Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Seeking Next Gen Online Order Entry Software?

Posted by Cliff on from the more-than-just-point-of-sale dept.

kwandar asks: "Our company is a small/medium sized software developer that markets its products around the world. The order/sales system is an outdated DOS-based system, with limited capabilities. We would like to replace this with one that provides new features like: CRM; customer support services; bug reporting; bug tracking; order entry; accounting reporting; and hooks into some form of licensing software. Ideally it would be web based so that all ordering can be done over one system, whether by a customer, our foreign distributors, or ourselves. Have any of my fellow readers been through this and hunted down software, that worked in a software sales environment. Can anyone recommend an all-in-one solution, or several solutions (open source preferred) which can be integrated with minimal effort?"

42 comments

  1. Advice by king-manic · · Score: 1

    Anecdontal advice from a random internet person: Avoid offshore contractors. Our company got one to do ours and not so fun.

    --
    "There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy."
    1. Re:Advice by networkBoy · · Score: 1

      ditto
      our shipping system and tracking system is done by an Indian dev team, and is the least functional application suite in our entire business (~90K employees).
      -nB

      --
      whois gawk date unzip strip find touch finger mount join nice man top fsck grep eject more yes exit umount sleep dump
  2. Hmmm.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    Do you think you may have just identified a market to exploit?

  3. Just an idea... by huckda · · Score: 1

    Our company is a small/medium sized software developer Why not create your own ?
    --
    "Just Smile and Nod." --Huck
    1. Re:Just an idea... by Shados · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Because these kinds of systems are notoriously hard to develop, and never actually work right. The only way someone has a chance in hell of making one (without 10 years experience doing nothing but that) is to get something that was made by someone/some company that worked on it for 10 years doing nothing but that, then customise it.

      Otherwise, and like 80%+ of companies using such system out there, the system ends up hurting more than helping, might as well do things manually.

    2. Re:Just an idea... by DogDude · · Score: 2, Insightful

      You're describing a classic business blunder: Wasting time and money re-inventing the wheel, instead of focusing on the product/service at the core of the business.

      --
      I don't respond to AC's.
    3. Re:Just an idea... by _ivan · · Score: 5, Informative

      ... get something that was made by someone/some company that worked on it for 10 years doing nothing but that, then customise it
      We've spent the last 10 years working on open-source software you can customize to do this... http://www.sisd.com/freeside/

      HTH
    4. Re:Just an idea... by CastrTroy · · Score: 1

      One thing that makes them notoriously hard is making them talk to all the other esoteric systems. You're business doesn't operate inside a bubble. If one of your big customers wants to integrate your order system, with their procurement system, then you're going to have a lot of work ahead of you to make them talk to each other.

      --

      Anthropic principle: We see the universe the way it is because if it were different we would not be here to see it.
    5. Re:Just an idea... by Shados · · Score: 1

      Yup, pretty much. That and the constant changes because the big guys and marketing, on top of lawmakers, change the rules daily. One of the worse thing I had to deal with though, was non-standard EDIs. Almost had to make custom tables for the big customers, because abstracting it to fit all the weird ways would have taken too long (though it wasn't impossible, we just had one amazingly awful architect)

    6. Re:Just an idea... by CastrTroy · · Score: 1

      Don't even get me started on the monstrosity that is EDI. They thought they could standardize every document computers would ever have to send to eachother. Then they forgot that some companies might want to send different information in these documents. So somebody decides that this field that they aren't using, well, we'll use it for this other thing that we do need. So, you end up with this hard-to-parse, non-human-readable, file format that isn't standardized. You're basically writing custom code for every system you want to talk to.

      --

      Anthropic principle: We see the universe the way it is because if it were different we would not be here to see it.
    7. Re:Just an idea... by JoelMartinez · · Score: 2, Funny

      *goes into a trance and begins sobbing under his desk at the reminder of working with EDI*

    8. Re:Just an idea... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

      Hey, profit margins can be minuscule these days. Everyone's looking for a better way of doing things.

      At least this level of thinking is geared towards making things easier on the staff - so they can help their customers better. ;)

    9. Re:Just an idea... by doktorjayd · · Score: 1

      making things easier on the staff - so they can help their customers better. ;) i presume that wink was the 'this is sarcasm', as i doubt there are many companies out there wishing to automate processes so they need only feed the electricity meter rather than pay real people. ;)
  4. We demand full source code, GPL and no patents by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Otherwise no help, goddammit! Your proprietary, patented, closed-source software can suck it!

