What to look for in quoting software

Quoting is where a sale is won and where the margin is set. Good quoting software makes quotes faster, more consistent and more profitable. Poor quoting software is a spreadsheet with a login. Here is what to check.

1. It uses your own catalogue

You should be able to load your products, labour rates and supplier costs, and update them in bulk. If changing a price means editing every template, quotes will go out at old prices.

2. It shows margin, not just price

The person writing the quote should see cost, sell price and margin on each line and on the total, including what a discount does to the result.

3. It matches how your industry prices work

A solar quote and a plumbing quote are built differently. Look for software that handles your structure: labour categories, materials, equipment, fees and any industry-specific items.

4. Templates for the work you repeat

Most businesses quote the same dozen jobs again and again. Templates turn a blank page into a few adjustments.

5. The customer receives something clear

A quote should become a proposal that explains scope, inclusions and terms, and that the customer can accept without printing anything.

6. You can see what happens after it is sent

Sent, viewed, accepted, declined, expired. Without status, follow-up is guesswork.

7. The accepted quote goes somewhere

This is the one most often missed. When a quote is accepted, the scope and costs should flow into the job and into job costing. If someone has to retype the quote into another system, errors and delays follow.

A note on pricing models

Some quoting tools charge by the number of quotes you send. That penalises exactly the behaviour you want from a sales team. Look for pricing based on users and features instead.

Toolbase quoting is built around these points, with no limit on quotes. You can see how it is priced on the pricing page.