Keep configuration changes clear between enquiry and quote.
Record what changed, preserve the customer’s original brief and give the next salesperson a clear version to review before preparing a quote.
Identify the current version and preserve the original enquiry brief.
Give the conversation one current reference
An outdoor project often changes after the first enquiry. A customer may revise the footprint, compare a different finish or decide that a side screen matters more than lighting. If those changes sit across a downloaded brief, a telephone note and several messages, the salesperson can struggle to tell which selections should inform the next quote.
Give the project a recognizable reference and identify the version currently under review. Keep the original enquiry readable, with its date and selections, instead of overwriting it. A newer version should say who recorded the change and when. The aim is a shared point of reference that the customer, salesperson and any receiving dealer can recognize without reconstructing the conversation.
Describe the change and its reason
A short difference summary is more useful than two complete briefs with no explanation. Name the fields that changed and show the earlier and revised values with matching units. Record the customer’s reason where it helps the next decision: a deeper dining area, more privacy or a different position in the garden. Separate that reason from an assumption made by the salesperson.
Also distinguish a requested change from an approved specification. A customer can ask for a wider structure before anyone has confirmed that the product or site supports it. Keep that request visible with a review status. Do not remove the question merely because a preview can draw the revised shape, and do not infer approval from an unanswered message.
Review the consequences before revising the figure
A changed selection can affect other choices and the estimate scope. Ask the relevant product or pricing owner to check those consequences before presenting a revised quote. If a screen no longer fits the selected arrangement, explain the affected option and the available next step. The buyer should be able to understand how one request changed the proposal.
Keep estimates and confirmed quotes distinguishable throughout the revision. Record which configuration version the figure describes, when it was prepared and what remains outside its scope. Avoid carrying an old total into a new summary because most of the selections stayed the same. If the team is still reviewing the change, preserve the earlier figure as a reference and label the new status clearly.
Confirm the version at the handover
Before another salesperson or dealer takes over, provide the current brief, a concise change summary and the questions still open. Identify the person responsible for the next review and explain what the customer has already been told. The receiving team should be able to continue from the revised request rather than ask the buyer to repeat the whole project.
Use the next conversation to confirm the relevant changes with the customer. A short readback can catch a mistaken dimension or an accessory recorded as removed when it was only being compared. Agree how the business records that confirmation and retires superseded drafts. Sales Visualizer’s current site produces local drafts and illustrative summaries; shared revision history, dealer transfer and delivered enquiries require a production workflow to be defined and implemented.
Worked example: a deeper footprint and a screen question
A hypothetical pergola enquiry begins with a 4.0 × 3.0 m footprint. During a call, the buyer asks to explore a 4.0 × 3.5 m version and asks whether the original side screen is still an option. Neither the site measurements nor the revised specification has been approved.
- Version 1 remains the dated record of the original enquiry.
- Version 2 records the requested depth change and keeps screen compatibility open.
- The next quote references the reviewed version and states its estimate or quotation status.
Your review list.
- Identify the current version and preserve the original enquiry brief.
- Record changed fields, matching units and the reason for each request.
- Review dependent options and figures before presenting a revised proposal.
- Carry the current brief, open questions and next owner into the handover.
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