasonable cost.
Avantages
Like any great ERP system, it incorporates all the key components (purchasing, inventory, sales, finance, etc) to facilitate an error free environment. The team at Blue Link are always ready to help should the need arise. Due to the nature of our business, we have completed multiple custom projects and the Blue Link team made them very easy to incorporate into the base app.
Inconvénients
We also run the WMS that Blue Link offers. I would have liked to see the WMS incorporated into the ERP as opposed to a stand alone solution. By no means am I suggesting it is flawed, but because of the custom work we have implemented, we do encounter small issues on the rare occasion.
Avantages
I love their new release especially the dashboard that integrate with sql reports. It gives a great perspective on daily operations and sales, and super easy to use and accurate. The software ensures that all our accounting stays in balance and integrates with all kinds of other softwares like fedex, tax calculators, provide EFT and EDI and also provide API for web services. Plus, The customer service team is very responsive and knowledgeable, can answer any questions quickly and friendly.
Inconvénients
I have no complaints with the software. It’s excellwnt and I would recommend it.
If you're looking for an ERP what you're really looking for is a company to partner with and with Blue Link you're in luck. Blue Link is designed such that we have yet to find a something they cannot do. Add to this their excellent people and you have a winning recipe.
Avantages
It does everything. The team is responsive and very capable.
Inconvénients
Unless you yearn for a dated Window's user experience is tough to come up the learning curve on Blue Link. However, it's important to caveat that Blue Link would likely not be as customizable if it did have a slick UX. It takes a little time but once you understand Blue Links priority on functionality over form you'd likely not want to change anything.
Avantages
Great Customer Support - they are always available whenever you need them!
Extremely Reliable & user friendly program - Maintenance Free- gives you time to grow your business without having any software issues. Always incorporating upgrades to improve the program
Inconvénients
All Reports have to be custom made - however they always have provided whatever
reports necessary upon request
On behalf of Joanne and the rest of the Blue Link team, thank you so much for your review, Martha! As you know we're always making updates and improvements to our software and we're looking forward to seeing how they will benefit Unique Salon Concepts in the future!
The entire Blue Link team understands the demands and challenges of wholesale distribution.
Avantages
Strong focus on the accounting side. Very good at inventory control and detailed custom reporting. Integrates seamlessly with various platforms including EDI and all the major freight carriers.
A responsive support team.
Inconvénients
What I like least about Blue link are the updates, but it is mainly due to the highly customised, hosted environment that we require.
Thank you so much for your fantastic review, Boris! We are so fortunate to have such supportive customers and look forward to continuing to be a part of Kidcentral Suypply’s growth!
Overall very satisfied customer of nearly 3 years now!
Avantages
We were switching ERP systems and implementing a website integration at the same time. BlueLink staff were great in making this as seamless as possible during the transition. They provided a rare combination of technical experience and practical insights for our online distribution company.
I have had very timely and affordable ongoing support moving forward.
We have now had enough time with this software to get a full appreciation of it. We are very happy with our choice of Bluelink and know this will be the central application of our business operations for many years to come
Avantages
There is a serious need for an ERP package to have enough flexibility to be customizable to a variety of business environments. Right out of the box Bluelink is so feature rich that most companies can get their needs met by this software package. But part of the beauty of Bluelink is their ability to fine tune the application for those who require unique situations addressed. Our particular situation had some major personal needs that were quite readily handled by the programming expertise of the Bluelink support staff. It was a refreshing change from our previous software company. The entire staff from the owner to the support staff are always pleasant and curtious to deal with. They are genuinely concerned that your experience with their application is satisfactory and positive.
Inconvénients
The only sour note we had was the speed in handling some support issues. This was more or less I believe a manpower issue. When a surge of service requests come in it's sometimes a matter of setting priorties. But to Bluelink's credit they made every effort to rectify this upon us explaining our dilema.
Avantages
Once you get the handle of it, Blue Link is pretty intuitive to use. There is great flexibility in reporting and customer service is always on top of any issues and features we are looking to add.
Inconvénients
The only limit is when you are on the hosted plan, the blue link instance can be a bit wonky, sometimes timing out, freezing, etc.
Find a way to do Pedigree easier.
Avantages
it encompasses inventory management seamlessly with financial accounting capabilities. Additionally, it helps me clearly see a snapshot of where each of our customers is and allows us to manage them appropriately.
Inconvénients
On the Pedigree side and can be at times cumbersome to add in the additional vendors that the product came from.
BlueLink has become an absolute sanity saver for us. The ease of use of the system is crazy good! The modules that BlueLink can provide can help reduce anyone's workload. Its basic system is so complete that I am sure the average company will have no problem jumping at the chance to use it as soon as they realize how customer friendly it is (I am not being paid to say this-seriously-it is that good!!).
One of the key highlights of BlueLink is its reporting capabilities-this IS NOT a "beancounter only" system- it is the best of both worlds, from the CEO all the way down to the shipper/receiver. Bluelink really listened to what is needed out there and made a fantastic piece of distribution software that will make any bean counter smile from ear to ear, as well as the front line people who take customer orders and the purchaser who needs to buy the product. It is user friendly at ALL levels!!! That's something I have not seen in over 20 years of distribution.
