Identifying the need for a self-service, 24/7 quotation platform has helped position Microkerf as Europe’s most diverse supplier of laser processing and contract services and, a leading digital innovator within the manufacturing industry.
Leicester-based Microkerf has been using the ipLaser instant online quoting solution for over a decade and as a result has experienced significant business growth and improved efficiency.
“We looked at a few different quoting software solutions, but I don’t think there’s anything quite like ipLaser out there,” said David Gattward, Director at Microkerf. “The software is clearly written by experienced people who know the laser cutting job shop industry very well.”
For Microkerf, producing quotes for customers before ipLaser was extremely time consuming and involved many steps. CAD files were loaded into the machine software, nesting was calculated, time and materials had to be determined and finally the information was loaded into an excel spreadsheet which would generate a price. When Microkerf learnt that ipLaser could complete all those steps automatically and create estimates in an instant thus improving response time, they were fascinated – but what fascinated them even more was giving their customers access to an online store front, where quotes could be ordered immediately online.
“We pride ourselves on understanding our customers and their needs. We know that the preference now is for everything to be online and we wanted a solution that allowed our customers to self-serve through an online portal available 24/7, just like the seamless experience of booking an aeroplane ticket through EasyJet.” said David. And that’s exactly the experience Microkerf offer to their many customers who are currently using the self-service portal. Once a price is automatically generated and the customer is happy, the order can be placed online with most jobs being completed and delivered in a matter of days.
“By automating the whole quoting process, we’re responding to customers faster, more accurately and consistently, resulting in an increased win rate,” said David. “Most importantly however, our customers are happy as they are simply able to get on with their job in a timely manner.”
