The offers or proformas you prepare for your customer using Excell or similar applications can cause you trouble. First of all, you may make formula and data errors while preparing such a table. These and similar mistakes can cause minor or major problems between you and your customer, as well as negative or uncertain results in your prospective reporting and tracking opportunities.
Some of the drawbacks of preparing a proposal using Excel are as follows:
Vulnerability to Errors: Excel requires manual data entry and is highly prone to human error. An accidental calculation or cell reference can lead to inaccurate bids.
Tracking Difficulty: If a large number of proposals are created, they can be difficult to manage and track. Version control can create confusion when updates or changes need to be done manually.
Security Risks: Excel files often do not have adequate security measures. Proposals containing sensitive information can fall into the hands of malicious people or be inadvertently sent to the wrong people.
Standardization Difficulty: It can be difficult to ensure consistency in proposals. There may be differences in format, language and content between proposals prepared by different people or departments.
Traceability and Audit: It is difficult to keep track of who made what changes during the proposal process. This can create problems in terms of audit and traceability.
Integration Challenges: Excel is often limited in its ability to integrate with other systems. Automatic data exchange with CRM or ERP systems can be difficult.
For this reason, many companies prefer to use specialized proposal software or solutions integrated with CRM/ERP systems to make the proposal preparation process more reliable and efficient.
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