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A La Mode Or ACI

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david lloyd

Freshman Member
Joined
Aug 29, 2006
Professional Status
Certified Residential Appraiser
State
Florida
Good morning everybody. I used to be an a la mode guy but today I had one of their rep on the phone and he was pretty rude which never happened before. I do not know if the company style is changing or what but I would like to hear opinions about ACI. As far as pricing it is also a little confusing while a la mode seems to be cheaper on the first run it is more when you have to buy connect pro to deliver your reports. I could not figure out if you need to buy extra software for delivering from ACI. How is customer service at ACI? As far as speed I guess they are the same once you get used to either. Please let me know your opinion.
 
I used Clickforms for almost 20 years and called support maybe 3 times, usually just to move the program to a new computer. Have you considered them? I hear the same about SFREP...very few calls necessary. And we have some using Wilson that likes the software. I personally don't use software anymore, all narrative in Word Perfect, but you have alternatives to the two you mention.
 
Cannot speak for anyone else; their package is all inclusive, there are always an add on you can buy but I have not to date. My contacts have always been good, with limited to zero negative feedback. Have been with them over 10 years and have no reason to jump ship yet.

Good Luck
 
We've had TOTAL for a few years and love it.. have your tried switching? The "old" Alamode WinTotal is something I think they are trying to phase out..
I get calls on occasion myself that can be annoying trying to sell stuff.. it's part of business, man.. prob will get the same if you switch to ACI.. I've seen their software and was never too crazy bout it.. no offense to anyone out there who has it.. just not a fan of it as I feel it looks too plain..like a typewriter.. TOTAL has Suredocs signature which locks in our signature.. anything these days to prevent hackers, ya know..
 
I am in running the trial version of Alamode TOTAL right now. I've had SFREP Appraise-It for 8 years and have'nt had any complaints, although they don't really have a mobile version to speed up the process of photos, sketches, etc. I will say that TOTAL is a lot more complex, to the point that it almost takes longer to run the mobile app and complete inspections entirely on a tablet than it does to just sketch the house, take pictures, and move on, while importing later (which takes very little time). I am going to toy with it a bit more and see if it can really be any sort of time saver, but as of now trying to get everything in on a tablet, while convenient, does add more time to inspections and navigating the report in TOTAL has not been as efficient as Appraise-It. It may just be the slight learning curve, but in my case it seems like trying to upload files back and forth, putting data into a phone/tablettablet, and trying to go all mobile and paperless is taking just as much time as sketching the property, taking pictures on the ole Nikon, and doing things the semi old fashion way.
 
I am in running the trial version of Alamode TOTAL right now. I've had SFREP Appraise-It for 8 years and have'nt had any complaints, although they don't really have a mobile version to speed up the process of photos, sketches, etc. I will say that TOTAL is a lot more complex, to the point that it almost takes longer to run the mobile app and complete inspections entirely on a tablet than it does to just sketch the house, take pictures, and move on, while importing later (which takes very little time). I am going to toy with it a bit more and see if it can really be any sort of time saver, but as of now trying to get everything in on a tablet, while convenient, does add more time to inspections and navigating the report in TOTAL has not been as efficient as Appraise-It. It may just be the slight learning curve, but in my case it seems like trying to upload files back and forth, putting data into a phone/tablettablet, and trying to go all mobile and paperless is taking just as much time as sketching the property, taking pictures on the ole Nikon, and doing things the semi old fashion way.

It will. For a while. I would recommend using a tablet. The estra real estate makes it a lot faster AND easier. After a month or so, the time savings will surprise you. Its a unique process though. Just like using a Disto. If you try and use it like a tape you won't ever be happy with it. Same with the tablet. Its not a piece of paper. Its basically a relational database; learn to use it as software. Quick lists are your friend. About the only thing I actually type with Total Mobile is extra features. Everything else has a pre-selected series of options for each field.
 
It will. For a while. I would recommend using a tablet. The estra real estate makes it a lot faster AND easier. After a month or so, the time savings will surprise you. Its a unique process though. Just like using a Disto. If you try and use it like a tape you won't ever be happy with it. Same with the tablet. Its not a piece of paper. Its basically a relational database; learn to use it as software. Quick lists are your friend. About the only thing I actually type with Total Mobile is extra features. Everything else has a pre-selected series of options for each field.

I have been using a Disto (Bosch, actually) for years now. I will keep using the trial version for the next month and see how it goes. It is nice using a tablet at inspections but you're right, I'm sure it just takes some getting used to to make it more efficient. I do like TOTAL's features, and it doesn save time with maps, pics, sketches, etc. I'm sure 3 months from now I will wonder why I didn't make the switch earlier.
 
It will. For a while. I would recommend using a tablet. The estra real estate makes it a lot faster AND easier. After a month or so, the time savings will surprise you. Its a unique process though. Just like using a Disto. If you try and use it like a tape you won't ever be happy with it. Same with the tablet. Its not a piece of paper. Its basically a relational database; learn to use it as software. Quick lists are your friend. About the only thing I actually type with Total Mobile is extra features. Everything else has a pre-selected series of options for each field.

FORMFILLER!!! lol j/k
 
I've been with Alamode since the DOS days. There are always going to be things that can improve, but they have an excellent platform and a good team. I have no motivation to change.
 
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