Support

Customer Support - There For You

We offer five star customer support. Our response times are legendary (just ask any of our clients). Pick up the phone, click the help button in the software or send an email and receive clear, effective support. Your problems are solved. Your questions are answered, issues resolved pro-actively, with a friendly voice. It is this attention to our customers that have earned us a 99% customer satisfaction rating.

Training

We offer live training via the web or in person. The training is specifically for you to get the most out of the project management software to meet your needs. Whether it's a custom phone and web training session, sitting in on our numerous ongoing classes or having a trainer visit you on site, you'll be off and running in no time with the knowledge and resources to make your implementation of Vertabase 5.0 project management software a success.

Group sessions are also available at a Vertabase facility in Detroit or Montreal.

Implementation and Best Practices Consulting
Profit from our Project Management Experts

We help you design, plan and execute the implementation of project management software. This includes workflow process design and process mapping. Our 15 years of experience are put to work for you the moment we start to talk. Give us a call or send us an email and you'll get a feel for the benefits of working with the pros at Vertabase.

General FAQs and Quick Project Management Support

Located to the right-hand side are general FAQs. For more detailed support use the help files, online manual or video learning center from within the software. And of course, you can always email us or call us at 888-505-0566.

General FAQs

1. How many projects can I manage at once?
   As many as you'd like. There is no limit to the number of projects you can manage with Vertabase. We believe that the more projects you manage with our project management software, the better off you'll be. Our goal is to help you succeed
2. Do you have Live Customer Support?
   Yes, you bet. We are here for you. No matter how trivial the question or complicated the item, we are here to help you succeed.
3. Do you have Live Training?
   Yes. All our training is given by a live, experienced project management expert. Their experience and expertise are a source of knowledge about the software and about how to successfully set up or improve great processes within your organization.
4. Are there online resources for training or support?
   Yes, Vertabase 5.0 has an extensive online help center which includes videos on using every feature of the project management software, project management best practices, an online help manual and email support.
5. What other training options do you have?
   We offer on-site training, off-site group training, live web training and video/self-help based training depending on your needs.
6. How quickly can I get started? Can I start small and grow?
   You can be up and running, in most cases, within one business day. Start with whatever package makes the most sense to you. You can always grow and add users to your system.
7. Am I locked into a renewal contract?
   No, the choice is always yours. If you purchase an annual license, at the end of the year, you decide whether to renew or not. If you purchase on a monthly subscription basis, it is entirely pay as you go project management software. If you cancel, you'll be charged only for the current month.
8. Can I migrate from SaaS to Network Installed?
   A SaaS system can be migrated internally at any time for a one-time migration fee.
9. Do you offer refunds?
   We put a lot of effort up-front providing training, support and implementation consulting. We make sure you are well taken care of. Because of that, we don't offer any refunds. If you're not sure you want to purchase a license, ask us about a test drive of our project management software.
10. Can I move from month-to-month to annual or from annual to month-to-month?
    Yes, at the end of your term (whether one year or one month) you can switch to a different type of plan.
11. Do I need to download anything or wait for you to send me a disk? What is project management software as a service?
    There is nothing to download, install or wait in the mail for. Project management software as a service means we set up the software, we take care of the software maintenance and provide it to you straight through the internet. It is fast, cost-effective and it means you can use your project management software anywhere there's an internet connection, regardless of whether you have your computer with you or not. The software, and the information, are available directly online.
12. What about Enterprise-Wide Project Management Software implementations?
    Vertabase is widely used in organizations of all sizes, from Fortune 50 companies to 1 person shops running a team of contractors. If you'd like pricing for our enterprise project management software implementations or to learn more about them, contact us or give us a call at 888-505-0566.
13. What software do I need on my end?
    Nothing extra, just an internet web browser (like MS Internet Explorer, Safari or Mozilla Firefox) and an internet connection. With Software as a service project management software there is no software to install or carry around. We provide you with a protected URL where you can access the software. No hassles or headaches. Just great project management features, and your information available anywhere.
14. Is my data secure?
    We take the security of your data very seriously. We use a variety of methods to protect your data and to secure the software, hardware and hosting facilities. Contact us to learn more about our security.
15. Tell me about your data center.
    We utilize state of the art technology in a SAS 70 Type II certified and PCI Level 1 Compliant data center. We can provide specific HIPAA, Sarbanes Oxley and Gramm-Leach-Bliley compliant environments upon request.
16. Can I host the project management software myself?
    Yes. Contact us for more information on hosting it yourself.

