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Inform ERP by DDI System is a distribution management technology that combines daily operations with customer relationship management (CRM), e-commerce and reporting features in one system. Inform is suitable for single location distributors and multi-division organizations in both on-premise and hosted systems. Inform helps users manage customer engagement by combining CRM with daily operations such as order entry, quoting, delivery inquiry and customer service.
Provider
Advantive
Located In
United States
Open API
Unverified
Deployment
Cloud, SaaS, Web-Based, On-Premise Windows, On-Premise Linux
Training
Live Online, Webinars, In Person, Documentation
Support
24/7 (Live rep), Knowledge Base, Email/Help Desk, FAQs/Forum, Phone Support
Wholesale distributors in the PHCP, PVF, HVAC, JanSan, Paper, Packaging, Foodservice, Irrigation, Lighting, Electrical, Showroom, Industrial, Safety, Fastener, Bearing and Fluid Power segments
Content Source: Inform ERP
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Inform ERP Reviews
Pros
The support staff has been wonderful helping us get the most out of our software.
Version 18 is a huge improvement over previous versions , the ability to see snap shots of products while adding an order is wonderful.
What I like most is that DDI makes there program very user friendly, which helps out a great deal when training new hires.
Knowledgeable, and extremely willing to help us succeed. Online training is great.
Cons
Some of the options are confusing or don't give you what you expect them to.
I had a conversation with their support staff last week where I mentioned an issue we've been seeing for a number of months and he said it was a known issue but nobody had bothered to communicate it.
There is so much data that it is hard to find where to get it. Intakes some digging and time that you don't always have.
Sometimes we have software issues that causes input information the printer reader to "disagree.
"DDI-Inform. Value and support today. With a clear path to needs of the future."
Overall: We switched to DDI a couple of years ago. As a HVAC-R distributor with four branches and growing sales, we needed a powerful ERP system that provided flexibility, stability, responsive support and a strong plan for the development of future features. DDI-Inform provides all that. Inform is adaptable to the way that you do business with an extensive list of features and options that can be turned on or off to fit your needs. It also provides a granular permissions model that allow business owners to determine who can do what in the system. We choose run Inform on our premises, but it can be hosted on Rackspace. Inform is very stable. But modern ERP's are complicated and you will always run into edge cases. When we have needed support, the support provided by DDI is responsive and timely. They have a web support portal that works quite well, but you can also call them if needed. The support team is large enough that you are never left without support, small enough that they remember who you are. One of the things that is important to us is an ERP that has plans to grow with emerging technology's while still being stable and usable in the near term. DDI has slowly but surely been updating Inform to the new Inform 2 interface. During this transition they have taken their time to make sure that we don't loose any functionality while consistently providing improvements in design and features. I'm excited for the future of this product. And the advantages that it will bring to our business.
Pros: Stable and flexible. Excellent Support and responsiveness from their team.
Cons: There are, of course, little minor issues. But nothing that has made us regret our decision.
"Comprehensive System but Room for Improvement"
Overall: The DDI system is a comprehensive system that manages sales/warehouse needs very well, but everything else is sub-par to competition. Being a comprehensive system has it's perks; it means you can use DDI for almost all parts of your company; sales, warehouse management, analytics, and even online sales are incorporated. The strong suit of the DDI Inform ERP system at managing warehouse/ sales and analytics. He warehouse management system works very well to account for inventory, and the analytics part will tell you when certain inventory items are low and allows you to send out P/O to vendors right from the system. The sales side of the system is also great, it’s very easy to use to type in Sales Orders and adjust pricing, etc. Compared to other sales systems we used, this is definitely one of the most comprehensive. That being said, being a comprehensive system also has some drawbacks, and DDI as a system has room for future improvement. Luckily they do update their software with upgrades/updates throughout the year. The online sales portion of DDI could use work. As of right now, their online mobile ordering page isn't mobile-optimized, and compared to other applications designed for online sales/ mobile order taking, DDI's Mobi-Order performance is sub-par. However, I did hear from DDI that they are working on this portion to improve it, so hopefully with the updates will make the Mobi-Order more intuitive. Another problem we’ve encountered there is little room for customization within the DDI system itself: layouts and formats of invoices, sales orders, etc are all pre-set and not easily changed. If you really wanted to change anything, DDI will bill you for special customization, which can be costly. To summarize, there is no denying the DDI system is great for warehouse/sales management, but aspects of the online/mobile department can definitely use some improvements, as this is the future of sales. Overall, a very comprehensive system that I would recommend for the wholesale & distribution business.
Pros: - Great at warehouse management - Great for sales team management, helps track salesperson - Good for accounting - Analytics for sales team / product team - Constant Updates
Cons: - Lack of customization options - Lackluster features on it's mobile site / ordering app
"Always costing more!"
Pros: Once you learn DDI, it can make placing orders easier with creating specific reports nice.
Cons: It does not intergrade with 3rd party software well and anything you need to customize for your business costs a ton extra. Just to import "Ordered By" from our website into DDI's field was going to cost $1000.00 To create a different size label for the "Print Product Labels" was $300.00 It is overpriced for the help you receive and the training on the software was miniscule at best.
"Solid ERP System"
Pros: We've been on this system for almost 8 years now, and it's been great to see it evolve over time. The developers are constantly looking for ways to make the user experience more efficient and giving us more ways to use the system. Personally I find the Advanced Report Writer function to be the most useful as I can provide automated reports to various departments daily, weekly, or monthly.
Cons: There are sometimes issues known to the developers that don't get communicated to the users. I had a conversation with their support staff last week where I mentioned an issue we've been seeing for a number of months and he said it was a known issue but nobody had bothered to communicate it. Seems like they also charge a lot of money for maintenance, then try to charge more for features when they are added as well.
"User Friendly Software to manage your business"
Overall: How to forecast sales and better inventory management
Pros: Software is very easy to learn and use. CRM in software helps ours sales team without have to purchase additional software.
Cons: Mobile IPAD ordering, sometime a challenge uploading to our website
