Today’s business buyers expect a streamlined, digital purchase experience. If you’re still using manual quote management processes, you’re likely losing out on sales.
Especially for businesses offering customizable products, automating quotes on ecommerce platforms is crucial. How can you do it? Have you ever considered implementing a Product Configurator?
Let’s start from the beginning and discover why implementing a Product Configurator can significantly automate B2B quotes on ecommerce and boost your store’s performance.
Intrigued? Launch into product configuration in < 10 minutes with Zakeke! Let customers create made-to-order products in seconds. Simple, fast, effective. Try Zakeke FREE now!.
What Are Quotes On Ecommerce? When Do You Need Them?
Why should an ecommerce store offer the option to get quotes? There are many cases where quotes can prove to be essential for an online store. Let’s think about high-quality, limited edition products, for example: for these products, perhaps it would be better to offer the possibility to request an immediate quote rather than immediately communicating the price and potentially frightening the customer, right?
And then, let’s consider the case of made-to-order products, those crafted and personalized directly by customers online. A bag, a pair of shoes, a designer accessory: you can choose to show the price immediately, which changes with dynamic pricing rules, or to offer the option to request a quote, giving the customer an exclusive price and a limited time to complete the order.
Given the utility of this feature, it’s crucial to know how to manage quotations easily. Let’s see why.
Challenges in Manual Quotation System
Like all operations within a business, quote management is an activity that must be handled efficiently, automating everything possible to reduce operations and errors. Why manual management of quotes isn’t the best solution? Here are the main reasons:
- Tedious Manual & Time-Consuming Processes: It’s well-known that manual processes are always time-consuming. Offering an automated quotes service for B2B is the best solution to avoid wasting time and to reduce internal operations;
- More Errors: Manual processes are always prone to a higher error percentage. Handling B2B quotes manually risks making mistakes and communicating incorrect pricing to the customer;
- Lengthy Process & Client Dissatisfaction: Sending quotes manually means lengthening the process and not providing an immediate response to the customer. In a market where everyone seeks fast and easy purchases, it’s much better to adopt automated quoting software.
Automate B2B Quotes: You Need The Right Software!
To offer B2B quotes on your ecommerce platform, you need the right online quote software. What is it? It’s a software solution that enables you to automate the quoting process and provide personalized quotations to clients automatically.
Especially if you sell customized products online, a Product Configurator can be the all-in-one solution for offering B2B quotes and making your products customizable. Implementing a Product Configurator can significantly streamline the process of generating quotes for customized products on your ecommerce platform.
This tool allows customers to tailor their products according to their preferences and specifications, such as size, color or features, and enables businesses to create customized quotes for their products and services. By inputting key information about the product or service being offered, the Configurator can generate a tailored quote that considers the customer’s specific needs.
Product Configurators are excellent for B2B companies that offer complex products or services. By automating the quoting process, businesses can save time and resources while providing their customers with accurate, personalized quotes.
Benefits Of Using a Product Configurator to Automate B2B Quotes
A Product Configurator offers several benefits for businesses, including:
Faster quote turnaround
Customers today expect a quick and easy purchase experience. They don’t want to wait days or weeks to receive a quote. In this case, it’s up to businesses to provide a fast and efficient quoting process.
A Product Configurator can help businesses speed up their quote turnaround times by automating the process. When customers have already designed their product or service using the configurator, all that’s left for the business to do is generate the quote. This can be done in a matter of minutes, allowing businesses to close deals faster.
Increased accuracy
When quotes are generated manually, there’s always a risk of human error. This can lead to inaccurate quotes that don’t reflect the true cost of the product or service.
A Configurator eliminates this risk by automatically generating accurate and up-to-date quotes. This ensures that customers receive an accurate quote the first time, every time. For example, if the price of a product changes, the configurator will automatically update the quote to reflect the new price.
Improved customer satisfaction
Personalized, accurate quotes lead to happier customers. If they receive a quote that doesn’t reflect their needs or budget, they’re likely to be disappointed and may even look elsewhere for a better deal.
On the other hand, if they receive a quote tailored to their specific needs, they’re more likely to be satisfied with the purchase. Automate B2B quotes can help businesses create quotes tailored to each customer, leading to improved customer satisfaction. A Configurator can also help businesses upsell and cross-sell by suggesting additional products or services that the customer may be interested in.
Better conversion rates
When customers are satisfied with the quoting process, they’re more likely to convert into paying customers. The higher conversion is a result of both the improved customer satisfaction and the faster quote turnaround time.
This software can help businesses increase their conversion rates by automating the quoting process and creating personalized quotes tailored to each customer’s needs. For example, if a customer is interested in purchasing a product but isn’t sure which model to choose, the Configurator can suggest different models that meet their needs. This helps businesses close more deals and grow their revenue.
Lowered costs
Manually generating quotes can be time-consuming and expensive. Businesses need to dedicate staff members to the task, and they may even need to outsource it to a third-party company.
Quote automation using a Configurator can help businesses save money by automating the quoting process. By using a configurator, companies can generate quotes quickly and efficiently, without the need for extra staff or outsourcing.
Tips For Using a Configurator For Quotes
When you’re using a CPQ for a B2B business, there are a few things to keep in mind:
- Ensure that the tool is easy to use: Your customers should be able to design their product or service using the configurator easily. They’re likely to give up and look elsewhere if it’s too difficult to use;
- Make sure that the configurator is accurate: The configurator should generate accurate quotes that reflect the true cost of the product or service. This will ensure that your customers are satisfied with their purchases;
- Ensure that the configurator is up-to-date: The configurator should be regularly updated to reflect any changes in pricing or product availability. This will ensure that your customers always receive accurate quotes;
- Offer customer support: If your customers have any questions about using the configurator, ensure that you offer customer support. This will help them use the configurator more effectively and be satisfied with their purchase.
Start Automating Your B2B Quotes With Zakeke
CPQs are a valuable tool for any B2B business. By automating the quoting process, they can help businesses save time and money. They can also improve customer satisfaction by creating personalized quotes that cater to each customer’s needs.
When using a CPQ, it’s important to keep a few tips, such as ensuring that the configurator is easy to use and accurate. By following these tips, you can make the most out of a configurator and grow your business.
Zakeke’s Visual CPQ software is integrated with our Product Configurator: it’s easy to use and allows you to manage complex design rules and receive requests from even the most demanding clients. Best part? Seamlessly integrated into your platforms and workflows.
Imagine your customers designing in real-time their dream products on your website and then allowing them to ask for quotes for high configurable items. It’s real!
Get started 14-days for free now or book a free 10-minute demo to know more.
Intrigued? Launch into product configuration in < 10 minutes with Zakeke! Let customers create made-to-order products in seconds. Simple, fast, effective. Try Zakeke FREE now!.
