Cyrious Control.... What did I ever do to deserve this?

[JoeBoomer]

Oh Cyrious.... Great Windows 95 interface.


Just started at new company using Cyrious Control (Cloud version). I have about 5 years of experience with Cyrious SMS. SMS was ok after I adjusted all the prices and made custom products etc. I could get around pretty quick and make the system work for our shop.


Am I just fighting the change or is Control as bat-$hit crazy as it seems??

What happened to sq. ft. pricing? I know I can change the pricing model on products to sq. ft. pricing, but I'm trying to give Control atleast the "college try" with how it is setup.

Whats the deal? Now I have to figure out every aspect of the sign before I price it? I don't know what size sheet of acrylic we are going to use to make an 18x24" sign. Stop making me choose this crazy stuff.


Not too mention how damn slow it is. I spend more time waiting for screens to load than anything. Changing details of products is crazy. Child product after child product after child product.


- Super Slow
- Way to detailed for quoting
- Very ugly estimates with totally useless information (my customer doesn't need to know which printer or which laminator I'm using. wtf?!)
- So many 'Child' items that it takes me 10 mins to find where I mentioned the details for permitting, etc.


We are a shop of 4 people and the bottlenecks this is causing me are crazy. Granted it's only been 1 1/2 weeks with Cyrious, but I feel much better doing estimates on an Etch-A-Sketch than this turd of a software package. I'm very seriously thinking about going to ShopVox so I can customize my products and estimating process easier and more meaningfully.

Thoughts, opinions, etc.????


(Insert Kevin's comments below

 

[KaranGrewal]

looked at cyrious control couple years ago but decided to go with signvox. we like signvox. do demo and see if its right fit for you.

 

[Kevin-shopVOX]

(Insert Kevin's comments below

Where can I send the sign up link?

 

[Zendavor Signs]

Talk to the people at Cyrious and tell them you want it set up simpler like SMS. We used Cyrious for many years, so I know what you are talking about. Also, make sure you are updated to the latest version. We switched from Cyrious Control to Signvox 3 years ago, and I don't regret it. I can't recommend Signvox/Shopvox at this time. They have been in a painful transition for the last year or so. They are not even fixing bugs in Signvox because all the effort is in getting Shopvox ready....which has no definite time table.

 

[Kevin-shopVOX]

They have been in a painful transition for the last year or so. They are not even fixing bugs in Signvox because all the effort is in getting Shopvox ready....which has no definite time table.

I hear what you are saying..especially as a signVOX user. Trust me when I say I'm as anxious as you are to get this done.

However, shopVOX is DEFINITELY READY for a new user. We have many people using it. The issue is that the migration path from signVOX to to shopVOX is not quite ready yet. This migration path is a one time deal when it happens, and needs to be perfect. That is the delay. We are really close with just a few things to tie up. There should be some notice going out from ownership to get everyone up to speed here in the near future.

I repeat, shopVOX is already rocking and a rollin'. If you have any questions please let me know.

 

[SignVOX]

Talk to the people at Cyrious and tell them you want it set up simpler like SMS. We used Cyrious for many years, so I know what you are talking about. Also, make sure you are updated to the latest version. We switched from Cyrious Control to Signvox 3 years ago, and I don't regret it. I can't recommend Signvox/Shopvox at this time. They have been in a painful transition for the last year or so. They are not even fixing bugs in Signvox because all the effort is in getting Shopvox ready....which has no definite time table.

Hi All,
As Kevin mentioned, shopVOX is ready for new users who do not want data migration from signVOX to shopVOX and we are as anxious to get this done and this is the top priority project we are working on. Also signVOX to shopVOX data migration is very complicated and has to be done in one shot, we cant redo-undo so is the delay. I am going to send out an email right after Thanksgiving (on the road for the next two weeks) with the update on this status and also the process to migrate from signVOX to shopVOX.

W.r.to shopVOX, both Express (Production Management - Job Board, Resource scheduling, Workflow, online proofing) and Pro (every thing signVOX did + the custom Workflow and other features) are ready and are being used by close to 100 sign/print/screen printing/embroidery/awards & engraving/custom manufacturing companies from 3 users to 100 users already. so shopVOX Express and PRO are ready for any new companies as of now.

Please contact sales@shopvox.com for a webinar.

Also for those who want to just try out Express (hook up to QB/Xero) try it out for free the 15 day trial we have online at www.shopvox.com.

Again for all our signVOX customers, we are close... please stay tuned for an update with all the details soon.

 

[JJM7288]

It took us four years to transition form SMS to Control for the same reasons you describe. One day after being inspired by an employee, we fully implemented Control. It is a wonderful estimating and workflow program. The latest upgrade is fast but you will need to make sure your server and workstation processors are up to snuff.
Keep working with it, watch the training videos and it will make sense.

 

[JoeBoomer]

It took us four years to transition form SMS to Control for the same reasons you describe. One day after being inspired by an employee, we fully implemented Control. It is a wonderful estimating and workflow program. The latest upgrade is fast but you will need to make sure your server and workstation processors are up to snuff.
Keep working with it, watch the training videos and it will make sense.

What about CRM/CMS stuff? Trying to find details for an order is a pain through multiple employee e-mails, notes, etc. I would love to have a record of phone call notes, attach all files, e-mail correspondence, record of previous actions, etc.

Do you use the calendar (My Activity) functionality or any of the CRM stuff?

Most recently my company was using TeamWork Project Management which was great because it was a dumping ground for all the info & files pertaining to an order. I could paste the project e-mail into whatever I sent to the client and it would copy into TeamWork (files and text). It wasn't really designed for orders / jobs but we made it work pretty well.


Also, we have the Cyrious Control Cloud version (remotely hosted at Cyrious) so we can't customize forms, attach files, or really do anything with any urgency. (I'm willing to move in-house if Cyrious is the solution we continue with)

Thanks!

 

[JJM7288]

What about CRM/CMS stuff? Trying to find details for an order is a pain through multiple employee e-mails, notes, etc. I would love to have a record of phone call notes, attach all files, e-mail correspondence, record of previous actions, etc.

Do you use the calendar (My Activity) functionality or any of the CRM stuff?

Most recently my company was using TeamWork Project Management which was great because it was a dumping ground for all the info & files pertaining to an order. I could paste the project e-mail into whatever I sent to the client and it would copy into TeamWork (files and text). It wasn't really designed for orders / jobs but we made it work pretty well.


Also, we have the Cyrious Control Cloud version (remotely hosted at Cyrious) so we can't customize forms, attach files, or really do anything with any urgency. (I'm willing to move in-house if Cyrious is the solution we continue with)

Thanks!

We've not used the marketing module (CMR/CMS) for much outside of a macro we created for estimate follow-up. We do use activity manager (calendar) extensively, from scheduled time off to installations.

You could copy/paste the emails into the job notes but that is cumbersome. We just create estimate/work order folders and keep all relevant information/communication (surveys, photos, proofs, sign plans and message schedules) there.

The workflow tools in Control are great, that along with powerful estimating certainly overcome many weaknesses. Control may not do everything great, it does them well though and in a company of 14 people it's just right.