In most commercial businesses, the quoting process is still manual: someone receives a request, opens an Excel file or Word document, fills in the details by hand, calculates prices, formats it, and sends it by email. If there are changes, the whole process repeats.
This workflow not only consumes time. It introduces errors, produces inconsistent documents, and makes it impossible to have visibility into how many quotes are active, what stage they are in, and which ones are being lost.
The most common problems with manual quoting
- Slow response times. Preparing a quote can take between 30 minutes and 2 hours depending on the salesperson and complexity. In markets where speed matters, that delay can cost you the deal.
- Calculation or pricing errors. When prices change frequently and each salesperson manages their own spreadsheet, it is easy to quote outdated prices or make formula errors.
- Inconsistent presentation. Each quote looks different depending on who made it. This affects the company's professional image.
- No traceability. How many quotes were sent this month? Which ones are awaiting a response? What is the total pipeline value? With spreadsheets, there is no easy way to know.
- Manual follow-up. Remembering to call the client 3 days after sending a quote depends on each salesperson's memory or discipline.
What changes with an automated system
An automated quoting system does not just mean having a nice template. It means the entire process — from request to follow-up — works in a structured way with minimal manual intervention.
Automatic generation
The salesperson selects products or services from an updated catalog, enters quantities, and the system automatically calculates prices, discounts, taxes, and totals. Instead of 45 minutes, the process takes 5.
Centralized price list
Prices are updated in one place. All salespeople always work with the correct prices, with no outdated versions floating around in emails or shared folders.
Professional, consistent documents
The system generates the PDF with the company's logo, colors, and structure. Every quote looks equally professional regardless of who created it.
Automatic follow-up
The system can send an automatic reminder to the salesperson when a quote has had no response for more than X days, or send a follow-up email to the client if configured to do so.
Real-time visibility
Management can see at any time how many quotes are active, the total pipeline value, how much has been closed this month, and the conversion rate per salesperson.
How much time is recovered?
If your sales team has 3 people and each creates 5 quotes per week, that is between 7 and 22 hours per week spent just on document preparation. With an automated system, that time can be reduced by 70 to 80 %.
Additionally, by reducing response time from hours to minutes, the probability of closing the deal before the client evaluates other options increases significantly.
What technology is used?
Depending on the size of the company and existing systems, there are different options:
- Module within the CRM: If you already have a CRM, a quoting module can be integrated directly.
- Custom platform: For companies with complex catalogs, discount rules, or multiple business lines, a purpose-built platform offers greater control.
- ERP integration: If you manage inventory or production, the quoting system can query availability and costs in real time from the ERP.
Implementation can be done on the company's own servers (ideal for sensitive data or clients in finance or healthcare) or in the cloud for remote access and scalability.
Where to start?
Before developing any system, the first step is to thoroughly understand the current process: how many people are involved, how much time it consumes, what information is needed, how it is approved, and what systems exist today.
With that clear diagnosis, a solution can be designed that truly adapts to how the company works — not the other way around.
At Rubit we offer a free diagnosis where we review the quoting process (or any other process you want to automate) and show you concrete options with time and impact estimates. No commitment required.