AIM

Lesson management is good. Inventory management and sales are serviceable.

Built on outdated technology, which means the system will get slower and more bloated as your business grows. Simple ancillaries (like date lookup) require Googling to find outdated Microsoft files when you replace computers, and support won't have those files available. E-commerce is excruciatingly complex to execute; why must it be this complicated when options like Squarespace and Shopify exist? They don't require the user to learn XML to take full advantage of their features. The PO system is convoluted, the workflow makes no sense. Inventory management could stand to lose some processes to speed things up and make it more understandable. Reporting doesn't make much sense, either. But the most frustrating part for us has been the staff. Calling support is rarely a good experience; it often sounded like someone was paging through a manual to find a solution. Recently, I found out why: support is tiered, and we are on the lowest tier. I've been using this software for 5 years, and no one at TriTech offered us an upgrade. Online help files don't offer much more in the way of assistance. Navigation is clunky, and entries are often incomplete or outdated. We've also experienced the classic "sales promises features that developers say can't be done" routine. The most recent involved running their product on a Windows tablet - sales said it could be done, but later, support said it was only possible using Remote Desktop Protocol (a thing I wish I knew before I purchased the Windows tablet & an additional license). More than once, I've been scolded by sales for "not understanding how [their] software works." They require you to buy gift cards & hardware through them, at a substantial markup. I'm getting frustrated just thinking about this stuff...

We have been utilizing the POS (Point of Sale) System, and it's very intuitive. You go through a couple test transactions, and it's like riding a bike. You can do it so quickly and effectively. We used the testing system and were able to play around it a lot without worrying about mistakes that will mess up your entire system. We have the label printer, the receipt printer, and the wireless scanner, and they have made our little gun shop look SO professional and streamlined. Gone are the days of handwritten receipts! We can now track customers to see what each person buys and can add notes and wish list items! The Bound Book is ATF compliant, and it has made checking the firearms in and out a breeze. We are going to be purchasing the PO module next, so I can't wait to implement that!

I can't really say there are any Cons...I would just say it is a bit of a learning curve and can be a bit overwhelming at first, but the support that is offered is just phenomenal.

There is a lot to unpack in this program, but once you've learned the system it's an all-in-one package & is fast, easy & efficient to use. Integration between our website, payment processing, shipping, etc. make our life easier. The program is constantly updated with enhancements & quality of life updates making the software faster & better to use. Tech support is very responsive to our needs & requests, development has made many changes to the software at our request to better fit our needs.

The Vortx web platform that integrates with AIM comes with a lot of limitations & the custom report tool is difficult to use. The SQL platform version 12 uses is powerful, but the hardware & software startup cost (SQL especially) can be high. There is not a good solution for working with products that are sold in both a physical AND digital format.