Quoters was initially conceived as an internal tool for creating quotes for companies within the group. Shortly after, we redefined the concept to create a SaaS that could be used by anyone needing to send proposals to their clients.
Challenge or Need
The primary need of Quoters users is to create well-crafted quotes quickly and reuse as much content as possible. To meet this need, our main challenge was to create a comprehensive text editor with the ability to embed price tables, content from other sources, and more.
Another significant challenge was supporting proposals in two completely different formats: PDF and digital. Generating high-quality PDFs that faithfully replicate the digital design while accommodating the constraints of print was quite complex and required extensive testing.
Proposed Solution
Back in 2015 when we started Quoters, new web technologies were emerging. AngularJS was the leading framework for building modern web applications, so we chose it for Quoters. Our proposal was to create a web application in single-page app (SPA) mode that could be used in any browser. For the backend system, we decided to use Node.js with Express.js and the MongoDB database. We wanted to use the same programming language for both the frontend and backend and utilize a fast, document-oriented database.
Project Objectives
The objective was to create a tool for faster and more cost-effective online quoting. To generate unique proposals for your clients, reuse content, and manage your costs to save time and money.
Technologies Used
Methodology and Approach
As the Quoters team grew over time, we had different ways of working during the active development years of the project. Initially, developers made the key product decisions on what to develop and what might be needed. The process was very agile. A feature or change was defined and implemented. Later on, the design, business, marketing, and other teams joined. At that point, each proposal was analyzed by different departments, and necessary changes were made. A release was prepared (coordinating design, development, and communication efforts), and a new version was launched.
Results and Benefits
We can be proud of creating a project with over 10k users worldwide. Thanks to this success, Quoters was acquired by GetBusy Group in 2021.
Currently, we are still part of the team, assisting with the integration of Quoters into one of their software products, SmartVault, and developing new features for the product.
Learned Lessons
- Don't take anything for granted.
- Don't wait for something to be perfect; in our experience, most of the time, users are okay with an interim solution.
- Evaluate the need for development time on non-critical features. We have learned that a lot of time can be spent on developing features that are simply nice-to-have.
- Keep the software up to date with the latest technological advancements and free of unnecessary dependencies that could weigh it down. This way, you can extend the product lifecycle.
- Prepare for the long term; penetrating the market takes time and is a marathon, not a sprint.
Conclusions
Creating Quoters has been one of the most rewarding and, at the same time, most challenging and frustrating experiences we have had in the professional field. During our journey, we saw many products that were born with us but have since disappeared. Surviving in the long term in product development can be considered a triumph.
