From Weeks to Minutes: How SwifterOps Streamlined Proposal Creation for a Professional Services Firm

The Challenge

A professional services firm was struggling with a slow and error-prone proposal creation process. Crafting customized proposals for each client took an average of 3 hours, which could seldom be spared, leading to a lengthy 2-week turnaround time. This frustrated potential clients and made the firm seem unprofessional. Our team turned the situation around by automating the process, which now takes only 30 minutes and can be completed the same day it is requested.

Complexity and Procrastination

The firm had a master contract with multiple provisions that had to be added or omitted depending on the type of client, in addition to a large number of fields that needed to be filled out. These tasks were cumbersome and prone to errors. Employees dreaded the time-consuming assignment, often leading to procrastination and further delays. Once employees managed to complete the task, a few problems remained:

• Errors were occasionally made filling out the many fields in the contract.

• Employees didn't always know which clauses to include and which to omit, leading to time-consuming back-and-forth with managers.

• The contract had to be manually reviewed multiple times, and still, errors occasionally made it to the final version.

The SwifterOps Solution: Streamlining with Automation

Since the firm used Google Workspace as their office suite, SwifterOps leveraged the power of the built-in automation platform, Google Apps Script, to create a seamless, automated proposal generation system. Here's how it works:

• Client Details Captured: The process begins with an easy-to-use Google Form. Staff simply enter essential client information, and answer a few questions that determine which clauses must be applied, saving valuable time and ensuring consistency.

• Automated Contract Generation: Upon form submission, a Google Doc containing the pre-populated standard contract with the correct clauses is automatically generated using Google Apps Script. This eliminates manual document creation and reduces formatting errors.

• Project-Specific Details Added: Once the legalese is taken care of, employees open the contract and edit the project scope manually, which is the only part of the contract that varies widely from client to client.

The Results: Efficiency and Client Satisfaction Soar

The impact of SwifterOps' solution was immediate and significant:

• Reduced Process Time by 75%: Proposal creation went from a 3-hour ordeal to a streamlined 30-minute process, freeing up valuable staff time.

• Turnaround Time Cut by 95%: Clients now receive proposals within half a day on average, compared to the previous 2-week wait. This swift response significantly improves client satisfaction and project initiation speed.

• Improved Client and Employee Experience: Timely proposals project professionalism and efficiency, leading to happier clients. Additionally, the simplified process reduces employee stress and fosters a more positive work environment.

• Eliminated Costly Errors: Automation minimizes human error in contract creation, saving time and resources spent on corrections and rework.

Conclusion

By implementing an automated proposal generation system, SwifterOps empowered the firm to significantly improve their client onboarding process. Faster turnaround times, reduced errors, and a more streamlined workflow have resulted in increased client satisfaction and a more efficient, happier workforce.

Ready to Streamline Your Own Processes?

Contract automation is just one of the many projects we have worked on. Check out our case studies for more examples, or contact SwifterOps today and discover how we can help you automate your processes and achieve similar results!