The issue:
Any growing company might initially rely on Excel to handle quote generation due to its accessibility and ease of use. However, as the business scales, these systems often hit a wall. Over time, you will find that Excel’s formulas and basic macros, used to automate calculations for product pricing, customer discounts, and inventory availability, become sluggish, error-prone, and difficult to maintain. With the increased volume and complexity of data, Excel’s limited capacity and rigidity can create bottlenecks, manual oversights, and inconsistencies in pricing—a costly challenge for businesses dependent on accurate & efficient quoting.
How to solve it:
Mapping of the Process: The first step involves working with your team to map out the entire quoting process, from the initial request to final approval. This step provides a clear picture of each stage and the data required and helps identify redundancies or gaps that may affect accuracy and efficiency.
Analysis of Data Flow and Types: Once the process is mapped, we typically analyse the data types and flow within the quoting process. This phase clarifies how pricing, discounts, inventory levels, and customer information interact, enabling the design of an optimised system that supports scalability and improves data integration.
Building a Dedicated, Robust System: Rather than pushing Excel to its limits, developing a dedicated quoting system from scratch proves less costly in the medium term. A tailored solution minimises manual input, enables seamless updates, and ensures faster, more accurate quotes. This transition eliminates the pain points associated with Excel, allowing the company to scale efficiently while maintaining high standards in accuracy and speed.
Conclusion:
Shifting to a bespoke, well-architected quoting system can enable your business to drive sustainable growth, deliver reliable quotes, and ultimately improve profitability.