Lightspeed

Great Product

Pros:

A great, easy to use system. Lightspeed in constantly upgrading and improving this product.

Cons:

I feel that the scheduler could use some work. A little "clunky" but overall better than having to use a seperate platform.

Best Software for our Powersports Department!!

Pros:

I love these easiness of the accounting side of Lightspeed. It has been a game changer in timely processing.

Cons:

It looks like it was made in the 1990's.

Terrible for small businesses and does not integrate well with QuickBooks

Comments: It's really been a nightmare for 9 months. I described my business very clearly and what I wanted in a POS and was promised that all was possible. Some, however, for additional fees not disclosed at the time. I went with the second tier package and it didn't even include the ability to run an inventory report. How can someone run a retail shop and not be able to get that information? The system is not a good one for small businesses. And it does not communicate well with QuickBooks. I have dealt with duplicate information being sent over (with sales tax consequences), missing information all the time. Shipping and Discounts on received orders don't map to QuickBooks. I could go on.

Pros:

That it resides in the cloud which enables me to work from home some days and see in real time what is sellingin my shop.

Cons:

The tedious, long screens filled with fields unnecessary for a small brick and mortar. Its not intuitive when it comes to running reports by a certain time period. Don't let them tell you it integrates well with QuickBooks as the integration is terrible. Oh, did they tell you that costs extra? Much more expensive than other POS sytems. Can be difficult to understand people on the support line.

Long Time User

Comments: I've been using Lightspeed for 10 years, therefore I am somewhat used to the system. I still find it challenging to determine the customer account balance due. Again, a customer ledger would be extremely beneficial. In addition, it would be helpful if we could apply loyalty reward points after an invoice has been closed.

Pros:

I like the on demand training tutorials. I like that it is a menu driven system. I like that we can customize our Desktop with the most relevant individualized information. I like the custom tabs for each individual user.

Cons:

1. I don't like that we can not print out a customer ledger ! This is so very important! 2. Customers - can only have one customer name and one customer email address. Many people have multiple email address, plus a spouse or partner who have more than one email address. I would like to have fields for a 2nd owner name, address, email, phone #. Also the only field that cross references is the "other" field. It is difficult to look up a customer by a partner's name or business name. Many spouses have different last names. We have many customer accounts with multiple partners. We have a ton of customer's who both want to receive emails and copies of invoices, statements, etc. But the system only allows for one email address. 3. Customer Units- It would be nice and extremely helpful if there was a field for the previous Unit Name and a way to cross reference in the customer unit section. 4. The Storage Reservations and Customer Accounts don't link together. When we update a customer account, it does not update the Reservation information. 5. It is confusing to our customers and employees when there are two separate invoices for their A/R account and the Reservation. The invoices don't even look alike! Then we have to manually calculate a total due by adding these together. 6. All Custom Reports, we can't delete obsolete or old reports. Our list is too long and it time consuming just to try to locate a report I want. Also date last used would be helpful.

Powersports Dealership on Lightspeed Evo

Comments: Lightspeed is a big improvement from our historic system. With quick internet speeds, the system works well but on slower speeds it can grind to a hault. The major thing missing from Lightspeed is easy to read, pre-canned reports aka dashboards for users to understand. This is across the board for all departments. The data is in the system but hard to understand for most.

Pros:

- Updates happen on a frequent basis. - Plenty of report options but most involve exporting to excel. Not enough "pre-canned" reports. Users must be tech savy, nearly with accounting background to run reports. - Cloud solution is nice vs. internal hardware.

Cons:

- Screen resolution makes things very small or blurry if made larger. - Feature suggestions do not get attention unless multiple dealerships ask for implementation. - Creditcard integration with Worldpay in Canada. The hardware for machines is terribly outdated. No tap to pay options. - Receipt printers are local not network printers. Sharing local printers in windows is not easy and now against security protocol for Windows. Bandage solution is to buy local printers for every machine. - When logging out of one computer and into another computer the session kills all activities you were in. It would be nice if when logging out the invoices, deals, etc were left in limbo and re-opened when logging into the new computer.

