Five Star Transportation
From Manual Spreadsheets to Instant Quotes: Automating Complex Pricing
The Challenge
Five Star Transportation, a growing logistics company, was struggling with a manual quoting process that was costing them both time and opportunities. Their sales team spent hours creating custom quotes using complex spreadsheets, juggling multiple variables including vehicle types, routes, seasonal pricing, and special requirements.
Key Pain Points: - Quote generation took 2-4 hours per request - High error rate in manual calculations - Inconsistent pricing across sales team - Lost opportunities due to slow response times - Difficulty tracking quote history and conversion rates
Business Impact: The manual process was limiting their ability to scale. They were losing potential clients to competitors who could provide quotes faster, and their sales team was spending more time on administrative work than actually selling.
Goals and Objectives
Five Star Transportation partnered with us to achieve several critical objectives:
- Speed: Reduce quote generation time from hours to minutes
- Accuracy: Eliminate pricing errors and ensure consistency
- Scalability: Enable the sales team to handle 3x more quote requests
- Insights: Track quoting patterns and conversion metrics
- Professional Image: Deliver polished, branded quotes instantly
The Solution
We developed a custom Configure-Price-Quote (CPQ) system tailored specifically to Five Star Transportation’s complex pricing model. The solution integrated seamlessly with their existing HubSpot CRM and QuickBooks accounting system.
Key Features: - Intelligent Configuration: Guided sales reps through service options with smart dependencies and recommendations - Dynamic Pricing Engine: Automated calculations based on 20+ variables including distance, vehicle type, seasonal demand, and special requirements - Real-Time Quote Generation: Produced professional PDF quotes in under 2 minutes - CRM Integration: Synced all quote data with HubSpot for comprehensive tracking - Accounting Integration: Connected with QuickBooks for seamless invoicing upon quote acceptance
Technical Approach: We built the system using modern web technologies, ensuring it was fast, reliable, and easy to use. The pricing engine incorporated their existing business rules while adding flexibility for future adjustments without requiring code changes.
Implementation Process
Phase 1: Discovery (2 weeks) - Mapped current quoting process and pricing logic - Identified all variables and business rules - Analyzed integration requirements with HubSpot and QuickBooks
Phase 2: Development (6 weeks) - Built core CPQ engine with dynamic pricing - Created intuitive user interface for sales team - Developed PDF quote generation with branded templates - Implemented CRM and accounting integrations
Phase 3: Testing & Refinement (2 weeks) - Conducted user acceptance testing with sales team - Fine-tuned pricing calculations and business rules - Optimized performance and user experience
Phase 4: Training & Launch (1 week) - Trained entire sales team on new system - Provided comprehensive documentation - Set up ongoing support and monitoring
Results and Impact
The transformation was immediate and dramatic:
Time Savings: - Quote generation reduced from 2-4 hours to under 2 minutes (98% reduction) - Sales team saved 15-20 hours per week on administrative tasks - Response time to quote requests improved from same-day to within the hour
Business Growth: - Quote volume increased by 250% in first 3 months - Quote-to-close rate improved by 35% - Revenue increased by 42% in first quarter post-implementation
Accuracy & Consistency: - Pricing errors reduced to near zero - 100% consistency in pricing across all sales reps - Professional, branded quotes every time
Customer Experience: > “The difference is night and day. We can now respond to quote requests during our initial phone call with prospects. What used to take us half a day now takes 2 minutes, and our customers love the professional, detailed quotes they receive instantly.” > > — Sales Director, Five Star Transportation
Long-Term Benefits
Beyond the immediate impact, the CPQ system provided Five Star Transportation with:
- Scalability: Sales team can now handle 3x more clients without additional headcount
- Data Insights: Comprehensive analytics on quoting patterns, win rates, and pricing optimization opportunities
- Competitive Advantage: Fastest quote turnaround time in their market
- Foundation for Growth: System designed to scale as they expand into new service areas
What’s Next
With the success of the CPQ system, Five Star Transportation is now focused on: - Expanding into new geographic markets - Adding customer self-service quoting portal - Implementing predictive analytics for demand forecasting - Exploring additional automation opportunities across their operations
The CPQ system has become a cornerstone of their business operations, enabling growth that would have been impossible with their manual process.
Ready to Transform Your Quoting Process?
If your team is spending hours on manual quotes and losing opportunities to faster competitors, we can help. Our custom CPQ solutions are designed specifically for your business rules and workflows.
Schedule a free consultation to discover how we can automate your quoting process and accelerate your sales cycle.