ROI & Methodology
This page explains how we think about the return on investment (ROI) for Quotestack and how we arrive at the “average annual benefit per subscriber” figures mentioned on the pricing page.
Our goal is simple: to show, in a transparent way, how time saved, extra jobs won, and better pricing discipline can more than cover the subscription cost, even on conservative assumptions.
What we measure
We look at three main drivers of value:
1. Time saved on quoting and sales admin
2. Extra revenue from responding faster and following up consistently
3. Extra profit from more consistent, disciplined pricing
Each of these is based on simple, realistic assumptions that most air conditioning and HVAC businesses will recognise.
Key assumptions
To keep everything understandable and comparable, we use the following standard assumptions:
– Time per manual quote: around 45 minutes
This includes sizing, choosing equipment, looking up prices, preparing the PDF or email, and logging the quote.
– Value of time: £45 per hour
This is a blended estimate for an experienced engineer or owner’s time.
– Implied cost per quote: about £33.75
0.75 hours x £45 per hour ≈ £33.75 of time for each manually prepared quote.
– Average profit per completed job: £800
This is a rounded, conservative profit figure after materials and labour, for a typical install.
– Monthly quote volumes
Starter: around 15 quotes per month
Pro: around 40 quotes per month
Business: around 100 quotes per month
Enterprise: 250 or more quotes per month
These are typical patterns we see in the market and are meant to be indicative, not exact for every business.
1. Time saved on quoting
First, we calculate how much time is currently spent preparing quotes manually, and
what that time is worth.
Example: Pro plan scenario
– 40 quotes per month
– 0.75 hours per quote
– 40 x 0.75 = 30 hours per month
– 30 hours x £45 per hour = £1,350 per month in time spent on quoting
If Quotestack removes most of that manual work (by sizing, selecting equipment,
and costing automatically), a large portion of those 30 hours can be reclaimed and
redirected into higher-value activity: more jobs, more surveys, more leads contacted,
or simply less evening and weekend admin.
To annualise this:
– 30 hours per month x 12 = 360 hours per year
– 360 hours x £45 = £16,200 per year of quoting time
We then compare this to the subscription cost:
– Pro subscription: £299 per month
– £299 x 12 = £3,588 per year
Even looking only at time saved, before any uplift in sales or margin, the saved time can be worth several times the annual subscription.
We run similar calculations for Starter, Business and Enterprise using their typical quote volumes.
2. Extra jobs won from faster responses and better follow-up
Time saved is only part of the story. Quotestack also helps win more of the quotes you already send by:
– Responding faster with professional, accurate quotes
– Following up systematically by email and SMS
– Making it easy for customers to book site surveys online
Many businesses lose work simply because they respond slowly, forget to follow up, or do so inconsistently. Quotestack addresses this by:
– Turning website enquiries into ready-to-send quotes in minutes instead of hours or days
– Automatically sending pre-survey and post-survey sequences
– Allowing customers to book a survey directly from those messages
To model this, we make a modest assumption: that conversion rate improves by a small but realistic margin once you quote quickly and follow up consistently.
Example: Pro plan scenario
Assume:
– 40 quotes per month
– Baseline win rate: 25% (10 jobs per month)
– Average profit per job: £800
If Quotestack’s speed and automation help lift this to 35%:
– 35% x 40 = 14 jobs per month
– That is 4 additional jobs per month
– 4 x £800 = £3,200 additional profit per month
Annualised:
– £3,200 x 12 = £38,400 additional profit per year
We do not claim this exact uplift will happen for every business, but it illustrates how even a modest improvement in conversion quickly eclipses the subscription cost. For smaller and larger tiers, we adjust the number of quotes and likely uplift, but the pattern is similar: a few extra jobs per month have a large impact on yearly profit.
3. Extra profit from more consistent pricing
Most contractors know the feeling of underpricing a job:
– Forgetting to include parking or congestion charges
– Underestimating labour days
– Forgetting electrical work or access costs
– Applying inconsistent margins under time pressure
Quotestack brings structure and consistency to pricing by:
– Applying your day rate and labour assumptions the same way every time
– Using fixed and toggleable costs for common extras (parking, electrician, materials, warranty, contingency)
– Ensuring that margins on equipment and materials are applied systematically, not guessed
To model this, we assume a modest average improvement in profit per job from better discipline. For example:
– £100 additional profit per job due to more accurate and complete pricing
– 10 jobs per month
That alone adds:
– £100 x 10 = £1,000 extra profit per month
– £1,000 x 12 = £12,000 extra profit per year
In reality, this number will vary by business, but even small improvements per job add up quickly over a year.
Putting it together
When we talk about “average annual benefit per subscriber” on the pricing page, we are combining:
– Time savings from reduced quoting overhead
– Extra profit from a modest increase in conversion
– Extra profit from more consistent pricing and fewer underpriced jobs
We deliberately keep our assumptions conservative and simple so they are easy for you to adjust to your own situation.
For example, for a Pro customer:
– Time savings alone might be worth around £16,000 per year
– A few extra jobs per month might add £30,000–£40,000 per year
– Better price discipline could add several thousand more per year
Against an annual subscription of £3,588, the combined effect often reaches tens of thousands of pounds in net benefit.
We then simplify this into rounded ranges on the pricing page, such as:
– Starter: typically £10,000+ per year
– Pro: typically £30,000–£50,000+ per year
– Business: typically £50,000–£100,000+ per year
– Enterprise: often six-figure gains across a large network
These are indicative ranges, not guarantees. They are intended to show that, under reasonable assumptions, Quotestack is designed to deliver a clear, positive return for most serious HVAC businesses.
How to adapt this to your own business
Every business is different. To estimate your own ROI, you can:
1. Count how many quotes you do per month
2. Estimate how long each quote currently takes end to end
3. Put a realistic value on your time (or your team’s time)
4. Estimate your average profit per job
5. Consider how many extra jobs per month you could realistically win with faster responses and better follow-up
6. Consider how much extra profit you could gain by pricing more consistently
If you share rough numbers with us during a demo, we can walk through this calculation using your actual figures and show you what Quotestack might mean for your business over the next 12 months.
