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Streamlining Service Quote and Ordering Process for Machinery Manufacturers

Large workshops, component rebuild centers, and certified rebuild programs often deal with complex and time-consuming service projects that involve component replacements, reconditioning, and overhauls of heavy machinery. These projects typically require careful planning, precise pricing, and extensive coordination between multiple teams. The process is traditionally slow, involving manual data gathering from various systems such as SAP, Excel, homegrown software, and pricing tools, leading to inefficiencies, errors, and long turnaround times.

The requirement for a solution arises from the need to streamline and automate the quoting, pricing, and ordering process for both small and large reconditioning or overhaul projects. The solution should help these service teams handle the complexities of job segmentation, including parts, labor, and miscellaneous items, and allow for the quick generation of accurate quotes. It should also facilitate part ordering and provide a robust system for managing predefined templates and kits for common service issues, enabling faster and more efficient service delivery.

Requirements

• Fast Quote Turnaround: Reduce the time to generate accurate service quotes.
• Integration of Multiple Tools: Combine SAP, Excel, homegrown software, and pricing software into a single platform.
• Job Segmentation: Ability to break down service jobs into components (parts, labor, miscellaneous) and price them together.
• Automation of Part Ordering: Automatically trigger parts orders based on job requirements.
• Predefined Templates and Kits: Enable sales teams to pull ready-made solutions for common issues, speeding up quote generation.

Process

1. Current Challenges: Service teams manually gather data from different tools (SAP, Excel, etc.) to create quotes, leading to a lengthy process and machine downtime of up to 2 months.
2. Solution Implementation:
   • Developed a unified platform that integrates job segmentation for parts, labor, and miscellaneous services.
   • Enabled real-time pricing and automated part ordering based on the service job requirements.
   • Created predefined templates and kits that could be instantly accessed by the sales team for known product issues.
3. Workflow Optimization:
   • The sales team now accesses pre-structured templates to pull the necessary parts and labor for quick, accurate quotes.
   • The integrated system automatically triggers parts ordering, reducing manual effort and delays.
   • All components (parts, labor, and pricing) are handled within one platform, significantly reducing the chances of errors.

Results

• 95% Reduction in Quote Turnaround Time: The entire process, from quote generation to parts ordering, was completed in a fraction of the previous time.
• Reduced Machine Downtime: The time-consuming approval and quoting process no longer leads to long machine downtimes, improving overall equipment uptime.
• Improved Efficiency: Sales teams can quickly generate quotes for known issues, eliminating unnecessary back-and-forth between teams.
• Higher Customer Satisfaction: Faster response times and streamlined service delivery contribute to improved customer relationships.

A machinery manufacturer reduced the service quote turnaround time by 95% by consolidating their quoting process across multiple tools into one integrated platform. By automating job segmentation, pricing, and part ordering, they minimized downtime and maximized operational efficiency, allowing sales teams to quickly generate accurate quotes using predefined templates.