16 Reasons You Should Be Using Estimating Software
When I write about electronic quantifying (EQ), I tend to focus on a single aspect of the EQ story, and in doing so lose sight of the sheer number of compelling reasons to embrace EQ in a flooring business. I thought I would list ten reasons for implementing EQ, but I got to 16 and ran out of space. Each could be the basis of an article in themselves.
Process more quotes. The more quotes we generate, the more sales we make.
Shorten the sales process. The sooner our client has our quote, the sooner we can start our follow up process. (Let’s not get me started on the importance of follow up).
Reduce the cost of doing business. Every hour an employee spends working on plans increases your cost. Measure clients tell me they are saving 70% of the time they previously spent drawing and quantifying plans.
Create productive time for your salespeople. What do you pay for a salesperson? How much time do they spend with plans; not selling?
Make fewer mistakes. Mistakes lead to inaccurate quantities, resulting in lost opportunities or unprofitable jobs. Adding errors, transposing numbers, and missing cuts, all result from human error. Electronic quantifying eliminates human error.
Consistency. One quality of plan across all salespeople.
Provide installers with the best quality information. From seam placement to cutting plans, EQ removes the likelihood an installer might get it wrong.
Accessibility. Salesperson at lunch? Gone on holiday? Been sacked? Plans generated by EQ solutions are accessible by everyone from anywhere, any time, regardless of where the salesperson is.
Employ salespeople, not flooring people. Employ people with experience in selling, and give them the tools they need to quantify.
Bring new salespeople up to speed quickly. Have new salespeople hitting their numbers within a month instead of six months or longer.
Retain staff by giving them 21st-century tools. With smartphones, tablet devices, and all the technology we use each day, life is becoming more like Star Trek; except when it comes to the hours salespeople spend with pencil and paper working on plans.
Transparency. Have a window on exactly how many quotes your salespeople are doing.
Keep up with your competition. EQ has been around for a long time now; it is proven technology. If you are not using EQ, it is very likely your competition is, and if so, they have an advantage over you.
Make your business more saleable. Being more profitable is how our business becomes more valuable, but making it a business that can be run by someone with no flooring experience is how we widen the market for our business when we come to sell it.
EQ pays for itself. It is one of the few overheads you can incur in a flooring business that will demonstrably make you more profitable and pay for itself
EQ is now mobile. Where previously EQ had the limitation of being PC-based, it is now available for use from tablet devices and smartphones.
And finally, bonus benefits if you use RFMS to manage your flooring business; Measure integrates seamlessly with RFMS, saving time and preventing errors as information is copied.
Sure, there is a learning curve, but in most cases, it’s not as steep or as long as you might expect.
There is no downside to EQ. Sure, there is a learning curve, but in most cases, it’s not as steep or as long as you might expect. Contact me at cogden@rfms.com, and I can arrange an obligation free demonstration of Measure by RFMS, along with a free trial and free training to get you going.