Your success as a managed services provider (MSP) depends on how well you manage your time. The more time you spend providing services and closing tickets, the more revenue you generate. So, taking time to manually generate quotes – visiting multiple distributor sites for the pricing and warehouse availability information, combing through internal pricing databases, and aligning the quote with internal processes and standards – can eat into the time you could use to deliver billable services.
In addition to saving time, quote management software also solves another problem that plagues MSPs: human error. Automating the quoting process minimizes manual data entry and transcription errors. In addition, quote templates give you control over the look and format of quotes that leave your office. Quotes will be accurate and positively reflect your brand.
Quote management software doesn’t only have value for larger MSP practices. There are just as many, if not more, quote management software benefits to smaller MSPs – these tools take some of the pressure off managers and employees with max+ workloads.
Once you decide to streamline your practice with quote management software, you’ll face the decision of which solution to choose from among the many available on the market. To help you evaluate your options, we invited quote management software vendors to provide information about their products so you can review their features and determine which one is right for you.
The companies that provided information on their products are:
- Accelo: Accelo
- Aspire Technologies Inc.: QuoteWerks
Note: XaaS Journal product comparisons aren’t about rating products or choosing “the best.” And they aren’t paid listings or ratings that some websites publish. Our objective, as always, is to provide MSPs with unbiased resources to help them make the best decisions for their businesses.
We also recognize that each MSP’s business is unique, so different companies may derive the greatest value from various quote management tools. We’ve organized information by features, so comparing and contrasting those most critical to your MSP will be easier.
INTEGRATIONS
Building quote management software for your business processes most efficiently will almost certainly require integration with other business applications, such as professional services automation (PSA), customer relationship management (CRM), and accounting systems. Automatically sharing data with other applications will eliminate the labor hours to find or enter information manually, and it also helps prevent costly errors.
The integrations for these quote management software solutions by vendor include:
Accelo: Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, QuickBooks Online, Xero, Salesforce, HubSpot, MailChimp, Gusto, JIRA, NinjaRMM, N-able, Kaseya, Continuum, Zapier, Stripe, PayPal, and Authorize.net
Note: Accelo also syncs with email to automatically track employee activity and create a centralized record of all client communications.
QuoteWerks:
PSA and CRM integrations: Autotask, ConnectWise PSA, Kaseya BMS, HubSpot, Salesforce.com, Act!, GoldMine, Maximizer, Microsoft Dynamics CRM, Outlook, SugarCRM
Invoicing and accounting software integrations: QuickBooks and Sage 50
Additional integrations: GreatAmerica, ConnectBooster, Stripe, FedEx, UPS, Ingram Micro Payment Solutions, Dell, Amazon Business, TD Synnex, Ingram Micro, D&H, Jenne, Arbitech, and ADI
QuoteWerks also has third-party integrations to additional CRM, PSA, accounting, and ERP solutions that use the QuoteWerks API.
PRICING
As you compare quote management software solutions, you’ll also find that pricing models can vary substantially:
Accelo: Module pricing starts at $24 per user per month, with the option to mix and match any combination of modules to create a customized Accelo platform to support individual business needs. There is a minimum seat size of five users. Bundle pricing is also available for businesses seeking an end-to-end client work management platform.
QuoteWerks: Pricing is based on concurrent users, not named users. For example, if there are five salespeople, but only two people need to create a quote at any given time, only two licenses are required, but all users would have access to QuoteWerks. The licensing is also ala-carte, enabling customers to save money by only paying for the modules they need/want. QuoteWerks also offer traditional on-prem and SaaS-based pricing options. SaaS pricing ranges between $15 (minimum) and $100/ month per concurrent user. QuoteWerks offers monthly and annual pricing with no commitments. QuoteValet is $28/month/per user.
FEATURES
Sales Team Support
The value of using quote management software doesn’t end when the quote is sent to your customer or prospect. These solutions can include automatic upselling and reminders that standardize sales follow-ups.
