Excellent PLM with Excellent Customer Support
Updated November 10, 2020

Excellent PLM with Excellent Customer Support

Anonymous | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User

Overall Satisfaction with Arena

We use Arena as our PLM system. It is our QMS repository and all Engineering Change Orders are completed through Arena.

Pros

  • Customer service
  • Advanced search options
  • Revision tracking

Cons

  • Cleaner UI (more obvious button placement).
  • More direct export/download process.
  • Revise change order process to make it easier to upload redlines.
  • Track BOM revisions to assist with NPI.
  • Track CO's to assist with NPI.
  • QMS document repository.
  • Product Features
  • Product Usability
Product features were the number one priority. As a startup, the customer support factor was also important to our organization.
It was easy to deploy and train users on in a very short amount of time.

Do you think Arena PLM and QMS delivers good value for the price?

Yes

Are you happy with Arena PLM and QMS's feature set?

Yes

Did Arena PLM and QMS live up to sales and marketing promises?

I wasn't involved with the selection/purchase process

Did implementation of Arena PLM and QMS go as expected?

I wasn't involved with the implementation phase

Would you buy Arena PLM and QMS again?

Yes

I called in and was immediately connected to a person and received a quick resolution to my issue.
Once you see how to complete a function once, it's intuitive enough where you can repeat it without help.
Arena's UI is more primitive but their search function is better. It's also a lot less expensive.
I think Arena is easy to use once you know where everything is and any time I had an issue, it was very easy to get in direct contact with someone at Arena to resolve that problem.

Using Arena

Yes; FDA. We use it for Engineering Change Orders and inventory disposition
We work in the office (essential workers) so we did not change how we use Arena
No, we limit the number of licenses so we did not expand to additional users.
Customizable, meets requirements for a medical device company, outdated user interface, competitive price point, and stellar customer service.
Fantastic. I immediately contacted our account rep and my problem was resolved very quickly.

Lessons for Success

Successfully implemented change orders. It's a good bare-bones option, no frills.
We really don't use it in a creative way due to the UI and limited functionality compared to other PLM's, such as Propel.
A lot of the button you're looking for are on the left, instead of the right, where you intuitively look.

Evaluating Arena and Competitors

Yes - Propel; it came down to cost/license.
We wouldn't, at Arena's price point, it does everything required.

Arena Support

ProsCons
Quick Resolution
Good followup
Knowledgeable team
Problems get solved
Kept well informed
Immediate help available
Support understands my problem
Support cares about my success
Quick Initial Response
None
No - Not needed
I was shocked when I called that someone answered on the second ring. My issue was immediately addressed and resolved within 24-hours.

Using Arena

ProsCons
Like to use
Relatively simple
Easy to use
Technical support not required
Well integrated
Consistent
Quick to learn
Convenient
Feel confident using
Lots to learn
  • Creating a new item
  • Engineering Change Order
  • Search Function
  • The user interface of forms is outdated and buttons are not where you would expect them to be.

Comments

  • Alaine Portnoy | TrustRadius Reviewer
    Alaine Portnoy
    (Vendor Representative) commented 4 years ago
    Thank you for your 5-star review of Arena! We are happy to hear about your great experience with the support team.
  • Kraig Clark | TrustRadius Reviewer
    Kraig Clark
    (Vendor Representative) commented 4 years ago
    Thank you so much for your thoughtful and thorough review. We sincerely appreciate your comments! I wanted to let you know that our teams are working hard to enhance the usability of Arena in a number of ways, building upon the user interface improvements delivered this year. There are several options for exporting information from Arena, that serve different purposes. Let us know if you would like our help determining the best option for your purposes. Also, redlines can be exported and imported, but are typically accompanied by a robust Change Control process to properly vet those changes. If you would like to speak with a member of our Coaching team about your Exporting and Redlining options, please email me at kclark@arenasolutions.com. We are here to help!

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