1 comment · Jun 24, 2024

How Window Covering Software Helps Small Businesses Compete

InterioApp software for small curtain and blind businesses

Small businesses in the curtain and blind market must find innovative ways to compete with larger players to achieve long-term growth. One crucial component of this strategy is leveraging sales technology, particularly window covering software. Often overlooked in favour of other solutions, this software helps streamline quoting processes and strengthen client relationships. According to a report published by Accenture, 83% of sales professionals use configure, price, quote (CPQ) solutions, demonstrating the importance of such tools.

Use Templates to Deliver Faster Quotes

In the competitive world of window coverings, speed can be the deciding factor in securing a sale. When prospects request quotes from multiple local and online stores (That what 98% of the clients and designers do), the first company to respond often has the advantage. Window covering software allows you to swiftly generate quotes using an e-commerce curtain and blind calculator or an in-house quoting software, ensuring you are always the first to respond.

These tools are made for the prospects to quickly understand the value of your offerings. With just a quick glance, they can assess the impact of your products and services, facilitating faster decision-making.

Customise your quotes in the settings to print simple or detailed information

Efficiently Manage Customised Configurations

Creating personalised quotes for each customer can be a logistical nightmare, especially as modern buyers demand more complex and tailored solutions. Manually managing these configurations increases the risk of errors and consumes valuable time. Window covering software simplifies this process by integrating with your CRM and ERP systems, ensuring you always have the latest product information and pricing.

Interested in seeing a demo of our suggested software? Continue reading for the link to a demo below.

This software allows sales team, decorators or designers to easily adjust configurations, apply automatic discounts, and manage special cases, all within a single platform. By automating these tasks, salespeople can focus on providing a more personalised service, enhancing customer satisfaction.

Interesting Fact: Companies that use quoting software have over a 51% success rate in closing deals during the first meeting with their prospects. This software enables prospects to receive accurate quotes for window coverings, including additional services such as fitting, hardware installation, measuring, and consultation. With the software in hand, you can guide your prospects to the fabrics that meet their needs and immediately provide the total price for the curtains and blinds with their selected fabric.

Present Accurate Quotes and Reduce Bottlenecks

Inaccurate quotes can derail potential deals and create bottlenecks in your sales process. Window covering software ensures that every quote is precise and error-free, demonstrating to your prospects that you pay attention to details. This accuracy helps avoid delays caused by having to redo quotes, allowing your sales team and decorators to focus on selecting fabrics and planning measuring and hardware installation date and time.

When your quotes are correct from the outset, it shows professionalism and builds trust with your clients, fostering long-term relationships.

Tip: Implementing window covering software can reduce quoting errors by up to 19.7%, significantly decreasing the likelihood of deal delays and enhancing overall customer satisfaction.

Choose Software Based on Goals and Value Drivers

The best window covering software automates repetitive tasks, freeing up sales team to focus on activities that add more value. For instance, rather than manually entering window treatment fabric details you can select the fabric from the app's library, enter the ad-ons like trimmings, tie-backs or anything your clients would like to design, directly from the app's settings. Simply select all the extras from the library. Including the contract details, salespeople can use this time to better understand customer needs, and even upsell their clients with bespoke cushion, made from the fabric leftovers.

By automating these processes, the software not only enhances efficiency but also improves the overall customer experience, helping to drive more value from each interaction.

Mathematical Insight: On average, businesses can save approximately 20 hours per week (assuming that business has approx 4-5 quotes weekly) by automating quoting processes. This time can be redirected towards strategic activities, potentially increasing sales by up to 30%.

Streamline Contract Negotiations

Window covering software simplifies the entire quote-to-contract process. It ensures that all necessary fields are populated with the most up-to-date data, facilitating smoother contract creation and execution. The software manages document signatures and approvals, reducing the risk of losing a deal due to oversight or error.

This streamlined process ensures that your sales team can close deals more quickly and with greater accuracy, enhancing overall sales performance.

Reason to Believe: A study by Forrester found that businesses using automated quoting solutions experienced a 28% improvement in quote accuracy, leading to faster deal closures and higher customer satisfaction.

Maximise Deal Size and Cultivate Repeat Buyers

Ultimately, window covering software helps you maximise the value of each deal and build strong, lasting relationships with your customers. By providing accurate, timely quotes and a seamless contract process, you demonstrate your commitment to quality and customer service. This approach not only helps secure larger deals but also encourages repeat business.

In the evolving landscape of B2B eCommerce, such software is becoming essential. According to Gartner, 40% of B2B eCommerce businesses now use some form of CPQ software, a trend that will only continue to grow. Even if your business is not currently engaged in B2B eCommerce, adopting these tools now will prepare you for future opportunities and help you stay ahead of the competition.

Financial Insight: Small businesses can save up to £20,000 annually by reducing manual quoting errors and improving efficiency through automation. On average, a window covering software costs around £2,000/year for small teams. The software cost should represent approximately 15-25% of the extra sales or profit it generates for your business. Is it worth automating processes? Absolutely, especially for small teams. Larger teams can handle more projects, but smaller teams often struggle with delegation. Window covering software not only frees up time for the owner and a small team of 2-3 salespeople but also enhances overall productivity and profitability.

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In conclusion, adopting window covering software is a strategic move for small businesses in the curtain and blind market. It streamlines the quoting process, ensures accuracy, and enhances customer relationships, all of which are crucial for competing with larger players. By leveraging this technology, you can improve efficiency, reduce errors, and ultimately drive more sales, setting your business up for long-term success.

If you found this blog post valuable and would like to learn more about InterioApp Software and our e-commerce calculator for online sales, please fill out the "Request a Demo" form. We will then invite you to a software demonstration meeting. During the demo, we will answer all your questions and develop a strategic plan to integrate the InterioApp quoting software into your business. Additionally, we will identify the ideal plan for your business to start with.

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