Case Study

Business Process, Software Development

Zoho

Automating Quoting and Approvals for SMSI through Zoho

Springfield Mechanical Services, Inc. (SMSI), is a family-owned company specializing in providing turn-key mechanical and facility solutions for commercial and industrial clients. SMSI approached KDG with a need to overhaul its outdated quoting system. Previously dependent on a costly and labor-intensive platform, the organization required a faster, more flexible solution to streamline quote generation, approval workflows, and customer sign-off. With the help of KDG, SMSI implemented a customized process leveraging Zoho Creator, Zoho CRM, Zoho Writer, Zoho WorkDrive, and Zoho Sign—all built and deployed within weeks.

Zoho CRM-Centered Workflow

SMSI's CRM became the control center for all quoting activity. Team members can create, track, and manage quotes without leaving Zoho CRM. 

Dynamic Approval Automation

Zoho Writer was integrated to enable custom content fields in which managers can tailor each quote’s content as needed.

Customized Quote Editors

Zoho Writer was integrated to enable custom content fields like “Included/Excluded Items” and “Terms & Conditions.”

SMSI's Transformation

SMSI partnered with KDG to develop a fully automated quoting workflow centered around Zoho. The goal was to eliminate manual entry, simplify multi-stage approvals, and allow for client-ready quote generation within a single ecosystem. 

Problem Statement and Key Challenges

  • SMSI’s existing quoting platform cost the company approximately $20,000 annually and required team members to manually input quote data, route approvals, and generate documents. The platform lacked scalability and presented serious efficiency bottlenecks, especially for high-value contracts that required executive sign-off. There was no centralized system for version control or automated formatting.

  • As SMSI neared the renewal deadline for the legacy software, they needed an alternative that could be developed quickly and tailored to their complex approval process.

KDG has been essential to helping SMSI scale digitally. From sales to support, project management to billing, they have been able to leverage Zoho and other cloud platforms to help us boost productivity across the entire company. I have yet to throw them a curveball they could not solve for us across a wide array of services.

Brad Fisher
Quotation mark icon

Solutions

Zoho CRM-Centered Workflow

The CRM became the control center for all quoting activity. Team members can create, track, and manage quotes without leaving Zoho CRM. 

Dynamic Approval Automation

KDG designed a custom approval process through Zoho CRM with up to three levels of sign-off—sender, department manager, and executive—triggered based on the quote's value. The system then dynamically routes approvals depending on the department and predefined thresholds. 

Customized Quote Editors

Zoho Writer was integrated to enable custom content fields like “Included/Excluded Items” and “Terms & Conditions.” Managers can tailor each quote’s content as needed, and fallback templates ensure consistency when fields are left blank.

Branded PDF Generation

Once finalized, a clean, styled PDF is automatically generated and stored in Zoho WorkDrive. The PDF includes client information, pricing breakdowns, and signature fields. 

Seamless Zoho Sign Integration

The system sends the finalized quote via Zoho Sign for client approval. Signed documents are automatically fed back into CRM, creating a closed loop with full traceability. 

Exploring Key Features in Action

Integrated Quote Editors for customizable terms and product details.

Integrated Quote Editors for customizable terms and product details. 

A digital document titled

Automatic PDF Creation and WorkDrive file management help streamline quoting process significantly by reducing manual work.

Zoho Sign Support with CRM status tracking.

Progress bar shows how far along customers are in the quote approval process.

Fully CRM-Driven Workflow—users never leave the Zoho ecosystem. 

Fully CRM-driven workflows mean that users never have to leave CRM to complete tasks.

Results

The new system has brought immediate benefits: 

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Cost Saving

KDG's collaboration with SMSI allowed for the organization to save thousands of dollars, which otherwise would have been spent on their old service.

Time Saving

92% of quotes generated required no manual intervention.  

Customization and Accuracy Boost

Increased quote customization and accuracy with automated templates. 

Simple Approval

Simplified the client experience with digital sign-off and faster approvals. 

Improved Visablility

Improved visibility into quote status via CRM-integrated workflows. 

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