Wichita Clutch Speeds-Up Sales Wins by
Shifting to the Internet

Wichita Clutch knew they could sell more grinding mill clutches at a quicker pace if they could get quotations into buyers' hands more rapidly. Once a grinding mill clutch is quoted, the buying decision is made very quickly. However, Wichita's grinding mill clutches are customized to meet very precise end-user specifications. Ensuring that the customer understands the proper configuration often requires considerable back-and-forth conversation.

This manual process required that Wichita staff prepare, review and approve each quotation, creating unnecessary delays between the sales call and approval-and-delivery of the final quotation. Wichita knew these delays could put them at risk to lose sales orders that they otherwise could win. Simultaneously, Wichita management observed just how fast b2b buyers were migrating to the Internet and using it as a rapid-response product acquisition tool. This gave Wichita added incentive to offer an interactive, Web-based quotation system to speed-up generation and delivery of customized quotations to meet customer demand.

Working with i-MARK, Wichita built an interactive self-service application that intuitively guides customers to configure the proper clutch for their needs. End users can now configure complex clutch assemblies with ease using Wichita's interactive online clutch configurator. While the clutch is being configured, the application is simultaneously preparing and delivering an accurate, real time quotation right from their website.

Today, Wichita Clutch generates most of their quotes online, delighting customers who are pleased to have a real-time self-service quotation tool at their disposal. The new configure-to-quote system has received positive feedback from both existing and new customers and has reinforced Wichita's strong brand image in the marketplace. Wichita has also reduced quotation preparation costs and inevitable human errors, and they put marketing support resources to more productive use - all of which helped Wichita Clutch more profitably grow the top line.

Wichita Clutch's Get It Online Difference:

It's not often that by automating one simple process, so many benefits can be derived as was the case for Wichita Clutch. They:
1. strengthened their leadership position by winning     more RFQs;
2. increased sales-order volume and profitability;
3. cut costs by reducing errors and reallocating     valuable support resources; and
4. increased brand exposure, reputation and image.

Finally, clutch buyers using effective online self-service quotation tools like those offered by Wichita Clutch become extremely loyal, and revisit their website more often for grinding clutch solutions.

Wichita Clutch is a division of Altra Industrial Motion, Inc., based in Quincy, MA.