Vertabase Software FAQs

1. What is Vertabase Project Management Software?
   Vertabase is a project management system that gives you all the tools you need to manage multiple projects. It helps you keep track of tasks, resources, time and project metrics in an easy-to-use tool.
2. Is Vertabase For Me?
   1. Project deadlines are set by clients or the business;
   2. The project manager is in charge of getting the project done;
   3. You make task assignments based on limited resources;
   4. You benchmark estimated hours but need to track actual hours without messing up the schedule.
   5. You want global views of all projects and tasks, sliced and diced however you want.
   
   All in an easy to use, intuitive project management application which either you can host or we can serve to you (Software as a Service).
3. Icing on the Cake
   With Vertabase you can further centralize information.

   • Manage documents online
   • Manage project issues and discussions online
   • Share information in MS Excel, PDF or MS Outlook
   • Create custom report templates for specific users
4. Schedule Based Project Tracking
   Powerful schedule features, including work time estimates, dependencies and integration with Microsoft® Project ensure that every team member is clear on their deliverables and project time frames. Now includes infinite subtask levels, synchronization of main tasks, flexible management of task positioning and association of documents and issues with tasks. Schedule-based Project Tracking
5. Personal Daily Task Lists
   Each user can access their specific overdue, current and upcoming tasks cross-project, from anywhere in the system. A one-stop spot for most users to see what they're working on, input time and complete tasks. Personal Daily Task Lists
6. Web-based Timesheets
   Easy-to-use timesheets and timesheet management system allows every user to quickly input timesheet data on a regular basis. System reminders ensure team members are kept up-to-date. Includes the ability to rollback timesheets into the past, to adjust entries. Web-based Timesheets and Timesheet Management
7. Automated Email Notifications
   Keep team members updated regularly with automated email notifications. A completely customizable system allows you to send email notifications for nearly every action taken within the system.
8. Issue Tracker
   Stay updated on all company-wide issues. Use as an internal audit system, for client support tracking, or for project and non-project related queries. Issue Tracker
9. Global Management Reports
   Centralized data provided in a flexible, customizable reporting format for all aspects of your project. Print reports or export to Microsoft® Excel for further review and analysis. Now includes cross-project and global reporting for tasks and expenses. Global Management Reports
10. My Reports
    Create and save custom report templates for easy viewing for yourself and others. My Reports
11. Comprehensive Graphical Reports
    Visualize report results through easy-to-use, comprehensive graphs. Total company digital dashboard or project level data displayed in informative charts. Comprehensive Graphical Reports
12. Resource Allocation
    Analyze users' availability through straightforward search interfaces, taking into account time worked, scheduled time, vacations and available time. Resource Allocation
13. Budget Analysis
    Track and manage project expenses and analyze budget data through easy-to-use reporting tools, including a new Variance Report. Now supports retroactive rates. Budget Analysis
14. Expense Tracking
    Track expenses per project and cross-project using customizable categories and estimated versus actual costs. Now supports variance tracking of expenses. Expense Tracking
15. Interactive Gantt Charts
    Graphically visualize your project processes in real-time. Flexible printing allows you to generate paper versions of the dynamic Gantt views. Interactive Gantt Charts

Projects FAQs

1. How do I create a project?
   You can create a project by using the Create button found in the Projects section or by clicking on the Create a Project link from the start page (this will show up if there are no projects on your current project list).
   
   Clicking Create brings you to the Create New Project page.
   
   Creating and saving a project is as simple as filling out five easy fields and clicking the Submit New Project button. The fields are project name, manager, client, start date for the project and target delivery date.
   
   If you'd like to define other fields for your project such as departments, portfolios or determining how percent complete is calculated on tasks, simply click "Show more advanced fields" and fill in those fields. To hide those fields, click "Hide advanced fields." None of the advanced fields need to be filled in to create a project.
2. How do I add people to my project?
   You can add people to projects in several places. One is when you Create New Projects, another is when you Edit Projects and yet another is when you are assigning people to specific tasks on projects. Once someone is on a project, they can be assigned to tasks on that project.
   
   To add people as project members, use the select users link.
   
   This will give you a pop-up window allowing you to search for and add people to your project.
   
   You can search for people by a variety of criteria including skills, office, teams or other projects they are working on. You can also view people's availability from within this window. It will show you their percent availability and the number of hours they have free for whatever period of time you select. You can view each individual's project calendar by clicking on their name.
3. How do I assign people to tasks?
   You can assign people to tasks from several places in Vertabase. One is when you are adding tasks and creating a schedule, another is while editing a schedule and a third is while just viewing a schedule.
   
