AUTOMATIVECase study · Custom software
From spreadsheetsto a software product.
A machinery dealer asked us for a better way to quote. We built them an app their sales team uses on a tablet in the yard. It worked so well that it became DigDealer, quoting software other dealers now use too.
- Custom web app
- Works offline
- E-signatures
- Multi-dealer platform
The starting point
Quotes lived in spreadsheets, inboxes and people's heads.
Machines are high-value, built to order and full of options. Getting a quote right meant juggling price lists, exchange rates, margins and phone calls, and getting it out quickly meant cutting corners.
- 01
Price lists everywhere
Manufacturer PDFs and spreadsheets, some in euros, with margins worked out by hand on every quote.
- 02
Discounts by phone call
A salesperson on the yard had to ring the owner before going below list, then wait for an answer.
- 03
Quotes typed up later
The quote got written back at the office, hours or days after the conversation with the customer.
- 04
No single record
What was quoted, to whom and at what price lived in inboxes, folders and people's heads.
What we built
One app, from first question to signed order.
Built around how the dealer actually sells, then refined with the sales team every week until it was the only way they wanted to quote.
- 01
Configure
Build the machine on screen.
Every model and option in one catalogue. Pick the machine, tick the options and the price updates as you go.
- Machine configurator
- Per-model options
- Specs & photos
- 02
Price
Margins protected, automatically.
Cost prices stay hidden from sales staff and every machine has a minimum price. Going below it sends an approval request to the owner's phone.
- Minimum margins
- Hidden cost prices
- Discount approvals
- Euro price lists
- 03
Quote
A branded quote in minutes.
A proper PDF quotation with the dealer's logo, the full specification and lead times, ready before the customer leaves.
- Branded PDFs
- Lead times
- Covering letter
- 04
Sign
Accepted and signed online.
The customer accepts the quote and signs on their phone or on the salesperson's tablet, with a deposit request if needed. Every step is logged.
- E-signatures
- Deposits
- Audit trail
- 05
Follow up
Nothing goes quiet.
Every quote, customer and machine in one place, with reminders so open quotes get chased.
- Quote pipeline
- Customer records
- Reminders
- Analytics
- 06
Anywhere
Works with no signal.
It installs like an app on a tablet or phone and keeps quoting offline, then syncs when it's back in range. Farms and quarries are rarely next to a phone mast.
- Installable app
- Offline quoting
- Phone & tablet
The result
One dealer's app became a product.
Other dealers wanted the same thing, so we rebuilt it as a platform. Each dealer gets its own branded version with its own prices, team and customers, while manufacturer catalogues are shared. It now runs as DigDealer, used by several machinery dealers.
See the product at DigDealer, quoting software for machinery dealers.
How we worked
Small first, then better every week.
- 01
One job first
We started with the quote itself: the slowest, most error-prone part of the sale.
- 02
Into the yard early
A first version went to the sales team within weeks, so real quotes shaped what came next.
- 03
Weekly improvements
Approvals, e-signatures, deposits and offline mode were added as the team asked for them.
- 04
Built to grow
Once it worked for one dealer, we made it work for many, without starting again.
Your business
Running on spreadsheets and phone calls?
Most businesses don't need a product like DigDealer. They need one slow, fiddly job done properly. See how we approach custom software for small businesses, or book a call below and we'll tell you honestly whether it's worth building.
Also
What else we do.
- 01Local SEOTop three on Google Maps for the searches that bring in work.Google Business ProfileTechnical SEOCitationsReviews
- 02WebsitesFast, hand-built sites that rank and turn visitors into enquiries.New websitesService & area pagesHosting & care
- 03Google & Meta AdsPaid campaigns with proper tracking, for when you need calls this week.Google SearchLocal Services AdsFacebook & Instagram
Free call
Tell us what you need built.
A short call about how your business works today and what's slowing you down. We'll tell you honestly whether custom software is worth it, and what a first version could look like.
- 01
How you work now
The spreadsheets, paperwork and tools you use today.
- 02
What's slowing you down
Where time, money or jobs are being lost.
- 03
An honest answer
Whether you need custom software, or something off the shelf will do.
- 04
A first version
What we'd build first, so you're using it within weeks.
Rather email? sam@automative.agency