The Quote Builder helps Sage 200 users simplify their quotation process
Client
A leading specialist lighting manufacturer for commercial and luxury brands. They provide bespoke lighting solutions for hotels, offices, exhibitions, and luxury yachts.
A long time Claris FileMaker user utilising a bespoke product quote system, they have been using Sage 50 for many years, although the two system were not integrated. Due to business growth, they now need to move to Sage 200, Sage Manufacturing and Sicon Manufacturing. They decided that it was the time to fully integrate the two systems and needed help to do so.
Need
The client provides lighting solutions which are unique to each client project and clients may well have multiple projects ongoing at any one time. Lead time for these projects can be long (as part of bigger infrastructure project) and may require many different iterations before it is won or lost. Their quotation system needs to support bespoke product quotes and have an easy to use front end.
Key factors include:
- Claris FileMaker is the CRM and source of truth for customer data.
- Totally flexible product configurations, with a clean and simple user interface
- Ease of use
- Multiple iterations of a quote for one or more competing clients.
- Bill of Material, Sales Order documentation and Statement of Work passed to Sage 200 for processing
- Seamless integration with Sage 200 and manufacturing modules
- Reporting
Process
By undertaking a series of consultations with the management team and user representatives, looking at the objectives and processes involved in building a quotation, processing an order and the manufacturing process through Sage, Compass Data developed a proposition which addressed the needs of the client for a simple to use, intuitive system based on The Quote Builder. Having suggested changes to the processes and wire-framing some example screens, a Prince 2 project was launched.
During the process any changes to the specification were addressed using a controlled change management process to ensure project integrity whilst minimising cost and time creep. Close interworking with the Sage reseller team was also required.
Solution
A user friendly bespoke quote system integrated with Sage
Using The Quote Builder as the foundation, Compass Data developed a bespoke application which was easy to use and fully integrated with Sage 200, providing complete flexibility for quoting unique products and processing orders to and through Sage to manufacturing and beyond. The new system has improved productivity staff satisfaction.
Result
The new system allows the customer sales teams to easily respond to clients when building bespoke product quotes and simplifying the process of order placement to manufacture. It also allows quotes to be exported in such a way that they can be added to other documents when the quote is part of a larger project. The ability to duplicate the quote also means that the same information can be easily