Setting Up Items for Quoting

What It Does

The Quoting Item Setup feature in SignTracker allows users to configure materials, labor rates, and formula items. These components form the backbone of the quoting system, feeding into templates that streamline the creation of accurate, professional customer quotes.

Video: Quoting Items Setup
Help Center Article: Setting Up Items for Quoting 

Why It’s Important

• Efficiency: Automates calculations for quotes, saving time and reducing errors.
• Accuracy: Ensures material, labor, and pricing data are up to date and consistent across all quotes.
• Customization: Enables businesses to tailor quotes to their specific services and costs.

How It Helps

• Simplifies Workflow: Organizes and updates quoting components, ensuring seamless integration with templates.
• Improves Profitability: Allows precise markups for waste, handling, and labor, optimizing cost recovery.
• Enhances Professionalism: Produces accurate and consistent quotes, fostering client trust and satisfaction.

Materials Setup

What It Does

The Materials Setup feature allows users to input and organize material costs, categories, and markups, which feed into quoting templates for accurate pricing.

Why It’s Important

• Cost Management: Tracks and updates material costs efficiently.
• Customization: Allows businesses to adapt pricing to their specific needs and supplier costs.
• Time Savings: Supports bulk imports, minimizing manual entry.

How It Helps

• Streamlines Pricing: Centralizes material data, ensuring uniformity in quotes.
• Reduces Waste Costs: Enables markups for waste and handling, protecting profitability.
• Simplifies Updates: Automatically syncs material cost changes with all relevant templates.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Navigate to the Quoting section under the Setup tab and select "Materials."
2. Review the pre-loaded materials. Click "Hide Pre-populated Items" to remove default options.
3. Import materials via a CSV file, or copy and paste directly from Excel for faster setup.
4. Assign categories (e.g., substrate, vinyl) and set unit prices.
5. Adjust markups to cover waste, handling, or additional profit.

Pro Tip: Request a CSV export of material pricing from suppliers for faster setup and accuracy.

Labor Rates Setup

What It Does

The Labor Rates Setup feature organizes and customizes labor costs to ensure accurate quoting based on shop-specific rates and burdens.

Why It’s Important

• Precision: Accurately reflects labor costs, including overhead and profit margins.
• Customization: Tailors rates to specific job roles and tasks.
• Scalability: Easily imports and updates rates as your business grows.

How It Helps

• Enhances Accuracy: Provides consistent labor pricing across quotes.
• Saves Time: Allows bulk imports or quick adjustments via an intuitive interface.
• Optimizes Pricing: Accounts for labor burden and shop-specific costs.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Go to the Labor Rates section within the Quoting tab.
2. Delete pre-populated labor rates that are irrelevant to your business.
3. Adjust rates to reflect shop costs or import them via CSV for efficiency.
4. Email SignTracker for a "Labor Calculator" tool to determine optimal rates.

Pro Tip: Regularly review labor rates to ensure they align with current costs and market trends.

Formula Items Setup

What It Does

The Formula Items Setup feature defines pricing for products and services, including tiered pricing for volume discounts.

Why It’s Important

• Customization: Enables pricing tailored to specific products and market demands.
• Efficiency: Reduces manual adjustments by pre-setting rates and discounts.
• Scalability: Supports a wide range of product types and pricing structures.

How It Helps

• Streamlines Quotes: Automatically applies pricing tiers based on quantities.
• Reduces Errors: Ensures consistent and accurate pricing across quotes.
• Enhances Client Trust: Presents professional and transparent pricing options.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Navigate to the Formula Items section under Quoting.
2. Review the list of pre-loaded formula items, deleting those that are irrelevant.
3. Add custom items, such as banners or vinyl wraps, and set appropriate pricing.
4. Define volume-based tiered pricing for automated discount adjustments.

Pro Tip: Use formula items to establish consistent pricing for commonly sold products, improving quoting speed and accuracy.

Updating and Maintaining Templates

What It Does

Updating templates ensures that changes to materials, labor, or formula items are automatically reflected in all relevant quotes.

Why It’s Important

• Consistency: Keeps all quotes aligned with the latest cost data.
• Accuracy: Reduces the risk of outdated pricing errors.
• Flexibility: Allows businesses to adapt templates to new products or services.

How It Helps

• Saves Time: Centralized updates eliminate the need to revise individual templates.
• Improves Accuracy: Ensures quotes reflect real-time costs.

Simplifies Management: Provides a single source of truth for quoting data.

 

 

 

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