Have you ever sent a quote off and wondered if people have actually looked at it? The good news is that there are a number of innovative new tools that can help you keep track of quotes, boosting your chances of success. We have put together our top five below.
Commonly thought of as one of business’ most tedious yet rewarding aspects, the art of creating effective quotes and proposals has now got a lot easier thanks to technology. Here are 5 of the most efficient quoting software programs on the market today.
Quote Roller
Powered by PandaDoc, Quote Roller is regarded as one of the premier quoting proposal programs on the market right now. Used by over 35,000 companies in more than 100 countries, Quote Roller claims to boost productivity by 35% and close 28% more deals.
Quote Roller showcases features such as ready-made document templates to help set-up proposals in a matter of minutes, auto-calculation of taxes, discounts, price adjustments, margins and totals for error-free quotes. Real-time analytics also allow you to determine when the client is viewing your proposal, as well as the ability to immediately answer any questions the client has while they are accessing the document. An electronic signature feature also helps you close deal.
One of the more expensive options, it sets small businesses back $39 US ($51.36 AU) a month per each individual user. The program integrates simply with others including Harvest, Nimble and Pipedrive.
Easily accessible, it’s available for Mac, PC and both Android and iOS.
Xero Quoting
Used by over 1 million subscribers and boasting a reputation amongst business owners as one of the leading software installations to navigate, Xero’s latest quoting application sticks to their winning simplistic formula.
Xero allows you to create top notch quotes at the touch of a button. Features include tracking of sent quotes, the ability to see when they’ve been viewed by clients as well as constant updates on their statuses. You can just as quickly turn quotes into invoices upon their acceptance.
The standard plan for Xero amounts to $50 AU a month, allowing you access to not only their quoting program but countless other Xero add-ons.
Like Quote Roller, Xero integrates with other programs including Harvest among others, as well as of course linking with all its own add-ons. It is available across all platforms.
Quotient
Organisation is made simple with Quotient which holds a database that allows the user to easily search for any existing quotes in one place.
Quoting data is produced in a detailed yet eye-catching way, packed with information but able to be digested quickly. Users are able to know when to follow up on a quote straight away, with the number of times a quote has been opened and viewed readily available.
Perfect for the small business, Quotient allows customisation of templates to be tailored specifically to the user, allowing for colours to be picked especially for you based on your logo. Running in the cloud means that it works on any browser or platform, supporting Safari, Chrome, Firefox, Mac, Windows, iOS and Android.
Perhaps its most endearing feature, though, is its ability to connect with other programs; Quotient is compatible with Capsule, Mail Chimp, Xero, Insightly, Highrise, QuickBooks and more.
One of the better valued programs, $39 AU a month allows access for 5 users.
Bridge
Tailored towards tradesmen, although equally applicable to freelancers of any craft, Bridge is a no-nonsense application designed for one thing only: to help you get paid quicker and easier.
Taking away the stress of constant organisation, Bridge’s main dashboard does all the sorting for you. Allowing you to see and access all previous and upcoming jobs and their unique details, sending notifications when a quote or invoice is viewed and delivering constant follow-up reminders so you’re always on the ball, Bridge is a fantastic tool for those on the go.
Device crashing is no problem, with all information securely backed up and synced at all times.
Commonly used by individuals as a standalone app, Bridge provides a lengthy free trial period as well as including the first 3 quotes or invoices for free.
Bridge is available across all platforms including the App Store and Play Store for iOS and Android. $24 AU a month gains the solo user unlimited access to all of Bridge’s features.
QuoteCloud
Last but not least on our list comes QuoteCloud. Designed for sales people, by sales people, QuoteCloud aims to make quoting something to look forward to. While rolling quick proposals, constant alerts and guaranteed correct product representation into one neat package, it’s QuoteCloud’s sales forecast feature that sets it apart.
With all your quotes in one easy place, QuoteCloud is able to project an accurate sales forecast based on which month the user thinks the sale will close. Users are also able to send their own terms and conditions with each sent quote, allowing for legal peace of mind and compliance.
While expensive at $110 AU a month for small business users, the plan gives 10 users access to QuoteCloud and its features. Not as portable as its predecessors in this list, QuoteCloud can currently only be used on Mac, PC and tablet.
