Damian Carey and Greg Bailey came up with the idea to start Quotimation in the time-honoured Aussie tradition – over a beer and a barbecue.
You might think that given the number of insurance quoting systems available in such a small arena that they had drunk a lot more than the one can. However Carey is a professional software engineer with a blue chip background and has developed software for the air traffic control and defence industries and Bailey is a smash shop owner with 30 years experience in the trade. They are convinced that their Quotimation quoting and shop management program is better than any system on the market.
Carey said: “We are using new technology married to new ideas. We know how to build software differently. The main selling point of our system is the deceptive simplicity of the product. The user isn't bombarded with fields of columns to trawl through. Most systems out there just have too much information on the screen.”
Carey says that the information sits behind the pages in Quotimation and that the system is built around how a bodyshop works.
“People are constantly interrupted and have to look up jobs on the system. With ours, it's easy to find a job fast with a name, model, postcode or even just part of a VIN.”
The system also has inbuilt smart alerts which ask if you really want to send the quote without, for instance, the tow fee. It identifies what you might have forgotten to ensure the business doesn't miss out on revenue.
The beer and the barbecue happened six years ago. Over those six years the pair have been honing the program to ensure it is bug-free and easy to use or as Carey said :“moving it into a sweet spot” .
Their first customer came on board in 2009 and the product has been on general release for the last six months. The company has been running its system in parallel with customers' existing system so that they can get comfortable with how Quotimation works before making the switch.
“Once people learn the system they find it much easier and quicker than the system they used before,” Bailey said.
Australian-based, friendly customer service and reasonable rates are two more of Quotimation's key selling points, say Carey and Bailey.
More details in the next issue of Paint and Panel magazine. More information on Quotimation on: 02 8003 4016.