Future Quest Wireless Case Study

Web-based Quotation and Lead Management Software

Future Quest Wireless Inc.

Quotation and Lead Management Web Application

Future Quest specializes exclusively in the design, distribution and support of "WorkForce Solutions", including vehicle tracking systems, fleet management systems and vertical market specific business management and digital dispatch systems.

As a distributor of several different products to numerous vertical markets, Future Quest, like many other businesses, endures countless hours of time spent inefficiently quoting variations of its systems to thousands of prospective buyers. Future Quest has traditionally spent time tailoring Excel spreadsheets for every business that approached them to provide unique quotations specific to each customer. This meant that for every incoming lead, Future Quest was required to manually generate a new quotation based on the customer's requirements (often requiring several e-mails or phone calls), then manually send the quotation to the prospective buyer, and manually track the status of the customer lead over time. Future Quest estimates that it spent approximately 15% of its time performing these tedious processes.

In March, 2008, Future Quest appointed Deversus to perform a complete revamp of its corporate website. Future Quest required a fresh, search engine optimized, clean-coded XHTML and CSS design that would ensure long-term maintainability of its website content and higher rankings in Google. Deversus proposed that Future Quest automate their tedious quotation process by making their solutions available easily, and instantaneously to prospective buyers. Working closely with Future Quest, Deversus customized its proprietary web-based quotation request software to deliver a solution that would eliminate approximately 80% of Future Quest's time spent on generating quotes for its customers.

The impact of the custom online quoting software on Future Quest's business processes were revolutionary. Future Quest can now easily manage its products and services online, with flexible pricing models that make it easy for them to specify quotation templates unique to every solution they offer. Customers are now able to request quotations immediately and can even purchase the solution online via credit card, without having to pick up the phone or wait for a response, making the purchasing process painless.

Technologies Used:

PHP 5
CakePHP
MySQL
XHTML
CSS
AJAX

Project Screenshots

Click an image thumbnail below to enlarge

Custom Website Design

Deversus developed a custom website design for Future Quest to showcase their product line and educate the consumer on its GPS tracking dispatch services.

Product and Service Management

Future Quest is able to easily manage its suppliers, products, and services. Future Quest may choose to set up primary and secondary items; secondary items are associated with primary items and are automatically tied to their primary items at the time of quote generation.

Powerful Pricing Configurations

Powerful pricing configuration options allow Future Quest to price their items using three different models. Fixed per unit, fixed one-time cost, or tiered (variable) per unit pricing.

Flexible Quotation Template Creator

The Quotation Template Creator allows Future Quest to build and tailor its own quotation templates for users to generate quotes from. Future Quest adds a combination of products, services, setup fees, and any other desired items, which then become user-selectable when the user wishes to generate an online quote. This powerful feature allows Future Quest to build an array of diverse quotes based on industry, product line, or any other desired configuration. For example, Future Quest could build a Vehicle Tracking Quotation Template that allows the user to select any combination of GPS tracking devices to build a unique solution of portable and fixed unit devices from various different manufacturers.

Instant Quotation Request Form

Prospective buyers are able to request quotations instantly using the website. The quotations are automatically generated and e-mailed to the client for review.

PDF Integration

Deversus developed a custom component that automatically exports generated quotations to PDF format and e-mails them to prospective clients. Quotation generation happens in real-time; customers are instantly e-mailed the PDF copy with a link to place an order online. Customer information, product and service descriptions, pricing, and terms and conditions are all dynamically built into the PDF document, maintaining the professional look while still allowing Future Quest to reap the benefits of complete automation.

Online Ordering Component

Upon reviewing their quotation, customers may place their order online via the secure Online Ordering Component. Prospective buyers are guaranteed their quoted price for 30 days, regardless of changes in the product or service pricing.

Automatic Shipping and Tax Calculation

Using preset shipping zones and states/provinces, the shipping and tax are automatically calculated at the time the quotations is generated. Shipping is based on weight and shipping zone, allowing flexible and accurate calculation of shipping costs. Individual tax rates may be set for each state/province. For example, a Canadian company may want to charge GST in each Canadian province, but GST and PST in the province of BC, and no tax for US states.

Real-Time Credit Card Processing

Online orders may be placed using the secure, real-time credit card processing component. The component was integrated with the Global Payments Canada/MiraPay payment gateway.

Incoming Leads and Orders

Each generated quotation is tracked as an incoming lead. Once an order is processed, it is simply marked as ordered in the application.