Sofon Proposal Organizer

Sofon Proposal Organizer takes care of requirements analysis, product configuration, three dimensional product visualisation (when applicable), calculation of sales prices and margins, calculation of cost, generation of complete multi-level bills of material and routings and the production of all relevant documents including proposals, contracts and any internally required document.

Sofon Proposal Organizer runs securely both online and offline. In the case of offline use, automatic replication takes place between notebook and central server. New quotations, contracts and orders are synchronized and new price lists and changes to product information are updated automatically.

Configuration and calculation takes place by simply answering questions. The questionnaire behaves fully dynamically, which means that only relevant questions are asked and only valid answers are possible. Based on the answers given, all required output is composed immediately in the background. This means that all information needed is available as soon as the last question is answered.

Workflow makes sure all relevant users have an updated to-do list. E-mail alerts are automatically generated to people on the account team (sales, marketing, product management) when action - such as review or approval - is needed. 

Integrated with Microsoft Word, complete and error free quotations and contracts are generated, including accompanying letters, table of contents, product or service documentation, illustrations, investment overviews, ROI analyses, financing arrangements, and general terms & conditions. Sales people no longer deal with copies of outdated documents and no more time is lost in correcting lay-outs or performing risky ‘find and replace’ actions. Document design can be freely modelled upfront so that documents are always compliant with corporate design and policy and are consistently used by everyone in the sales process.

A single quotation is not limited to only one product or one product configuration. It can consist of many different products (for large jobs or projects) and many individual product configuration positions so that the customer or prospect can easily compare and analyze the impact of adding or deleting entire products or product specific features or add-ons. These product positions are always connected so that the whole quotation becomes a complete and single document.

In order to provide sales people and management with the right negotiation details, an internal margin and risk analysis can be produced for every quotation (or configuration position), thus providing the information needed to "win" business while maintaining the highest possible margins.

Document generation: from a to z

Sofon Proposal Organizer not only supports the production of quotations and orders, but also manages any other sales document such as formal proposals, complete contracts, client-specific manuals, governmental compliance paperwork and any other necessary documents.

All documents are saved in a database. Version numbers are kept for all quotations or other documents made. If an adjusted version is produced, it will be saved under its own number, so that documents that go together can be easily accessed consecutively. Version management also makes sure that no changes are made to documents that have already been internally approved and submitted to customers or prospects. Changes can only be made to documents that have not yet been approved and submitted.

Based on company rules and staff roles, a quotation (or any document) is automatically routed to the right people or departments for input, review or approval, depending for example on the product configuration, price level or discount offered. This workflow insures that documents are handled by all relevant staff and that the system generated document is not submitted without the proper internal authorizations.

Combined with this workflow, replication of quotations (or any document) takes place between field sales and the sales office. Quotations that need to be completed, reviewed or approved by the sales office are automatically sent to the right office staff. Accordingly, quotations generated or approved by the sales office are automatically sent to the right field sales staff. 

Integration prevents from duplicate work or human failure. Sofon Proposal Organizer can be accessed from CRM utilizing all relevant CRM data. Once an order is in, Sofon can forward the order to the ERP-system. In the ERP-system the order, the order lines and the Bills of Materials can be added automatically. Sofon can also be started from the ERP-system (for instance when entering an order), making use of the available ERP data required for the configuration of an order or order line.

Sofon can also serve as a standalone application until an order is completed and ready to be processed within the ERP system. At that moment all relevant order details are automatically completed in the ERP system. 

Sofon Proposal Organizer provides quotation management tools by generating reports and follow-ups on screen or on paper. Users can manage data via easy to use filters so that only relevant quotes or other data are shown.Sofon can also serve as a standalone application until an order is completed and ready to be processed within the ERP system. At that moment all relevant order details are automatically completed in the ERP system.