Installer Support
The Keys to Quicker Quoting
In a buoyant market the key to making hay while the sun shines is a fast and efficient quoting process . But what does it take to be efficient ? And just how fast is fast ? We challenged founder and CEO of Tommy Trinder , Chris Brunsdon , to quote a houseful of windows on Framepoint ®. And we put the stopwatch on …
» WITH DEMAND IN THE window and door industry reaching record levels in recent months , managing the quoting backlog has been a significant challenge , with many installers working evenings and weekends just to keep up .
In the process of developing the Framepoint ® app , founder Chris Brunsdon and the team at Tommy Trinder have had conversations with hundreds of windows installers about the trials and tribulations of getting quotes out of the door quickly . The learning , says Chris , is clear ;
“ Being efficient is not just about banging out the quote ,” says Chris . “ It ’ s the total time it takes to generate every document you need to complete the sale and pass the products into manufacture that matters . That ’ s the time that you need to measure and speed up if you ’ re looking to unlock real time savings .
“ First and foremost , installers need a super quick and easy way to enter product information . Next up , it needs to be really fast to send jobs off for pricing if needs be . The ensuing paperwork flow needs to happen without the need for re-keying information and should include the quote itself , a contract for the homeowner to sign , paperwork for surveyors , and finally clean purchase orders ready to send off for manufacture .”
Increasingly , says Chris , homeowners are also expecting a visualisation as part of the quote showing how their new windows and doors will look in situ ;
“ When you consider the ease with which consumers are able to model other significant purchases like cars or kitchens , it feels inevitable that offering the client a visual of windows and doors will become the norm . This is another element that can add time to the quoting process .”
So , up against the clock , how long did it take Chris to generate this end-to-end document suite using Framepoint ®? The Answer : 18 minutes – 2 seconds .
“ Call it 20 minutes ,” says Chris . “ That ’ s to generate every document required to complete a typical sale , including sending off pricing requests , doing the quote plus an accompanying makeover , printing off a contract ready for the homeowner to sign , generating a full set of documents for surveyors , and finally processing the order and sending to manufacturer .”
An added complication when it comes to getting quotes out quickly , says Chris , is that Installers are frequently faced with having to juggle multiple suppliers on one project ;
“ An aluminium bi-fold , some sash windows and a handful of casements , for instance . All sourced from different manufacturers , each with a unique pricing regime . The process of splitting orders and sending some or all parts off for pricing is very time hungry . Framepoint ® helps with this ; allowing installers to easily combine products in multiple materials , from multiple suppliers in one professionally presented document .”
The document suite created by Chris Brunsdon as part of this time challenge , which includes both PVC and aluminium products , can be downloaded from : https :// www . tommytrinder . com / lp-time-challenge
68 DECEMBER 2021 CLEARVIEW-UK . COM