  5. Sugar CRM - Open Source CRM by hedronist · · Score: 2, Insightful

    One place you should definitely checkout is http://www.sugarcrm.com/. It's waaay beyond anything I need, but it might fit the bill.

    1. Re:Sugar CRM - Open Source CRM by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

      There's also vtiger: http://www.vtiger.com/.

      It's a forked version of SugarCRM, by devs who aren't douche bags when it comes to open source procedure.

  6. Oh yes. by Colin+Smith · · Score: 1

    I have one here...

    Or rather. Once you're into the ERP/CRM space you're talking customisation and consultants... How much are you making just now?

    Take a look at opentaps. Sounds the closest free system to your description, but yeah. Much customisation and consultation required.

    --
    Deleted
  7. Gnuware by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "We would like to replace this with one that provides new features like: CRM; customer support services; bug reporting; bug tracking; order entry; accounting reporting; and hooks into some form of licensing software."


    Do you accept the GPL?

    [Yes] [No]

  8. Re: Advice, Seconded by hondo77 · · Score: 1

    What the king said.

    --
    I live ze unknown. I love ze unknown. I am ze unknown.
  9. Try Zoovy by gru3hunt3r · · Score: 2, Interesting

    If you're looking for something next generation then your best fit is probably http://www.zoovy.com/Zoovy.com.

    Pros: Both a .Net desktop client (Vista friendly!) specifically for order entry and warehouse management, as well as a very powerful website hosting content engine that is fully AJAX / Web 2.0.

    Remote staff can also login to the web interface which is Web 2.0/Ajax to manage orders and do other tasks such as update the website.

    Also works with Amazon, GoogleBase, eBay, etc. to increase your visibility online.
    Been in business for 7 years, and keeps current - subscription model, no upgrade fees to stay on top of the latest and greatest.

    Cons:
    Closed source, but with plenty of developer hooks via REST/SOAP.
    Certainly not free (as some of the other solutions here are) but has good support.

  10. Intractable 'solution' by inflex · · Score: 1

    A lot of the problem with these systems is that they're intractable... no sooner do you think you've smoothed everything off and sealed the source code does someone get a bright idea of making the system worth with another area of your business.

    It sort of goes like this;

      Let's aquire online orders via a form - it's easy, into a database and print it out ...

      Oh, let's make it adjust stock levels too, and check to ensure there's enough stock,

      How about we tie it in with accounts a bit more

      Let's make it pull in our suppliers too and have it automatically reorder low stock items

      I know, make it easier and have it tie in the service department as well and then we can manage returns/repairs via it... ... and so it keeps going on and on...

      Eventually the coffee machine should get included :D

    1. Re:Intractable 'solution' by king-manic · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Wow, You just dictated my exact experience coding a small and "simple" order system to keep track of stock request spiraled into a inventory system and they then wanted it to auto order stock. etc..

      --
      "There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy."
    2. Re:Intractable 'solution' by TopSpin · · Score: 2, Informative

      A lot of the problem with these systems is that they're intractable... no sooner do you think you've smoothed everything off and sealed the source code does someone get a bright idea of making the system worth with another area of your business. Strange. That's what most ERP/CRM vendors call a success.

      If it isn't being adopted by new users then it's being rejected and you're not helping the business.

      --
      Lurking at the bottom of the gravity well, getting old
  11. TinyERP and/or selfmade by Qbertino · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Check out TinyERP. To me it looks like the most promissing ERP OSS solution using the most recent of the feasable technologies. IIRC it's also integrated with the Joomla CMS and VirtueMart, Joomlas prime 3rd party shop extension.

    It's either that with maybe even more solutions added to the mix or you roll your own entirely out of one package. Check out the Zope Application Server (www.zope.org) for that and look the various PHP, Python, Whatnot webframeworks such as django, cakephp, symfony, turbogears, etc.

