AngryChris Posted February 4, 2018 Share Posted February 4, 2018 Can someone give me a general idea of the pricing of the software? I am thinking parlevel + quickbooks will be my long term solution for efficiency. I am hoping it makes sales tax work easier and i will be taking advantage of prekitting. I think i have the cashflow to start upgrading regularly and expand. I would rather get ahead of the game than behind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chard Posted February 4, 2018 Share Posted February 4, 2018 Parlevel is $6/month for each unit. That is software only and does not include a cc device. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngryChris Posted February 4, 2018 Author Share Posted February 4, 2018 3 minutes ago, Chard said: Parlevel is $6/month for each unit. That is software only and does not include a cc device. Thank you. So is the software itself free? There is no initial cost to get started? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chard Posted February 4, 2018 Share Posted February 4, 2018 I believe there is a startup fee. I suggest looking at vendsys and vagabond as well. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southeast Treats Posted February 4, 2018 Share Posted February 4, 2018 With ParLevel, you start with a contract for x years of service, I don't recall a startup fee but there might be a small one. Offline machines (no telemetry) are cheaper than online (you don't have to add all your machines but it kinda defeats the purpose). Initially, be prepared for a LOT of data entry, they can help with it if you already have lists of locations and such you can provide for them to enter. The setting up individual planograms takes time, it's easier of you have some standard plans you can just copy and then adjust for each location. Once it's all done I think you will really like it... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngryChris Posted February 4, 2018 Author Share Posted February 4, 2018 Setting up planograms will be easy for me as i am familiar with it. Collecting the initial data though... i am both dreading it and looking forward to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southeast Treats Posted February 4, 2018 Share Posted February 4, 2018 The good thing is it makes you get organized, something that often falls by the wayside, at least in my life !!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngryChris Posted February 4, 2018 Author Share Posted February 4, 2018 I am considering having my garage demolished and having a new garage built so i can park my van, a car, store about 20 machines, and have enough space for product storage... and possibly have it heated to at least above freezing and cooled below 75 degrees in the summer. If that all happens, prekitting would completely change things. The garage isn't necessary but i would hope that money saved from not throwing stales away and not running out of selections would pay for the service. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlindVending Posted February 4, 2018 Share Posted February 4, 2018 I was on the fence about it myself about 6 months ago. Was looking for an app that would help with my coffee delivery service. Ended up converting my entire operation over to parlevel. Customers can even order coffee and supplies directly from the website as they gave me a url and a "web store". So not only is coffee service extremey organized and easy (literally when they sign my iPad on delivery it emails an invoice auto generated to them) all of my vending machines are planographed and organized as well. Love parlevel. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngryChris Posted February 4, 2018 Author Share Posted February 4, 2018 36 minutes ago, BlindVending said: I was on the fence about it myself about 6 months ago. Was looking for an app that would help with my coffee delivery service. Ended up converting my entire operation over to parlevel. Customers can even order coffee and supplies directly from the website as they gave me a url and a "web store". So not only is coffee service extremey organized and easy (literally when they sign my iPad on delivery it emails an invoice auto generated to them) all of my vending machines are planographed and organized as well. Love parlevel. I figure it would be optimal with a tablet so i could note any changes to the planogram or par level but that could also be done before i get there. I really need the system so i can figure out how to best use it. I know i could go the column mapping route but that seems very time consuming. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southeast Treats Posted February 4, 2018 Share Posted February 4, 2018 I started out using an android tablet in the field, and my driver still uses one. I (kicking and screaming) finally got an iPhone and put the ParLevel app on it, so I only carry the phone when servicing an account. There is a lot you can do on the app or on a tablet, but I do my heavy lifting on a laptop.