Products
Advanced Quote Management
AQM enables untethered quoting
The Challenges Organizations Face
Companies that manufacture, sell and/or install complex customizable goods and services also face complex configuration and quoting issues. Multiple product lines and multi-tiered installation phases make it time consuming to develop accurate estimates and produce detailed installation plans and service orders.
Cumbersome spreadsheets, prone to errors and difficult to update, have been the typical way service-centric companies record and cost the many variables involved in meeting the unique needs of their customers, such as product dependancies, technician skill level or RUSH requirements. Equipping sales personnel with limited, outdated or flawed quoting tools can result in under-quoting a project or creating false expectations for customers.
One solution for several complex needs
Single Source Advanced Quote Management (AQM) for Sage MAS 500 ERP allows the company to easily maintain product line changes, new specialized features, related installation and service requirements and appropriate costs. The direct and indirect channel sales can use the rules-based configurator to quickly create estimates and service orders—often in the field while engaged with the customer.
Streamlining processes creates savings
Expediting the quoting and decision-making process also means an expedited quote-to-cash cycle. Because AQM ensures a valid set of product and service costs, the error-free quote and installation/service order flows smoothly through the system. There are no last-minute clarifications or price adjustments that have to be approved by the customer. At the customer’s site, sales representatives and installation/service technicians also benefit from untethered quoting, allowing them to estimate the cost of specialized needs, such as unusual installation issues or unique product requirements.
Because AQM streamlines processes, it improves the entire quoting function, enhancing productivity, accuracy and--most importantly--increasing customer satisfaction.
Features of AQM Model Builder
Estimating, engineering, manufacturing and marketing personnel spend countless hours defining, redefining and maintaining product and pricing information. Single Source AQM significantly reduces this time requirement while also ensuring valid product definition and consistency.
An “indented tree” structure allows users to easily navigate through even the most complex product or service definitions. Standard modeling features, like inheritance and component linking, are automatically synchronized throughout the system, reducing time required to update and disperse complex configuration documents to several departments.
Simplified rules-creation allows for fast authoring, testing and deployment of new engineering, manufacturing or marketing changes. A sophisticated rules-based engine also enables guided feature selection during the order fulfillment process. A sales representative, while engaged with the customer, can easily provide an accurate quote and, upon approval, immediately initiate an order or service request. Not only does this increase customer satisfaction, but it also speeds the quote-to-cash cycle time.
Key AQM features:
•Component-based model configuration.
•Indented tree structure.
•Drag and drop configuration assembly.
•Component linking.
•Component attributes.
•Component properties.
•Scalable rules-based engine.
•Model inheritance.
•Complex configurations.
•Parametric functionality (including algorithms
for dimensional products).
Features of AQM Quote Builder
Single Source AQM shortens the time required to provide customers with quotes and to service orders. Utilizing the rules-based configurator, AQM accesses engineering, manufacturing and marketing infor-mation to build up-to-minute quotes. Synchronized data guarantees untethered consistent and accurate quotes, even on customized products or services.
AQM steps sales personnel through the feature options, only allowing requests to be entered if they match valid technical characteristics or installation parameters. In the case of multi-step installations or multi-unit systems, AQM enables sales representatives to provide a basic quote and then a technician or specialist can collect the critical measurements or data required to complete the quote. As a result, minimal training is required for the sales force and minimal authorization is required by the engineering department.
Key AQM Quote Builder features:
•Guided Configuration.
•Estimate/Order Status.
•Component Sequencing and Details.
•Separate Bill-to/Ship-to.
•Pricing Effectivity.
•Multi-Site Order Processing.
