18 years helping Australian businesses
choose better software
About Viewpoint Spectrum
Industry-leading construction management software designed for enterprise level contractors.
Easy to navigate between the tabs. I like that multiple tabs if the same can be opened at the same time.
It does not integrate well into our other software, ServiceTrade, which runs our inspection and service department.
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Filter reviews (407)

Solid Construction Accounting Software
Pros:
The job cost history and time card history functions are both very detailed
Cons:
Change order management and subcontracts management are a bit confusing to navigate
Alternatives Considered:
Spectrum
Comments: Overall Spectrum has streamlined and made our entire experience easier start to finish. As long as the information going in is correct the end product is correct - garbage in garbage out. The support system is great as well as the external support such as the Viewpoint Network, connecting you to peers is fabulous
Pros:
Ease of use, eliminating multiple programs, live data update, split screens
Cons:
having to do multiple steps to update invoices, not being able to access all information in one module. Some of the reporting is convoluted.
Geiler Company
Comments: Overpromise. Slow to adopt
Pros:
Great for construction project management and construction accounting
Cons:
If you do service work this is not the program to buy
Accounting user
Pros:
The Job Module is very robust and easy to use with lots of feature to help manage projects effectively.
Cons:
The service contract module is not user friendly and should allow more reporting features. I frequently have to run multiple reports and manually combine in Excel.
Cobuilt
Comments: The overall experience has been a positive one. The benefit is the data is consistent and reliable.
Pros:
It was timeconsuming and somewhat tedious, but that could have been converting the data from our former software.
Cons:
The inability to customize reports without advance knowledge of Crystal Reports.
So far, so good
Comments: We switched from our old system in January 2023. The difference in the speed of the program has greatly improved our efficiency office wide. There are great tools for our program managers to track every aspect of their projects.
Pros:
Speed of processing. Help function is very easy to use and a great tool. Haven't had to call their help desk once. Integration from our old system was quick with minimal hiccups.
Cons:
Only issue we are having is with getting additional invoice forms created.
Alternatives Considered:
Review
Comments: looking back it wasnt what was best for our company, and would have not purchased it
Pros:
from accounting side, its really nice reporting structure
Cons:
cannot customize it for our specific use.training provided was very inadequate,felt like you were all in until it was sold, then felt left out
Alternatives Considered:
Shipps
Comments: Great
Pros:
How detailed it goes into jobs to see where we are at on each job.
Cons:
The cost, and learning the Job Cost module has been a bit challenging
Foundation Constructors, Inc. Review
Comments: Our initial set up did not go smoothly at all and we were very unhappy. Once we got things set up correctly for our use, we really like it. We are familiar with the data entry, reporting and more advanced options now and it works great for us! Now that we are set up and have some custom reports, things are good!
Pros:
Once things were set up properly for us, it is fairly easy to use. Running reports is easy and the job costing works well for us.
Cons:
Customer service is terrible! Response time is slow and the help feature doesn't provide much guidance. I used the help feature more often in the past but, after one of the recent updates, it doesn't help me much at all. The other "Con" would be custom reports. We were surprised by how many reports we needed to customize for every day information.
Viewpoint for Service Departments
Comments: Overall this software is very average.
Pros:
The ServiceTech app for the crews in the field has been very easy to transition to.
Cons:
It makes it hard for viewing pictures in the work orders because you can only look at one picture at a time. It also is hard to close work orders that wont be billed out to customers because you have to bill a $0 invoice.
Solid product across the board
Pros:
I find it easy to navigate through, most options are intuitive and easy to figure out, problems are easy to trouble shoot as far as reconciling and researching transactions.
Cons:
I wish report customization was available to the average user, not just to those trained in Crystal report writing, or for hire at prices that make it unattractive. The data is all there at the fingertips, its frustrating to not be able to pull down exactly what you want. That being said, there are a lot of canned reports available, they've done a fairly decent job of anticipating most needs, especially in the payroll area with work comp and payroll tax reports. I also would like to see payroll tax reports available to print/file out of Spectrum.
Spectrum implementation in Construction Company
Comments: The system is strong but it could be more consistent. Training is touch for new employees because of the multiple steps and inconsistencies between modules. Ability to store documents and records is the true benefit.
Pros:
System is purposeful and structured. Users need to understand and follow all of the steps in a process, which sometimes at the beginning seem difficult. However overtime with an increased level of understanding the system becomes the system of record. Our favourite feature in our office is decreased reliance on paper. Our AP, cash management and AR departments are all paperless!
Cons:
Spectrum could make things earlier by having consistency between modules. There is currently inconsistently between the AP and AR modules. Consistency would be very helpful especially when learning the system. Help desk - we have incurred thousands of dollars using our implementation subcontractor to help identify fixes to issues. The help desk for months didn't answer the phone and unless your payroll wasn't being released there was no phone call back. Their sales brochure shows 'world class' support department. This non-level of service will cost you money.
Project Manger feedback on a useful application of Viewpoint
Comments: It is an excellent experience
Pros:
- Easy Access.- Structured categories- practical Solution for all stakeholders/Trades- Strong communication protocols.- Unlimited space- Many Useful application
Cons:
- Mobile access is somehow limited - Some issues with time sheet.- uploading pictures slowly- Sometimes uploading drawings takes forever.