    The last SMB ERP/CRM/Bllling system I built was written as a large extension to a small commercial PHP CMS. If you look into the processes thouroughly and do a clean design it's not that difficult to model a custom ERP around your specific business case. Especially with the possibilities of the modern OSS languages and frameworks it isn't. We're currently building various plattforms and business webapps on top of PHP5 and MySQL5 and with the mostly OSS tools where using (Eclipse, MySQL Desktop Apps, Navicat, Winmerge, Nusphere) and a proper pipeline setup (SVN, local, staging & live systems) I get the growing feeling that practically anything is possible. Don't dissmis the possibilty of building your own system entirely.
    Planning and carefull testing of business applications is crucial, but they are not a mistery reserved for SAP.

    --
    We suffer more in our imagination than in reality. - Seneca
  12. Compiere? by g8orade · · Score: 1

    Have you looked at Compiere?

    1. Re:Compiere? by Pav · · Score: 1

      ...and while you're at it check out Adempiere http://sourceforge.net/projects/adempiere/ . It's a recent fork of Compiere that aims to be completely open source rather than relying on Oracle. Their first stable release is out (v3.20 nicknamed "May Day").

      --Pav

    2. Re:Compiere? by commanderfoxtrot · · Score: 1

      There's a useful VMWare image for Compiere on the VMWare site.

      Makes it very easy to try out. I haven't used it.

      --
      http://blog.grcm.net/
  13. Link, please. Will opentaps be YOUR funeral? by Futurepower(R) · · Score: 2, Informative

    I guess he means this: opentaps.

    Another self-destructive software name by open source authors. Taps: "A signal by bugle or drum sometimes performed as a postlude to a military funeral".

    Otherwise, opentaps (all lower case) seems interesting, except that the home page contains many editing errors.

  14. Links, please. by Futurepower(R) · · Score: 1

    Apparently he means this: TinyERP.

  15. More open source self-destruction. by Futurepower(R) · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    More open source self-destruction. TinyERP is not tiny. It's huge.

    Lots of editing errors on the home page. They picked photos of flaky-looking people to represent the product.

    1. Re:More open source self-destruction. by Hognoxious · · Score: 1

      Of course they look flaky, they're Belgians

      --
      Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
  16. Dynamic NAV by WildStream · · Score: 0

    Take a look at this product. It has great potential and even though it was bought by MS, it's a great product. 55K companies use the software worldwide, they can't be wrong.

  17. Comprehensive Commerce Suite by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Check out Comprehensive Commerce Suite. I know folks happy with it.

  18. Customization by YrWrstNtmr · · Score: 1

    Whatever product you choose, expensive proprietary, or expensive open source with consultants and/or your time...you will have to customize it for your business. Nothing will conform to your implementation precisely. Unless you want to change your business to fit the software.

    Be prepared.

    1. Re:Customization by Bloke+down+the+pub · · Score: 1

      Unless you want to change your business to fit the software.
      People say that as if it's like cutting an arm off or having a sex change.
      --
      It's true I tell you, feller at work's next door neighbour read it in the paper.
    2. Re:Customization by obarel · · Score: 1

      "I'm sorry, we don't provide that service any more, because there is no suitable category in our invoicing software."

    3. Re:Customization by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Software should fit business processes, not the other way around (unless the processes are a load of bollocks, in which case there are bigger management issues which need to be addressed first).

    4. Re:Customization by Bloke+down+the+pub · · Score: 1

      Software should fit business processes, not the other way around
      It will if you write it yourself - probably only fi you do so. However (correct me if I'm wrong) the point in taking an off-the-shelf system is to avoid doing that.

      unless the processes are a load of bollocks
      Which they frequently are.
      --
      It's true I tell you, feller at work's next door neighbour read it in the paper.
  19. OOP 'solution' by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Sounds like a section out of my OOP book. A good design (and language) lends itself well to the kind of growth you all are talking about.

  20. OFBiz by DavidNWelton · · Score: 1

    And while you're at it... check out the Apache Software Foundation's OFBiz as well:

    http://ofbiz.apache.org/

    Caveat: it is neither small nor simple, but it is quite powerful, and has a good community of people around it.

    --
    http://www.welton.it/davidw/
  21. TernoVelocity by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Check out www.terno.com. This company has been around for over 15 years and I know of a number of happy clients that are using their system. It is a stable sytem and can be customized. Since this is a proven system, you will not be a guinea pig testing out a new unproven system that may be lacking in features and stability.