The worst in communication that I have dealt with in my entire life

Comments: My husband passed away 2 years ago and I needed to take over the management in processing accounting and closing our business. I reached out to [sensitive content hidden]to share what was happening almost right away and I asked about postponing or pausing my subscription until I was able to mentally, emotionally and logistically come back to the accounting. I was declined, which isn't the problem. However, not once was I asked what I needed or offered to share how they could help support me in this transition. I have noticed a theme over the last 2 years and that is when I have reached out, they will delay, avoid or not respond to my emails or phone calls without multiple follow ups. At first it took me a while to realize it wasn't me, but how they have showed a pattern in their behavior in both of my sales managers and their manager [sensitive content hidden]. Recently, I had made a bold request to have a partial refund, which was also declined. As a widow with 4 kids, I knew it was a huge ask that most likely wouldn't be accommodated, but it was worth a try. I was assured by my original sales manager, [sensitive content hidden]that he was optimistic about working something out. What I realize now, is all I needed to to was run some reports and I could have closed the account almost 2 years ago. [sensitive content hidden] then referred me to [sensitive content hidden]. By the time I got to [sensitive content hidden], I wanted to share what it was like for someone who was experiencing a critical point in my life and business, with being hopeful that it would make a difference for their customers in the future. Instead I was met with [sensitive content hidden] defending their stance, he managed to apologize for how I felt, instead of taking some accountability to my experience of being ignored over the last 2 years. I was told that they handle situations on a case by case basis, and I was also told they do not have a policy for handling situations like mine, so their was no compassion about how I was trying to make it all work. I was also told by [sensitive content hidden] that never in his decades of working with the company has he 'never experienced something like this' It's hard to imagine that a company which states "Our goal is to help you operate your business more efficiently and profitably so you can spend more time doing what you love." has never encountered another business facing hardship or struggles looking to be supported by the Lightspeed in working through solutions to make it work for both companies. After speaking with [sensitive content hidden] on or around [sensitive content hidden] we agreed that my account would close in 30 days. Yesterday on [sensitive content hidden] my account cannot be opened. After calling and emailing [sensitive content hidden], with no response (typical) to what is happening. I am grateful that they have ripped off the bandaid and I never have to work with them again. My main complaints are
1. delayed communication with sales
2. No taking accountability to how my experience was with Lightspeed
3. Defending their bottom line instead of being in communication and listening to how they could improve their customer experience.

Pros:

Since I took over management of the company after my husband's death, nothing

Cons:

I have had the worst experience in communication with my sales managers and their supervisor.

T00 Expensive & Too Many Bugs

Comments: Our experience with Lighspeed has been terrible since day one. Our rollout was terrible mostly due to lack of communication on the part of our project leader on this end. However, after that, it's all on CDK and the crappy software. Training was absolutely horrible. We would have been better off on our own than listening to the person they sent to train us on-site. She gave us not only conflicting information and instructions, but totally incorrect information we later learned. Functions and features we were told were operational during the sales pitch and "demo" are still not up and running. Every new feature requires a paid subscription. Suddenly, while creating options they way we had for the previous 4 years, when parts and labor were not accounted for properly in the deals, we were told it was because we were doing it wrong. Support calls go unanswered and unresolved for sometimes weeks. The general ledger is massive and extremely complicated to follow. At one point CDK told us we should have hired "accounting people". What? We are a powersports dealership. We have an accountant. One is all we have ever needed. We would have already switched to another dms had we not been locked into a contract that was too expensive to get out of. We are currently demoing and evaluating other systems that are available to us and will be moving on as soon as possible. IF LIGHTSPEED WORKED, it would be an awesome product.

Pros:

I can't think of a single thing I like about it.

Cons:

The sales module is so glitchy something that should take 10 minutes can sometimes take up to 2 hours.

Software that fits the outdoor powersports business model

Comments: We count on a DMS to provide us a multitude of operational and accounting components along with a rock solid set of books for decision making and business banking needs. Lightspeed software does help us meet these needs

Pros:

The software is relevant to our industry and has features and benefits that help us manage the entire business of selling and supporting outdoor power sports. The suite does fit into sales service and parts departments daily interactions with staff customers and vendors very well.

Cons:

Support is virtually non existent. We have tried several different areas of seeking support and have been met with virtual crickets at every attempt. We are left to resolve most issues ourselves.

lightspeed

Comments: Since we have gotten the software we have always felt like it was either difficult to use or that we were not properly trained. We searched out any classes and even offered to fly somewhere for someone to properly train us to no avail.