To top all of that off, the customer support is unparalleled. Our old system took days and days to get any answer, and with BlueLink (time zone permitting) we get an answer that day or it is in our inbox the next morning. Mike and Gonzalo are great support and always have helped us proffessionaly with whatever we have needed!
Bottom line-BLUELINK is THE ONLY WAY TO GO!!!
Avantages
The only real upside to this product for us is the ownership and staff. They are great to deal with and try their best to resolve our issues. However, the software just has too many shortcomings.
Inconvénients
It is not user friendly, it is not intuitive, it lacks efficient functionality, for us it is quite slow and it as of yet it is not web based.
Hi Tim. We appreciate your honest feedback. I’m glad to hear you’ve had a good experience with our customer service as we really try to make an effort to get to know our customers and their unique needs. Blue Link ERP was built with the unique needs of distributors in mind, however we take your comments seriously and will keep them in mind as we continue to improve and develop our system. We’re only a phone call away if you have any other questions or concerns. Best, Mark Canes, Blue Link President.
Avantages
Landed cost tracking is good. Fairly easy to use. Building pivot reports is ok, once you figure out the field names. (They are not consistently named across tables.)
Inconvénients
Updates and software installation are a nightmare. Reporting is seriously lacking. You can tell programmers built the reports and not financial folks. The API is marginal.
Hi Larry,
I wanted to personally respond to your review as I am sorry to hear that your experience with us has not been first class. We strive to exceed our customers' expectations and your honest feedback will be very helpful as we work to improve our functionality and services. We really appreciate your support and help in making our product better. Sincerely - Mark Canes, Blue Link President.
As a C.P.A. I highly recommend Blue Link. The smooth conversion of our old, outdated, part computerized, part manual system into a fully functioning system has been "easy". (compared to many other ERP implementations that I have been involved in.)The guidance and support we have received from you guys is unbelievable. The accounting functions of this system are solid, and not just an added after thought as I have found in other products on the market. Thank you for a great system.
Avantages
The implementation process, because of Mike Miner was smooth and successful. Having him here on site was wonderful!! He not only learned our business thoroughly in two weeks, additionally he made suggestions and customized the system for us.
Inconvénients
The only con I have found has been the time consuming manual entry of our massive product list. This is not a con of the Blue Link system, and we had tons of help from Mike, but we have so many product codes it is taking several weeks.
Overall would not recommend.
Avantages
Many potential features. Interfaces well with Crystal Reports so at least our clients get good looking information.
Inconvénients
Not user friendly. Looks like its from 1998. Almost all features are add on modules, pretty useless 'out of the box'. Upper level management is helpful, but pricy. Low level techs are useless, and pricy.
Very Positive
Would readily recommend
Avantages
Very feature rich, excellent peformance, readily able to be modified for specific requirements
Philosophy of the company seems to be to work with customers to make the system do what the customer needs by thinking through where minor tweaks would work for the customer to meet a need
The system does not seem to be regarded as being closed to changes
Inconvénients
The system forces compliance with certain basic rules for handling inventory and if the customer violates these then there can be minor problems requiring brief intervention
My view is that these restrictions are important - in previous software packages that I have used the inventory values and quantities became compromised through a lack of forced conformity
None have been seen as of yet
After much research to find the right ERP system for our industrial products company we decided to switch to Blue Link Elite. One of the founders, Mark Canas was instrumental in our decision process. He did several demos to ensure that the software would meet all of our needs and also added some custom features so the system would fit our business model. The technical team led by Darren Myher helped ensure a seamless transition from Quick Books to Blue Link and while we had some small issues along the way (which is to be expected for such an undertaking) the team was always available for questions. I would highly recommend this software. We are using the hosted version and have not had any issues with connection or down time. And not having to host the server in house has enabled us to focus on growing our business instead of dealing with IT issues.
Thank you for your kind words Tahseen. It has been great working with you!
I would recommend considering this if you're a small to medium sized company because it produces very professional reports at a good cost and customer service is great.
Avantages
set up and training our team was easy when getting this up and running. the reports it produces are really nice
Inconvénients
the interface looks old/dated. not too many report features unless you pay a lot more to have access to them.
Avantages
The product itself "out of the box" is a fabulous product, but what I like the most about Blue Link is their willingness and ability to customize the software to do what ever you want it to do!
Inconvénients
This is tough. If I have to pick something, I would say the way it deals with voided cheques. You cannot date the new cheque prior to the original cheque date.
We were a small organization on the food industry when we implemented Blue Link Solutions early 2000's and the system accompanied our growth over the last 14 years. This is a great product for the small to medium size enterprise, as it can facilitate the needs of such an organization. It is very user friendly system and not difficult to understand even if you are a first time user. One of the things we like most about Solutions is the versatility and customizability of the product.
I think we would have continued a great relationship if they stated we had to upgrade from day 1. That was not the case. And the support contract says they are to work on the current edition. They have turned a blind eye and the owner refuses to work with us.