Quotes Just Got Easier to Manage with QuoteWerks

Creating and tracking sales and service quotes can be a daunting task. Not only do the right numbers need to be developed for each customer, it’s also crucial that business owners be able to monitor the status of active quotes across every rep and salesperson in the company. QuoteWerks pulls all those pieces together and gives small businesses a streamlined way to manage the quote process from start to finish.

The right features make quote management fast and accurate

QuoteWerks is designed specifically for quotes and all the associated data. “Most people are using Microsoft Word or Excel to create quotes,” explains Brian Laufer, vice president of Aspire Technologies, Inc., makers of QuoteWerks. Unfortunately, that approach opens the door to inaccuracies, particularly when data must be moved from one platform to another and data entry mistakes become more likely. “QuoteWerks removes that error-prone approach,” Laufer says. It also reduces the time necessary to create and update quotes, since users don’t need to worry about jockeying data between different systems.

That speed pays off in other ways, too. “First impressions are very important and can make or break deals,” Laufer says. “The quicker you can get quotes into customers’ hands, the more you’ll win business.” Rather than fuss around with reinventing the wheel every time a new quote is generated, QuoteWerks allows users to quickly access the latest information and drop it into the quote. The platform also includes tools to look up the correct sales tax rates and shipping fees, for example, so you know every quote has the right figures.

QuoteWerks Dashboard

The QuoteWerks dashboard makes it easy to check quote status.

 

The end result isn’t just a quote that’s fast and accurate. Because small businesses are able to leverage a suite of templates, every quote they produce will have a unified look and feel. “The content and how it’s presented is important,” Laufer says. If customers receive a mishmash of formats, it doesn’t always give a good impression. “The quote is an extension of your company brand and image,” Laufer explains.

Creating new quotes and updating old ones has other inherent challenges. How can you be sure you’re quoting the right prices across your client base? Have you applied any appropriate discounts for repeat customers, if that’s something you do? Are your sales people using the same price tiers so you aren’t inadvertently leaving money on the table? “We have a centralized quote database,” Laufer says of QuoteWerks. “There’s no guessing if a quote was already created for a customer, in case you have multiple sales reps.” Users can also use the dashboard feature to quickly view past quotes and other activity, to refresh their memory and see how the customer’s account has been handled previously.

While the QuoteWerks platform can replace the general software some firms have been using to create sales quotes, it’s also designed to integrate easily with a range of other systems businesses rely on every day. The connection points are built in to communicate with many existing CRM and accounting platforms, among others. “That way, you don’t have to re-enter key information,” Laufer says. “It’s all centralized.” No matter if your business provides products, services or both, QuoteWerks can bring it all together to keep the sales process moving forward.

QuoteWerks Database

The centralized database shows every quote in the system.

 

Affordability meets easy installation

“The great thing is that QuoteWerks has a small footprint and requires no additional infrastructure,” Laufer says. Used in many cases as an on-premise solution, options are also available for business users who prefer a cloud-based system. Licenses are one-time purchases and the entry-level tier starts at $199 for a single license. Licenses are concurrent, rather than sold as named users, so multiple people within the business can use the same license as long as they aren’t trying to use it at the same time.

Support is available for help with installation or ongoing use. “You can call us and talk to a real person,” Laufer says. “Users don’t have to submit a ticket and wait hours or days to get a response to their questions.” Small businesses that need more features — notification when a customer views a quote, an online shopping cart or mobile device access to the system, just to name a few — can purchase them through add-on subscriptions.

Julie Knudson is a freelance writer whose articles have appeared in technology magazines including BizTech, Processor, and For The Record. She has covered technology issues for publications in other industries, from food service to insurance, and she also writes a recurring column in Integrated Systems Contractor magazine.

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