This case study was originally posted on the Bravo Business Media website.

SPEX Builder enables Rubenstein Supply to create attractive quotes that wow its customers

Background

During the past 74 years, Rubenstein Supply has grown to become a leading wholesale distributor of plumbing and HVAC products in San Francisco’s Bay Area. In 2015, the company opened a new, state-of-the-art showroom that gives contractors and other high-end residential customers the ability to touch and feel some of the most unique products available on the market today. What the showroom lacked, however, was a
strong quoting system.

“Our old quoting system did nothing more than create a data sheet, and it took as many as four hours to put it together,” said Heath Vaught, Showroom Manager at Rubenstein Supply.

Challenges

Providing customers with a quote package that lists only model numbers and general descriptions is problematic in a couple of ways. As an example, a customer could misinterpret the quote and order the wrong item, causing the company to take a loss. However, the most common problem was errors, such as not putting all of the necessary parts in the quote.

“Think of a quote like an engine,” said Heath. “If you’re missing just one part, like a simple spark plug, the engine won’t run properly. If you are missing a part of a plumbing system, you’re going to have a big problem on your hands.”

To create attractive and effective quote presentations, Heath needed a platform that could refresh the company’s quoting system. After years of frustration, Rubenstein Supply turned to Bravo Business Media.

Solutions

Bravo Business Media offers a range of services designed specifically for companies like Rubenstein Supply. Of those services, Heath selected SPEX Builder, the industry’s most complete and easy-to-use product selection and presentation tool.

“With SPEX Builder, we can provide our customers with a quote that is not only accurate but also visually appealing,” said Heath.

The platform is also easy to use for all of Rubenstein Supply’s needs. “All we have to do is click a few buttons, and we have the quote we need, complete with photos of the parts the customer ordered,” said Heath.

Another thing that attracted Heath to SPEX Builder was that it gave him the ability to create customized quotes. He can give one customer a complete presentation with beautiful pictures of the ordered item. Then, for the next customer, he can provide a data sheet of specifications and instructions for installation.

Results

Faster Quoting
No longer is Heath’s team spending three to four hours a week just creating just one data sheet. Now they can use SPEX Builder to create a beautiful presentation in just a fraction of the time.

Higher Customer Satisfaction
“The feedback from customers has been wonderful,” said Heath. “They don’t have to spend time doing research to make sure they’re ordering the right things—SPEX Builder handles all of that.”

Competitive Advantage
“SPEX Builder definitely gives us an advantage over the showrooms that don’t use it,” said Heath. “Being able to show customers a picture of what they are buying is a game changer.”