Viewpoint Spectrum
Comments: The job costing and reporting features are much better than the software we used prior.
Pros:
I like the help feature the most. If I get stuck on anything, I know I can use the help feature and find my answer.
Cons:
It could be a little more user friendly. When we first started using Spectrum, we struggled with learning how to operate it.
We have been frustrated
Comments: it has been a work in progress, we felt abandoned during our training and thereafter. We do not feel with the fees we currently pay that we should have to pay someone to guide us thru something we were not taught or needed to go back over, tech support should able to do so.
Pros:
the uploadable pdf function to put with invoices
Cons:
Equipment Control/Fixed Assets, very unfriendly for job costing, to hard to track with the way the system is set now, also if you have depreciated out a piece one time and an error was made you cannot correct it, you cannot do a negative to get it back on track or to change months of depreciation etcChange order entries are redundant and not easy to enter in, does not automatically show the new billing items when you do the draw requests, you have to then manually enter into the draw request even though you made a billing item in the change order
Payroll and HR Management on the rise
Comments: Generally, I find that Viewpoint and Spectrum off a lot of options that I haven't had elsewhere.
Pros:
Being able to integrate HR and Payroll systems together is a huge time saver.
Cons:
There are many preferences and functions not currently available in Viewpoint, such as being able to adjust/alter the order in which payroll data is displayed, scrolling/viewing options, check layouts, and the way that HRM data rolls over to the payroll system. Also, being able to build/customize a report as a user (without having to go through my administrator) would be awesome.
The Complete Package.
Comments: Overall, the information gathering processes are quite involved leading me to believe that a small company can grow to be a larger company without the need of changing the software.
Pros:
The reports are laid out very professionally making them easy to understand and useful in making decisions.
Cons:
I was not involved in the implementation of the product and, as a result, I found the initial setup of the general ledger is way too detailed for an operation of this size. Consequently, the financial statements are very much overblown with insignificant details. The management of the business could function a lot simpler with 40% less effort.
Spectrum
Comments: Overall, I would say it is satisfactory. Not great, not terrible.
Pros:
It does provide a complete picture. However, it seems most upgrades are geared toward the job costing portion of the software rather than companies that just use the "work order" section of the company.
Cons:
There is no flat rate pricing availabililty in Spectrum for use on residential side of company so we have to use two programs and manually input data in Spectrum for the accounting aspect. Also, not impressed with Spectrum's side for the technician's use--Service Connect. It does not function well and we opted to go another route.
Happy Overall
Comments: Great for the most part.
Pros:
Ease of checking status and costs on a job. Also can access it from anywhere.
Cons:
I am told that we can't add a Credit to an Invoice that has already been submitted. So we have to create a CM and then use Adobe to change the original invoice and send it out like that instead of being able to add the CM to the original invoice.
Expensive but mostly user friendly
Pros:
AP, AR, Multiple company setups, intercompany transactions,
Cons:
Job costing does not work well, major failure. Difficulty with credit transactions in AP and AR. No ability to match AR and AP from same customer easily
Payroll Processing
Comments: Viewpoint Spectrum provides a vast majority of online help guides which is quite useful. Overall, the system works well and is easy to learn.
Pros:
The ability to go back to a previous process midway to make corrections.
Cons:
Spectrum does not allow one set future date changes to salaries, insurance premium activation dates to deactivate after a certain time frame. Spectrum doesn't allow one to activate bank account information during the onboarding process (only once a payroll has started). Currently, the system will not allow two users to process two different payrolls simultaneously.Viewpoint spectrum system doesn't allow one to void a direct deposit payroll check without creating a manual one that will also need to be voided later (would rather have a better streamlined process).
Great Software
Comments: We have been using Spectrum for over 17 years now and have found that it gives us the necessary information needed in order to operate a successful construction business and joint venture business
Pros:
The most impactful feature for our company is job costing and ability to create multiple companies
Cons:
The feature that could be most improved is being able to easily create customized reports.
Not a solution for the construction industry
Comments: Would never recommend for the construction industry.
Pros:
System had every possible feature that could be desired.
Cons:
System was completely dysfunctional. Assessing the system on paper looked amazing, but when we tried to actually use the system is was completely unreliable to effectively accomplish tasks without substantial amount of time and energy to manage the inputs, connections, data management and high level of expertise to not make errors at any point in the processes.
Let's get organized
Comments: It's great once you know how to use the product.
Pros:
everything is easily accessible, in order. There are multiple ways to get the results you need.
Cons:
There aren't instructions in the software to assist me if I ever get stuck.
Buyer Beware
Pros:
The support team is generally friendly and responsive. It seems that they may be somewhat understaffed in the department that writes custom reports as they are slow to respond, the process is somewhat cumbersome, and lead times are grossly misstated.
Cons:
While I am new to Spectrum (the system was in place when I started with the company) - I find it to be clunky, difficult to use, not intuitive, and expensive for what you get. The search tool is difficult at best when trying to research how to accomplish simple tasks and you end up having to log a support ticket. I know there is a cloud version that is supposed to have more features but I am not prepared to commit to 3 years for a product I am not strongly confident in.