   To assign people to tasks click on the Add link in the column with the people icon. This will open a pop-up showing each project member's resource availability for the duration of the task. You can view their individual project calendar by clicking on the calendar icon to the right of their name.
   
   Assign people to tasks by simply clicking on the check box marked Assign. You can even select the kind of work you want them to do on the task (Work Type), and put in estimated hours for them on that task, if you like.
   
   Click the Save button and close the pop-up window when you're finished.
4. How do I track time on projects?
   You can track time in two places in Vertabase. The first is using the online timesheets. Access these by clicking on Timesheets in the main navigation. Assigned Projects will be highlighted in the navigation. From here you can track time on projects and tasks that have been directly assigned to you.
   
   Within each empty row, first select the client, then indicate the project, hours worked and optionally, the task. Once you have filled in the row, click the Save button. Previously submitted time can be edited on the timesheets page. You can use the system to work with an approval process in addition to generating timesheet reports.
   
   You can also enter time directly on a Daily Task List. Simply go to the task you've spent time on, enter in the hours and a description and click the Save Changes button.

Documents FAQs

1. How do I add documents, spreadsheets or images?
   Each project has its own document section. You can also create a general project called Company Documents (or a similar name) and store common documents there. Documents can be any digital asset including documents, spreadsheets or images.
   
   You can add documents from several places within Vertabase.
   
   First, once inside a project you can add files directly from the view project page by clicking the Add a Document button.
   
   You can add documents directly from an individual task in the schedule by clicking the Add or View link in the documents column of the schedule.
   
   You can also add documents from the Documents section of a project by clicking on Add Doc. in the sub-navigation. Click the Browse button to select a document from your computer or network. To add the document, click the blue Upload Document button.
   
   With each document or asset you can add notes and edit notes. You can assign documents to specific people or groups of people or leave them accessible to everyone.
   
   Email notifications can be sent out when you add documents, change documents or check-out a document. This is great for keeping people in the loop without having to manually send emails.
2. How can I find and retrieve my documents, spreadsheets or images?
   There are many places you can access your documents: Quick Links on the Project List page, a link on the View Project page, from the Schedule itself or from the Documents section itself or from the Search Documents page.
   
   Once you find the document you wish to see, click the document name. This will open the document.
3. Do you have version control?
   Yes, Vertabase provides version control. It can be found within the Documents section of a project. Vertabase tracks every iteration of a document, the total number of iterations and comments associated with changes made to a document.
   
   While uploading a document you can choose to keep or overwrite the previous version using the checkbox labeled Overwrite Latest Version. Leaving the checkbox blank will save your uploaded document as a new version. Older versions will remain available for future review or comparison.
4. Can I see previous versions of a document?
   Yes, after saving a document (without overwriting previous versions) you will have easy access to all uploaded versions for editing or adding comments. To see previous versions click the number to the left of the word "version(s). A pop-up window will appear listing all previous versions. Click the document name of the version you'd like to see and it will open that version of the document.

Reporting FAQs

1. What reports are available?
   Vertabase has tons of different reports on projects, tasks, timesheet data, budgets, expenses and resource allocation. They can all be easily viewed from within the Reports section of Vertabase or from custom individual start pages.
   
   Hundreds of reports can be created. They can range from summary reports to very detailed reports, with drill-down capability. You can even decide who gets to see what reports.
2. How do I create reports?
   Reports are created from within the Reports section of Vertabase.
   
   Click on Reports in the main navigation. This will bring up all the different report types available: Project reports, Task reports, Resource Calendar reports, Resource Allocation reports, Time Usage reports, Budget reports, and Expense reports.
   
   Selecting any one of these report types will bring you to a page where you design your own report. (You can also access canned or templated reports from the My Reports tab--see below for more detail.).
   
   Under each report will be a list of different criteria you can search on and have displayed in your reports. There are even more advanced fields which you can access by clicking the "Show More Advanced Fields" link.
   