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngryChris Posted February 4, 2018 Author Share Posted February 4, 2018 1 hour ago, Southeast Treats said: I started out using an android tablet in the field, and my driver still uses one. I (kicking and screaming) finally got an iPhone and put the ParLevel app on it, so I only carry the phone when servicing an account. There is a lot you can do on the app or on a tablet, but I do my heavy lifting on a laptop.... Thanks. Why bring up the iphine though? Is it because it's a phablet? Lol, or does it interface better than an android? I am fine with using a phone but i would prefer to use a tablet i already have. It has way more storage and i prefer a smaller phone. It would literally be a $0 investment. But if ios interfaces better.. i would get my wife a new ipad and steal her old one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlindVending Posted February 4, 2018 Share Posted February 4, 2018 Parlevel only has an iOS app at this time. However if you have an android tablet you can just login to the main site and accomplish the same things through the browser/driver portal 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngryChris Posted February 5, 2018 Author Share Posted February 5, 2018 1 hour ago, BlindVending said: Parlevel only has an iOS app at this time. However if you have an android tablet you can just login to the main site and accomplish the same things through the browser/driver portal Oh, i see. Thanks for that important piece. I would imagine the app is far easier to use just because browsers can mess up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southeast Treats Posted February 5, 2018 Share Posted February 5, 2018 The app is nice, but it is mostly for in the field driver stuff. Like BV said, not a necessity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngryChris Posted February 5, 2018 Author Share Posted February 5, 2018 Does the app work offline though? Or are there too many features where you need to be connected? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southeast Treats Posted February 6, 2018 Share Posted February 6, 2018 Yes, the app does work offline (sorta), which is one of the reasons I went with it. The route data downloads when you log in on the app, and if you are trying to enter/upload data and there is no signal, it will eventually prompt you to save the data for later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngryChris Posted February 6, 2018 Author Share Posted February 6, 2018 1 hour ago, Southeast Treats said: Yes, the app does work offline (sorta), which is one of the reasons I went with it. The route data downloads when you log in on the app, and if you are trying to enter/upload data and there is no signal, it will eventually prompt you to save the data for later. That's good because some areas are totally dark and you cannot get a signal, which would make web-based usage completely useless. I specifically want an app to make it work. I am also considering vendsoft as an alternative as it seems far cheaper. I also checked out vagabond but that seems like its really made for large companies due to the costs. The only other one I know of is vendsys but they don't seem to offer much explanation on their website. It really comes down to parlevel and vendsoft. I already signed up for a free trial but I never really got to use it lol. I think my in-laws came into town and I completely forgot about the trial period... Even so, for about $80 it would cover everything that I am looking for, but I still think I may take advantage of their cheaper alternative (about $30/month) just to see if I can take full advantage of my offline machines before I go into prekitting. What I really need is to put in a lot of data. I could do this myself with notebooks (which I have in many machines) but that is a very time-consuming task. Thanks for the responses. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MooreVending Posted September 7, 2022 Share Posted September 7, 2022 Ok, yeah its an old thread. But if anyone here still active can chime in on their 4 years with Parlevel? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southeast Treats Posted September 8, 2022 Share Posted September 8, 2022 Still using ParLevel, still happy with them. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MooreVending Posted September 8, 2022 Share Posted September 8, 2022 13 hours ago, Southeast Treats said: Still using ParLevel, still happy with them. Any advice for someone starting with them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southeast Treats Posted September 8, 2022 Share Posted September 8, 2022 starting out with any new VMS is going to take more time than you might think, there is a lot of data to be entered. Once you have your accounts and planograms all entered you will start seeing the benefits. Take it in stages. You might break up your accounts into groups and work on one group at a time. When you start doing planograms you will need to have your menu items active first, but don't worry about the warehouse module. You can get into that later if you want to use it to help with ordering. They have pretty good support, I use slack to communicate with them directly and get a lot of good help that way. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MooreVending Posted September 8, 2022 Share Posted September 8, 2022 @Southeast Treats, thanks for the pointers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talidus Posted August 2, 2023 Share Posted August 2, 2023 (edited) This is an old thread but, great information on Parlevel (now 365). I know most of the discussion around the VMS is focused on route management. How are the additional features like the cash, machine inventory, and micro-market management features? Any alternatives that you've found that do any or all of these functions better? I appreciate the feedback. Edited August 2, 2023 by Talidus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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