Quoting software is well worth the investment. But, we may be a little biased…
So, we gathered up all of the feedback we’ve gotten over the years from shops of all sizes. We’ve managed to nail down 8 reasons our CounterGo software is the best thing since robotic mowers. (Did you know that’s a thing?!)
1. Increase Active Bids by 12x
Magic happens when you go from doing things by hand to doing it digitally. Part of that magic, though it may not be as magical as Disney, is the potential to increase your active bids twelve-fold.
Let that sink in for a minute.
What if you could bid 12 times the amount you’re doing right now?
What would that do for your bottom line? Your staff? Your family?
That’s exactly what happened at Great North Granite in Minnesota. Kristian Tharaldson, Operations Manager, explains he and his boss used to bid everything by hand. The desk was cluttered with calculators, rulers, and blueprints, and it was an awesome day if they could crank out 10 bids – together.
When they took the leap of faith and switched to using CounterGo, Tharaldson says they always had about 120 active bids going at a time.
It was a blessing, but also somewhat of a curse because they got so busy their company almost collapsed.
“It was so much work and was so hard to keep up with. Amy, our lead estimator, peaked at 95 bids in one day, and she was averaging 76 bids per day that entire first summer,” he says.
If you don’t have Moraware, you can’t do that.
2. Give a Price to the Customer Almost Instantly
When you’re doing all of your bids and estimates by hand, it takes time. That’s just the nature of the beast. You gather the information you need at the job site, and you take that work back to your office. You finally finish the masterpiece, and when you deliver it to the client, they’ve…
- Gone with a competitor
- Changed their mind
- Decided you’re too old school and unprofessional
- Chose to delay the project
Does any of that sound familiar?
With CounterGo, you can give your customer an accurate quote in just three minutes.
In one of our surveys of over 200 Moraware users, one participant said, “I can give a final price to the customer at the same moment I’m making a measurement.”
That’s powerful stuff right there.
Not only are you not hauling back more work, but you’re potentially getting an answer from your client right then and there. You’re not giving them time to overthink the project or take up a competitor’s offer.
And hey, even if they do want to think about it, you look like an absolute rockstar. Who else in your area can deliver a project estimate in just three minutes?
3. Do Quotes Remotely
One thing COVID-19 taught us is we need to adapt – and fast. Being able to do the majority of your service remotely is critical during a global pandemic, and CounterGo helps make that possible.
To do quotes remotely, just get the dimensions from the client and input that information into CounterGo.
One of our survey participants said the No. 1 reason they love our software is because they can do quotes remotely.
4. Improve Drawing Accuracy
Ever had a really complicated countertop layout? Whether it’s a luxury home an architect went bonkers on or just a funky space with lots of curves and notches, you need to make sure your drawings are accurate. If they’re not, your bid won’t be accurate, and this is already a low-margin business.
Several participants of our survey commented on how awesome the drawing tool is, with one shop owner saying, “It has made drawing the layout easier. I can also get square footage, which is nice.”
Double whammy!
Tharaldson says he’s tried several different software solutions, but CounterGo’s drawing tool is the most accurate of them all.
5. Reduce Stress
There’s so much to stress about in the fabrication industry, from damaged materials, slabs that arrived late, change orders that push back the deadline, and even employee turnover.
Job stress is more commonly related to health conditions than financial or family problems. Stress isn’t just a mental concern – it impacts your entire body. In fact, the Center of Workplace Mental Health tells us excessive stress can lead to:
- Damage to key brain structures and circuitry
- Increased anxiety and chronic depression
- The onset of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- A weaker immune system
- Increased inflammation
And perhaps this stat will resonate with you: “25% [of workers] have felt like screaming or shouting because of job stress.”
That’s no way to live.
There are so many other things to stay on top of and worry about – don’t let quoting be one of them.
Our CounterGo survey participants had a lot to say about their reduced stress, including being able to spend more time with their family, experiencing a better work/life balance, and even enjoying better sleep.
6. Save Time
If you’re spending all your time on bids, you don’t have much time for anything else. What are you giving up right now to make time for doing bids by hand?
Geoffrey Gran, Co-Founder of The Countertop Factory Midwest, the largest fabricator in Illinois, says, “I personally spend 50% of my time building culture in the company and making sure everyone is happy.”
Because of that dedication, he has some of the lowest employee turnover in the industry, and arguably, some of the most loyal staff members.
I want you to ask yourself: what would I be able to do with my time if it were completely free?
One survey participant says, “We are able to utilize the time we would normally have to manually calculate to produce more business!”
Another says, “I don’t have to spend as much time on quotes, which frees up time to work on other areas of the business.”
Yes, CounterGo provides quotes to your customers within minutes – that’s a huge benefit. But freeing up your time to work on other critical parts of your business is equally awesome.
7. Scale Your Business
CounterGo allows you to increase the number of jobs you do without actually hiring anyone else to handle the bids.
Robby at Northern Stone in North Dakota says, “CounterGo is a lifesaver. Over the last year, I’ve been able to grow the company to several jobs per day and haven’t had to hire anyone else to do quotes.”
Without quoting software, you really do need to hire more labor to do the extra work. But with CounterGo, you can increase your output, and at a fraction of the cost of an additional employee.
Now, when you hire more staff members, it’s to work on other projects and scale your business in better ways – not getting dragged down by quoting.
8. Anyone Can Do It
The beauty of CounterGo is it’s very intuitive and easily trainable.
In fact, one of our survey participants said this was their favorite part: “I can have our newer office guys help do quick accurate quotes.”
Tharaldson says, “It’s easy to train someone on it, and once they’re immersed in CounterGo, it’s like the back of your hand.”
Amie Brooks at Stone Creations in Arizona says, “It has allowed me to easily train my sales staff to compile bids.”
Plus, our latest major CounterGo update makes it easier than ever to train new employees, since when you click on a button or link, something clear happens (instead of getting another menu). It’s just like a modern web app that’s easier on the eyes.
Perhaps one of our favorite testimonials comes from one of our surveys: “Moraware is easy to train, yet powerful enough that it takes time to master.”
Preach!
How Much Does CounterGo Cost?
CounterGo, our countertop quoting software, costs $100 per user per month. It runs in all major web browsers (Windows, Mac, iPad, and many other tablets), and there’s no cost of buying or maintaining your own server
With CounterGo, there’s no long-term commitment – it’s a month-to-month subscription you can cancel any time.
Countertop shops routinely rave about how CounterGo is worth the investment. Heck, it can pay for itself if you retain just one customer instead of losing them to a competitor that can quote faster than you.
Visualize how CounterGo can transform the way you do business by scheduling a free demo.
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