Pros:

It has managed our parts department better than the previous software we used

Cons:

Even with fast internet and new computers there is often a delay when hitting buttons. There are known bugs in the system that we have been told that Lightspeed is aware of them but will not fix them. Ease of use in sales module is poor. Lack of training on the system after it was set up. Apple phone and ipad app inadequate,

Lightspeed, operating at the speed of automotive

Comments: All in all my experience with Lightspeed was a very positive one. The user interface is very simple. The screens are easy to read. The program itself really simplified the job.

Pros:

I like how everything was in one place. You can check inventory, order parts, set appointments, assign work, and create work orders, even take payments all in the same program.

Cons:

There were more then a couple of times Lightspeed wouldnt connect with the outside vendors like designed. This would cause ordering delays.

Good POS System

Comments: The Controller at the home location is able to view all 4 location's information. For him this is beneficial. For us, it's just another POS that happens to be what we are currently using and it works pretty well for our needs.

Pros:

Lightspeed works well for many of our daily functions.

Cons:

When we find something about the program that we find difficult it is hard to get a change made. I realize you have many customers to please but I feel like our voice is not heard. Integration was difficult. Our first of 4 locations took a year to get going. The rest were much faster after the first was worked out. However, one of the things that made us want to use LS was that we were told we would be able to view each others inventory. That turned out to be false.

Excellent solution

Comments: My experience with Lightspeed has been excellent. The implementation was very easy and the support people are all super knowledgeable and great to work with. The product is seamless and contains all of the operational side functionality that we need.

Pros:

The Lightspeed software covers all aspect of our business from parts and unit sales to purchasing, store operations and all aspects of accounting. The system has good controls to ensure all modules "play nice" with each other. It is generally pretty intuitive and easy to use. It is a very well thought out system.

Cons:

It would be great if there was a little more functionality in the general ledger and payables modules. Also, customer service availability is limited and often have long wait times. For a product like this customer service should have much greater availability.

Getting the job done

Comments: All in all this is an excellent Point of Sale system. It is targeted at motorsports, marine dealerships, RV dealerships. If you are in one of these industries give this POS of sales package a serious look.

Pros:

The service module within this POS package is excellent. If you service customer owned product, this module will allow you to easily track the repair order, from checking in the repair, assigning technicians, adding parts to the repair order, handling special orders, to notifying the customer once completed. Yes it is that good.

Cons:

While certain features in the parts module are advanced - determining what to order for example, other areas are lacking. Case in point. We order many items from multiple vendors. This flexibility allows us to modify orders based upon availability and pricing specials. My buyers needs to understand and manage this complexity. Because of the design choices that were made many years ago, this complexity is readily apparent to my sales person at the front counter. This is baked into the program design and unlikely to change.

Everything You Need in One Place

Comments: Overall, if you can afford this product, you are the only thing in the way! Get it now! It will make your life 100 times better. Track all activity across all departments in ONE spot. Manage inventory, financials, margins, sales, payroll.

Pros:

The accounting features are the most impactful to me because you can run any current or past financial statement whenever you need to because all of your departments activity feed into the chart of accounts real time. The customer support Lightspeed offers is unlike any other software support I have ever experienced. You always get a knowledgeable person, in a timely manner, on the other line that will help you solve whatever the issue may be.

Cons:

My only gripe about Lightspeed is you are not able to delete errors sometimes. The way everything is integrated stops you from deleting mistakes sometimes.

RPM Marinas Lt

Comments: Terrible. I have voiced my concerns over the past 8 years, and all I have seen are the backs of those that receive my feedback, is their backs as they run for the hills. I believe the problem is a focus on making money in spite of customer feedback instead of focusing on the good of the customer

Pros:

It was supposed to be easy to use as it was an industry wide solution. It is not and there seems to be no inclination to see it change

Cons:

Useability in an operational setting. Frankly, the only real value to me as the owner is that it feeds the GL. I do not have confidence in the numbers at all. Very sad actually

Workhorse But Expensive with Many Gaps

Comments: It has saved us an enormous amount of time and helped us to clean up a lot of financial vagaries. Hard to set up though.

