Introduction
Welcome to the exciting world of Empress, where we’re making business management easier and more efficient. Today, we’re going to talk about a feature that’s crucial to sales and customer relations: Quotations.
A Quotation is an estimate of the costs for products or services that your business offers to prospective or existing customers. It’s a key part of the sales process, often setting the stage for negotiations and agreements.
Why Quotations Matter
Quotations are more than just numbers on a page. They represent your business’s commitment to delivering quality products or services at a specific price. They help:
- Set clear expectations with your customers
- Establish the scope of the work or products involved
- Detail the costs and additional charges
- Set the timeline for delivery
Getting Started
Before you can create a Quotation, ensure you have the following set up in Empress:
- Customer: The business or individual you’re selling to
- Lead: A potential customer you’re hoping to convert
- Item: The product or service you’re selling
Step-by-Step: Creating a Quotation
- Navigate to the Quotation list and click on ‘New’.
- In the ‘Quotation To’ field, select if the quotation is for a ‘Customer’ or a ‘Lead’.
- Enter the name of the Customer or Lead.
- Enter a ‘Valid till’ date. This is the date until which your quotation will be valid.
- Select the Order Type. This could be Sales, Maintenance, or Shopping Cart.
- Add the Items and their quantities. Empress will automatically fetch the prices from your Item Price list.
- Add any additional taxes and charges as needed.
- Click ‘Save’.
Quotation Features
A quotation in Empress includes several components that help you communicate clearly with your customers:
- Address and Contact: Here you can include the billing address, shipping address, contact person, and territory of the customer.
- Currency and Price List: Set the currency for the quotation and select a Pricing List to fetch item prices from.
- Items Table: This section includes the Item Code, quantity, rate, and other details. You also have the option to add discounts or mark-ups.
- Taxes and Charges: Add applicable taxes by selecting a template or manually adding the charges.
- Additional Discount: You can apply a discount to the entire quotation.
- Payment Terms: Specify the payment terms for this transaction.
- Terms and Conditions: Add any specific terms and conditions that apply to the deal.
- Print Settings: Empress allows you to print your quotation on your company’s letterhead and select a Print Heading.
- More Information: You can link related information like Sales campaigns, Lead Sources, or Supplier Quotations.
Finalizing the Quotation
Click on ‘Save’ to save a draft of the quotation. When you’re ready to finalize it, click ‘Submit’. This permanently records the quotation in Empress. After submitting, you can create a Sales Order or a Subscription from the Quotation using the ‘Create’ button. If the quotation is not successful, you can set it as ‘Lost’.
Conclusion
Quotations are a powerful tool in Empress, helping you manage your sales process effectively. By using this feature, you can clearly communicate your offerings to customers, manage your pricing strategies, and track your sales progress. As always, if you need more assistance, don’t hesitate to explore our other guides or contact the support team. Happy selling!