   Use the different criteria available to decide what you want to see, what time period you'd like the report to cover and if you'd like to apply any filters. Click the Search button to generate the report. The results page gives you a report that is based specifically on your search criteria.
3. Can I create custom personal task lists or task reports?
   People or managers can create custom task reports to use as custom start pages. For example they can create custom reports of everything they have to do this week or all the high priority tasks for a certain client or manager. This can be done from the Project section in the main navigation. Go the Start Page under Manage Projects. Select Personal Task Report from the Select options box, select the criteria you'd like for the report and create a custom start page report template. (For more details on creating report templates see below.)
4. How can I print and share reports?
   Vertabase makes it easy to print and share reports both on-screen and off. You can use export features to create an Adobe® PDF file, a file compatible with Microsoft® Excel, Microsoft® Outlook, Google® Calendars or a printer-friendly format provided by Vertabase which formats the report for printing on an 8½ by 11 piece of paper.
   
   Easy to understand icons for exporting and printing reports to all of the above mentioned formats can be found on the results page of each report.
5. Can I create custom report templates?
   Yes, Vertabase allows you to design hundreds of report templates that can be used by you, your team, clients and management. You can control and grant specific access privileges on a template by template basis. Vertabase makes it easy to access and share reports.
   
   Follow these steps to create a template.

   1. Click Reports in the main navigation.
      
      
   2. Select the type of report you want to run.
      
      Choose from: Global Project, Global Task, Resource Calendar, Resource Allocation, Time Usage, Global Budget and Global Expense reports.
      
      
   3. Configure the search options by selecting specific fields or items you'd like to see in the report and over what period of time.
      
      
   4. Name the template in the Report Template section beneath the search options. In this section provide a template name, and if you'd like, a Description.
      
      
   5. Optionally, you can set a time period. This is not required, but if you wish you can use the Template Period Options to include user-defined time periods among the search criteria.
      
      
   6. Identify who has access to this report template. If you want to grant access to everyone simply choose the option All Users. To grant access to specific individuals or groups choose the option Selected Users then click the text link "select users." Using the pop-up window, Search for Users, choose the individuals or groups that should have access to the report or with whom you'd like to share this report.
      
      
   7. Save the template.
      
      Click the blue Save As New Template button to save the template.
      
      To use the template, click My Reports in the navigation. You will find the template name as a text link. Clicking the link runs the report and displays the results.

Getting Started FAQs

1. How do I Set-up Vertabase?
   Vertabase is very easy to set up. You can be up and running in less than 5 minutes. Follow these simple steps:

   1. Click Admin in the main navigation and then click Company Settings in the secondary navigation;
      
      
   2. Add your company's office location under Offices;
      
      
   3. Add the names of a few of your clients under Clients; and
      
      
   4. Add the names of a few typical project activities under Work Types.

   With Offices, Clients and Work Types in place you can create projects, build schedules, manage budgets, track time, and much more. This is all you need to get started. You can always add more items or configure other options later.
   
   You can also add many of these items on the fly wherever you see an "add new" link.
   
   Other options you can configure include your company's typical work week or hours worked per week, time tracking, document storage limits and document retrieval, what triggers email notifications to whom, specific project data fields, user groups, reporting options, categories in the expense system and many other features. But don't worry, they are all easily configure and can be done at your own pace.
2. Can I change people's access rights?
   Yes, access rights can be changed from the Access Levels page within the Admin section. You can create any number of custom access levels giving you control over what users or clients can see and do within Vertabase project management.
3. Can I control who sees different project information, for example clients or executives?
   Yes, you can have very fine control over what people can see and do in Vertabase by using Access Levels.
   
   Think of Access Levels as groups of users who all have the same rights and privileges in the project management software. Any number of specific users can be assigned to a single user group (or Access Level). This makes it easy to control the privileges of groups of users. By editing the user group's Access Level, you can change access privileges for many users at the same time.
   
   Create Access Levels by following the steps below.

   1. Click Admin in the main navigation.
      
      
   2. Click the text link labeled Access Levels in the secondary navigation.
      
      
   3. Click Add in the menu.
      
      
   4. Provide a name for this access level using the Access Level Name field.
      
      
   5. Optionally, you can provide a description in the Description field.
      
      
   6. Determine the display order of this level by using the "Insert new access level after level" field. This controls the order in which Access Levels are displayed on all drop-down menus and in the Admin section itself.
      
      
   7. Use the column of checkboxes to enable (checked) or disable (unchecked) the various access level options that are displayed. It's that simple.
      
      For example, having the option "Projects > Documents > View Document List" disabled will prevent a user from having access to all documents without restriction. The user will only see documents where access was deliberately granted. To receive further help in understanding each access level option use the Help Files link within the software itself.
      
      
   8. Click the Save button to save the access level.