Pros:

The amount of labor this product saves us and CRM and ERP features is huge.

Cons:

Doesn't integrate with non-lightspeed IP Phones. Has many failures for smaller business versus bigger businesses.

Lightspeed from a Data perspective

Comments: Getting information from lightspeed, everyday we put in so much information but no way to extract it to make quick decisions that affect the business. I like that we are the customers of lightspeed and can petition for changes to include new features and things based on our needs. Wish you could put in suggestions directly into lightspeed and click send. And then they look it over and bring it back to R&D on their end.

Pros:

The reporting feature is easy to use. I like that there are many premade reports generated from lightspeed. It is also functional with the bar code scanner for inventory counting.

Cons:

I wish we could upload pictures of parts for quick reference. And that pictures are slow to load on work orders.

Why we no longer use Lightspeed

Comments: frustrating

Pros:

We liked the detail, but found the product extremely difficult to use, very rigid and not user friendly at all.

Cons:

We had difficulty with the rigidity of the system, and had difficulty with getting answers to questions in a timely manner when we called. Sometimes it would be days before a return call, difficult to remember the question at that point.

Better than the other software

Comments: Lightspeed Evo has been used in my dealership for 3 years. We had been an NXT user for 25 years before that. We had briefly switched to DX1 product for 6 months and it could not function for a dealership of our size so we went back to lightspeed.

Pros:

The integration of the different department operations and functionality are better than the competition. We have the cloud solution and it works seamlessly.

Cons:

Glitches very slow to get fixed. Support is slow to respond. I have found several operational difficulties and submitted requests to have them improved and none have been addressed. Monthly maintenance cost is outrageous.

Too many fees!!!

Pros:

Commutating with manufactures, Point of sale

Cons:

TOO MANY FEES!!!! For every little function you have to have a fee. To put this in perspective it would like going to a gas station and getting a nozzle fee, a hose fee, a fee to pull in the station, a self pumping fee, a fee to watch the meter, and so on. This may sound stupid but this is what Lightspeed does.

Limited ability to produce reports with value, limited ability to modify time clock

Comments: If we could find another software that would like with the manufacturer that we deal with, we would consider switching in a minute. I find the capabilites of this software are very limited and generic and there is not alot of customizing that can be done to make the software better suit your needs.

Pros:

Not much. It may be easy to use but this doesn't come close to outweighing the negatives.

Cons:

Tech support staff have little trained knowledge. They repeat over and over the same thing and can only offer same "box" type answers. When we ask questions about system created reports we get the same answer, like they are reading a script, but can not assist or tell you where the numbers the the system standard reports are coming from. Very very frustrated dealing with tech support.

Overall great

Comments: I have personally been a user since 2004 - You've come a long way, the customer service has improved by leaps and bounds.

Pros:

Most important to us is that it actually works - our entire business stops when Lightspeed goes down.

Cons:

Its glitchy. Parts inventory especially for me is an issue. LS will show 4 of something on order when it's not. It will show -2 in inventory when we have zero.... things like that interfere with the ordering process and allow us to run out of things because we think they've already been ordered.

Not the best, but does the job.

Comments: LightSpeed support is very unresponsive. I have a request for support that is still unanswered after I tried scheduling a time to discuss the issue. However the software is very good in flows of operations.

Pros:

It works really well for dealership operations.

Cons:

It is not a good G/L accounting software for back office staff. The ability to drill into transactions from lists is very limiting. Reconciliations of subledgers to G/L are not accurate.

Pros

Comments: The system is strong however would love to see development work quicker to implement time saving improvements recommended by users. It is not really clear how programming chooses the changes/improvements they focus on it would be really nice to have a weighted system that would allow some much needed improvements to move ahead

Pros:

Strong inventory and cost accounting management

Cons:

Lacks streamlined approach to high volume tasks such as accounts receivable. Customers cannot pay a bill on line must call to do so ect...

Pain in the ass

Pros:

It is easier for non-accounting people to use. The session feature so they can see your screen is definitely a plus.

Cons:

Difficult to reach support for any problem whether it's service or parts or accounting. And they don't offer the payroll option in Canada. And you have to pick a department when you call for support. So while you think you need service help it turns out it's parts or accounting and you start the on-hold process all over again.