Translator Tools: Review of 4Visions Manager

For quite some time now, I was on the lookout for a solution that would enable us as a company to better manage our workflow (projects, clients, providers and most importantly billing) as well our time. During the ITI Conference last last month, one of the sponsors was 4Visions Manager, a solution that promised just that. I had the opportunity to ask the very polite and professional representatives, Irene and Ricard, a number of questions and once we returned to Athens, I decided to give 4Visions Manager a try. Here are my thoughts on it:

Professional approach, professional look.

I was pleasantly surprised to see that both the CEO and the co-founder of the Company were present at the conference and ready to answer any sort of question about the tool. Not only that, but they were doing so with a huge smile on their faces! This is the kind of behavior that I like when I am out shopping, and it is the kind of behavior that prepossesses you positively for the product. After visiting the tool’s website, I saw that this down-to-earth, professional approach was also extended on the tool as well.

Integration, Automation and Multi-platform. Really?

Well, yes. You can use the tool as a one-stop shop for all your business needs. You can create projects, add clients and providers and invoice with a single log-in. Actually, the Dashboard is quite graphic as well, and this can be very useful when you want to take a look on the main chart in order to get an idea about every aspect of your business. Automation can be achieved very easily since you only need to enter your data once. From then on, the tool takes care of everything, thus saving lots of time down the road.

For an avid Apple user as me, the best thing is that I can use it from my Mac, iPad and iPhone. Everything is done online, hence no need to install the tool on my computer. On the contrary, I can check everything on the go if I want to do so. This is something that you cannot find easily on other similar tools. Not only that, but the web interface is also important as a backup tool: If you install a tool on your computer and something goes wrong (crash, theft etc.) you’ll end up losing valuable data. The web application and the extra security if offers (256-bit encryption, PCI compliance), is the ideal backup of your sensitive and valuable data and offers peace-of mind.

Reasonable pricing

Freelancers can choose 1 of the 2 plans on offer: Starter or Freelance. You can buy Starter for €9/month and Freelance for €29/month. If you have only a few clients, you can opt for Starter that offers 3 invoices/month. Freelance (the Plan I tested) offers unlimited quotes and invoices and is actually on sale at €19 until the end of the year. Agencies can go for the Agency plan (Coming soon) at €89/month, that will offer 5 users, unlimited quotes & invoices and Project assignment, as well as a professional directory. Pricing is very reasonable for the things you get. Both freelancers and agencies can save much more than the monthly fee if they spend the time needed to create invoices etc. to more lucrative sides of the business.

The Company offers free webinars on the tool, is active on Twitter with all the latest info and developments and is a company that was founded by translation industry experts for translators. During the time I spent checking the tool, I had no problems with it. On the contrary, I was pleasantly surprised about its productivity. Due to a current restructuring of our business processes, we’ll have to wait for the release of the Agency plan before we can fully utilize 4Visions Manager, but this does not influence freelance translators out there who are in need on a reliable management solution and can use the Freelance versions.

So what about you fellow translators? Are you currently using a workflow solution or rely on MS Word and Excel to manage the financial side of your business? Are you already using 4Visions Manager or any other similar tool? I’d love to hear your story!

P.S. They didn’t pay me to write such a nice review about their product, I honestly liked it that much 🙂

About the author

Christos Floros is a co-owner of Lingua Greca Translations and co-writer of the Adventures in Technical Translation blog. He holds a Master’s on Strategic Studies and has been working as a technical translator since 2004, working mainly with Gambling and IT texts. In his free time, he likes reading Cold War spy stories, follows NHL and watches documentaries on History Channel. He also believes that Iron Maiden is the best band ever. All in all, a strange guy. Connect with him on Twitter @ChrisFloros.

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