The client in this example rents out a number of products for festivals and events. The price is made up of a number of fixed variables, including distance, type of product and duration of hire. When filling in his/her request, the visitor makes a choice in this. After the quotation form is submitted, the price is calculated and a proposal is automatically generated. Within minutes, the applicant receives an e-mail containing the quotation from the rental company. The quotes can even be agreed online!
To achieve this automation, we studied how a quotation is generated. We identified the variables that play a role and found out which formulas are used to calculate the price. Once this information surfaced, we knew the content of the quotation. Next, we developed a form where the customer can make his/her request, a portal where our client sees the quotation requests coming in, and a mail functionality that ensures the quotation is in the customer's mailbox quickly.
The result
Automating the quotation process has paid off handsomely for our client. He no longer spends time preparing quotations himself, the (potential) customer receives an online quotation very quickly and this can also be easily approved online. And is there the occasional request that cannot be handled in a standardised way (e.g. because it has to be delivered > 250 kilometres away)? Then we will inform the applicant of this and a customised quotation can always be made, just like before automation...
