Quartzy

Pros

I like how customizable and user friendly this software is. I don't spend hours trying to figure out how to input something into the system. This aspect also makes its very easy to introduce new lab personnel to it. I don't know how many times I have have been able to readily access our inventory find a specific item and *locate* it in the lab for someone else. And I can look up specific items or a group of items. That is invaluable to lab management.

Cons

This may have changed recently, but there should be a way, when requesting items to be purchased, that the software can tell you if the same item has been requested by someone else (and has yet to be delivered). This can also be done by careful humans so it is not a big deal . . .

Pros

If you're ordering something familiar or defined within there system it gets easier and easier. Essentially its more to get it started then to maintain which is ideal and understandably a good thing. The inventorying and ease of use for finding previously ordered products arguably too convenient.

Cons

So the issue with the inventory and management of items once it arrives is that it requires the end user to document and track the usage to form a digital inventory. Which is reasonable but in academic sciences its a little less then realistic. More over for me the worst part is the combining of invoices which I love makes things appear very streamlined however in the end you will be likely charged for the individual vendors used. Which is understandable, except for the fact it clashes with my universities way of handling fiances at the end of each month.

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Switching to Quartzy

Pros

I like the automatic quoting and matching when it can save us money. I use the export feature to run statistics on our procurement process and spending. I like that its free and has an easy to use dashboard to see where items are in the process. Having access to punchouts as a small business is a perk!

Cons

I don't like that they quote items that'll cost MORE to get from Quartzy, and to a new user is can look misleading. I don't like that when you purchase items through Quartzy that they don't make the request form editable. Quartzy does not connect to our ERP, so we have to do a lot of manual work. The import template is awful because it doesn't match the request button, so I still get stuck doing manual entry work. Also I wish they had a "viewer" authority level because I have many people that want to check status of orders, but that should not be able to place orders.

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Switching to Quartzy

Pros

I absolutely love Quartzy. It is the easiest way to keep everything in the lab organized and it would be complete chaos without it.

Just the overall presentation of everything is super helpful. Having a request section and an inventory section that allows a seamless transition of what you ordered to putting it into inventory is amazing.

Cons

There are three things that I do not like about the software.

1. It would be way more convenient to have an app that is just as good as the web portal
2. A little more customization on what I feel is necessary information when others are creating an order.
3. A more developed scanning feature (which may be more applicable with a mobile app)

Pros

Quartzy is very easy to use and quick to integrate into inventory processes. The most efficient part is ability to look up suppliers with auto generating catalog information and reordering by just click of a button. This allows us to keep consistently purchasing the same material to prevent variation or order entry errors.

Cons

The only problem we have faced are duplicate serial number entries that are generated from manual and auto entries but I think the issue has been resolved quickly.

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Switching to Quartzy