Custom Door Manufacturer Cuts Quoting Time by 75%
The Challenge
A 25-employee custom door and window manufacturer was spending 2-3 hours per project creating quotes for custom work. With 20-30 quote requests per week, this meant 40-90 hours of administrative time - more than two full-time employees worth of work.
The owner and lead estimator were burning out. Quotes were delayed, customers went elsewhere, and the team couldn't focus on production.
The Solution
We built an AI-powered quoting tool that:
- Takes door specifications (size, material, hardware, finish)
- Pulls current material costs from suppliers
- Calculates labor based on complexity
- Generates accurate quote in 10-15 minutes
- Includes professional PDF with photos and specs
The Results
"I was skeptical about AI, but this has been a game-changer. We're quoting more jobs faster, and I can actually focus on running the shop instead of sitting at a computer."
Machine Shop Eliminates 10 Hours/Week of Status Meetings
The Challenge
A 15-person machine shop was running 15-20 concurrent projects across CNC machines, lathes, and mills. Tracking job status required:
- Daily production meetings (1 hour)
- Spreadsheets updated manually by each operator
- Whiteboard tracking that was constantly out of date
- Constant "where's my job?" questions from customers
- Missed deadlines because priorities weren't clear
The Solution
We created a simple visual dashboard that:
- Shows all jobs in progress with current status
- Updates automatically when operators mark tasks complete
- Highlights overdue jobs in red
- Displays capacity across all machines
- Sends automated customer updates via text/email
The Results
"Everyone can see what needs to be done without me telling them. Our team is more productive, customers are happier, and I'm not playing traffic cop all day."
Fabricator Cuts Customer Inquiries by 80% with Automated Updates
The Challenge
A structural steel fabricator received 30-50 customer status inquiries per week via phone and email. Each inquiry took 5-10 minutes to look up job status and respond.
This meant 2.5-8 hours per week of interruptions for the office manager and production team. Customers were frustrated by slow responses.
The Solution
We implemented automated customer updates:
- Text/email when job starts production
- Photo updates at key milestones
- Notification when ready for pickup/delivery
- AI chatbot for common questions (hours, pricing, capabilities)
- Link to real-time job status portal
The Results
"Customers love the proactive updates. They feel like we're on top of things, and my phone isn't ringing off the hook anymore."