Accelo: Sales teams can simplify their sales processes with automated notifications and task assignments, custom sales statuses, branded quote templates, and an easy quote-to-project conversion to get clients up and running quickly and error-free. QuoteWerks can be used on your desktop, in a hybrid environment, or a true SaaS workplace.
QuoteWerks: QuoteWerks has built-in comparison features enabling sales reps to compare pricing between vendors (included). The Product Content Subscription provides upsell/cross-sell options that can be included on the quote or used instead of the original items (extra). With QuoteValet, the customer can select different options the sales rep provides (cost). With the QuoteValet Shopping Cart, the sales rep can provide a webpage for one or multiple customers to order various items from (cost).
QuoteWerks also has a built-in template editor with included samples and can perform Word Merging for more complex proposals.
Tracking Customer Activity
Quote management software can also provide new visibility into when customers view or sign quotes.
Accelo: Accelo’s Activity Stream uses seamless email sync to create a
complete, centralized record of all client communications and actions to improve visibility across your business. The platform also offers a client portal to give all clients a secure hub for accepting quotes, checking project progress, paying invoices, and more.
QuoteWerks: QuoteWerks offers QuoteValet for a monthly subscription that notifies users every time a customer views a quote or selects interactive options. A built-in collaboration feature enables communication between the sales rep and the customer on the quote. QuoteValet also facilitates quote acceptance and signing and accepting payments.
Reporting
Accelo: In-depth dashboards and reports offer leadership valuable insights about pipeline value, retainer revenue, and client profitability. The platform’s automated time tracking also provides a clear look at employee utilization across the entire client journey so leaders can make data-driven decisions to improve efficiency.
QuoteWerks: QuoteWerks has built-in reporting capabilities and reporting via QuoteValet and third-party systems, such as BrightGauge and others. Additionally, QuoteValet lets you see the first time a customer views a quote, each additional time as they select different options, sign and accept and provide payment.
What’s New?
We allowed each vendor to highlight the newest features of their products:
Accelo: “We recently opened beta testing for our new Accelo Payments feature, an automated payment service that helps users process payments, manage payment status, and save on processing fees. We’ve also opened beta testing for our new mobile app experience to help users manage their client work on the go. We take feedback from our users seriously and want them to know that we are dedicated to building a platform they want to use.”
QuoteWerks: “QuoteValet Custom URL, Quote Expirations with Time, Data Manager, Purchase Order Status Customer Notifications, Autotask as a Secondary CRM, and more.”
What Makes Each Quote Management Software Solution Stand Out
In addition to providing a list of integrations and quote management software features, we asked vendors to share what makes their products stand out in the marketplace. Here are their responses:
Accelo: “Accelo is a centralized operations hub for your professional services business. From generating quotes, managing internal and external communications, delivering projects, and billing clients, Accelo liberates its users from inefficient administrative tasks with an end-to-end client work management solution.”
QuoteWerks: “With over 30 years of experience in the quoting software space, QuoteWerks has established four main pillars: Price, Functionality, Integrations, and Support. We provide the most flexibility in terms of implementation and pricing, and we have more functionality and experience than any other quoting tool. QuoteWerks also has more integrations and deeper integrations to more solutions than any other solution.
In addition, we offer accelerated implementation, admin training, sales rep training, documentation, videos, user summits, and webinars, and our support is legendary – our team is well-trained, and you can pick up the phone to speak with support without filling out a ticket first.
We also continually improve the solution, adding new integrations and listening to our customers’ feedback, and we add over 150 new features each year.”
FINAL THOUGHTS
While considering which quote management software to integrate into your operations, think through your current quote processes – which aspects need to be improved and how you’ll train key personnel on your new system. Pave the way for smooth user adoption and implementation to put your business on the path to getting the most value from your new application.
XaaS Journal also wants to hear from you. If you want to see additional information in our product comparison or more insights on how to get the greatest ROI from a quote management tool, reach out. We welcome your feedback.
