Bidding Software is Worth it

Being able to capture and upload photos of the client’s site has also been a game changer. These images serve as a comprehensive record, documenting specific conditions that might otherwise be overlooked. Additionally, photos enhance transparency and clarity when communicating with clients. 

“I can say that pictures mean a lot to the customer; to be able to see their facility,” Dunn says. “If we take a picture of a customer’s carpet and they look terrible, we can use that to say ‘the carpets in room three look pretty rough. Can we provide a proposal as part of the recurring proposal to clean those carpets for you?’ Pictures reveal where extra attention is needed.” 

Photos also help management connect with the client and establish rapport. 

“As the owner of the company, I look at every proposal the guys send out, and it allows me to see the customer’s facility from my office,” says Dunn. “I’ll comment on really nice office spaces to prospects by sending a personalized email saying, ‘I just saw the proposal for your facility. It’s beautiful. Congratulations on having such a nice facility for you and your team.’” 

In addition to establishing rapport with prospects and customers, photos facilitate internal communications. Upmalis says that when team members come to him for advice on pricing complex cleaning challenges, the photos help him to better understand the situation. 

“The guys would come to me and try to paint a visual picture of what something looked like,” he says. “Now, when we do a proposal, they have everything put together on a TV screen. I’m looking at square footage. I’m looking at pictures. It’s like I’m in the building with them. It’s much easier for me to put together an accurate package.” 

Personalized Proposals 

Using the bidding assistant software, team members can now generate a finished proposal in minutes instead of hours. Fields are quickly populated in the proposal template with relevant information gathered during the walkthrough. Additionally, the template is customized with the company’s hourly rates and costs per square foot, allowing the user to automatically calculate pricing, thereby improving the accuracy of quotes. 

“When you’re in sales, less than 5 percent of your day should be spent creating the proposal,” says Upmalis. “If it’s more than that, you’re wasting valuable networking time. The way the software is configured, the majority of the proposal is put together with the click of a button.” 

After filling in the scope of work and the charges, the proposal is ready to send to the prospect. The software includes a built-in e-signature feature allowing clients to sign the document remotely. This reduces document signing times and creates a better user experience. 

CNS Cleaning also brands its proposals with documents and messaging that communicate its value, expertise, and personality to prospective clients. With one click, users can attach the company’s brochure to the proposal, add CNS Cleaning’s mission statement, and include reviews of its services. 

“We wanted software that provides the same messaging over and over again, regardless of what was said in the field,” notes Upmalis. “Everything’s uniform, and it gives us peace of mind. That way we can focus on training team members on what they need to do in the field rather than what they need to type up in a report.” 

Once the proposal is accepted, managers can use the data to generate a detailed scope of work for cleaning crews, complete with photos of each room to be serviced. All proposals are saved in the cloud, making them easy to access and change. 

“Before, if we were cleaning a facility on a recurring basis and the customer wanted a proposal to clean their carpets, most of the time we’d have to go back to the facility and measure the carpeted areas,” says Dunn. “Now, that square footage is already captured. We can open the proposal for recurring work, look at all the carpeted areas and give them a proposal focused on carpet cleaning within minutes.” 

Since CMS Cleaning started using BID five years ago, the company has grown from $3 million to more than $10 million in recurring work orders. And although there are many factors contributing to this growth rate, Dunn and Upmalis affirm that it would not have been possible without bidding software. 

“The first thing the client sees from us is the proposal, so it’s one of their first impressions of the company,” says Dunn. “We would not be at the same level as we are today if we’d stuck with our old way of doing things.” 

Kassandra Kania is a freelance writer based in Charlotte, North Carolina, and is a frequent contributor to Contracting Profits.