Automating the quoting and contracting process with the Microsoft Power Platform helps reduce manual work and risks, and saves time.
There are usually several different steps and people in the sales quoting and contracting process. These employees typically spend time exchanging information via email and processing information retrieved from multiple systems to make just one quotation. There are numerous manual tasks at different stages of such a process.
The solution, which utilizes document management automation, enables you to quickly make a quote and related documentation through a simple interface, for example in Microsoft Teams, as a web page, or as a mobile application.
Streamline the quoting and contracting process with automation
The user enters the required information in the fields or makes selections from the drop-down menus. The interface of the solution is connected to a data warehouse, where the existing customer lists and price lists of products and services are located.
At the quoting stage, it is also possible to enter other necessary information that is not automatically retrieved from anywhere. These may include, for example, the price offered, if different from the list price, and additional information related to the offer.
Depending on the organization’s process, i.e. if there is an approval chain in place at the quoting stage, the quote can either be saved as a draft or sent for review.
The person to whom the review request was sent will be notified of an acceptable quote via Teams Approvals application. In connection with the announcement, there is a link to the quotation document created by the application in SharePoint.
In addition to the document, the SharePoint list immediately displays metadata automatically generated by the application for the offered product or service.
The document contains all the information originally entered by the user, as well as the name and title of the creator of the quotation.
After approval by the person in charge of the review, the solution updates the metadata and database to the status of the offer having been reviewed.
After the customer has accepted the offer, the process moves to the next stage of creating a sales contract using the information in the offer. In the contract process, automation works on the same principle, so that the contract with its documents, approval chains, and status updates automatically proceeds based on the actions taken by the users.
The quotation will be updated in the list on the app’s General channel on Teams. The color-coded process status codes in the list make it easier to get an overview of the stages of different offers or contracts.
Cost-effective application development for process digitization
The application, which facilitates the sales quotation and contract process, can be conveniently integrated into a variety of data sources, such as an organization’s ERP or CRM systems. In this case, existing data, such as product categories and product information with prices, can be utilized in the application.
The Microsoft Power Platform provides the tools to develop a user-friendly automation solution cost-effectively and quickly. The interface created with Power Apps with its data fields and buttons makes quote creation effortless for the app user.
Workflows implemented with Power Automate automatically create documents, store them with metadata in the right place, and take care of the approval process.
The document archive for automatically created documents is in SharePoint, which can also be implemented with various solutions for visualization. For example, it is possible to present information visually using traffic lights.
Read more about automation applications that our customers take advantage of in their operations:
- A digital leap of sales supported by Microsoft Power Apps
- Power Platform at the heart of digitalization and remote work
- Digital tools and unified practices support the digital leap required for remote and hybrid work
- Microsoft Power Platform enables agile application development for HR
Jere Palanne
CTO
