A coach with its lights on at dusk in front of mountainsVehicle hire group · Quote engine

The problem

This group runs several coach operators with a combined fleet in the hundreds. Between them the sales desks prepare hundreds of quotes a day, each by hand. A salesperson reads the email, puts the journey into Google Maps, prices it from a spreadsheet or from memory, writes the reply, then keys the same details into the booking system a second time. A simple quote takes about 10 minutes.

Reply times run from an hour at the best desks to days at the busiest. Nobody works weekends, so a reservationist can return on a Monday to a weekend’s worth of unread enquiries. Once a quote goes out, 96% are never followed up.

How it works

Software turns an enquiry into a priced quote ready for review. It reads every enquiry across the brand inboxes, extracts the pickup, destination, dates and passenger count, and works out mileage including the empty miles to and from the depot. It prices the job from the operator’s own cost model and season calendar, then drafts the branded reply and PDF. A salesperson approves it. The system logs the quote, follows it up until it is won, lost or expired, and records why it was lost.

  • Enquiries from every brand inbox in one queue
  • Journey details extracted and mileage calculated, including dead miles
  • Price built from vehicle day cost, cost per mile, driver hours and season margin
  • Branded reply and PDF drafted; a salesperson approves before it sends
  • Automatic follow-up until won, lost or expired
Quote engine · review
Enquiry · extracted details

Hi, we need a 49-seat coach for 45 people from Reading RG1 to Brighton BN1 on Sat 14 March, leaving 8am and back by 7pm. Please quote.

Drafted reply

Thanks Priya. A 49-seat executive coach for 14 March, Reading to Brighton and return, is £1,190 including driver and tolls. Quote attached; valid 14 days.

Price build-up · Reading depot cost model
Vehicle day, 49-seat£320
142 miles incl. 18 dead miles£412
Driver, 11 hours£198
Season margin, amber band£260
Quote£1,190 · 22% margin
Approve and sendEdit pricePriced in 38 s
Concept: The review screen. The enquiry with every extracted detail marked, the price build-up from the operator’s cost model, and the drafted reply. Sample data.

The results

£>0.5Ma year, conservative case
Secondsto draft a quote that took 10 minutes
100%of quotes followed up
  • Every enquiry is priced the same way from the operator’s own cost model, whichever desk it lands on.
  • Quotes go out in minutes at any hour, including the weekend enquiries that waited until Monday.
  • Every open quote is chased and every lost quote records a reason.
  • Managers see margin by job, brand, customer and season for the first time.