When a software company quickly grew its customer base from 0 to 2,000, they knew they needed to start formalizing internal processes and enhancing data security—which is why they focused their attention on the RFP process.
The cloud-based content management system they had been using to store RFP-related content couldn’t guarantee the security of sensitive information. They needed a solution that both met their security requirements, but also had the features and functionalities to bring their RFP process to the next level.
It was then that they began their journey to improve data security and revolutionize the way they respond to RFPs. To do this, they turned to Responsive.
Uniting knowledge into a universally accessible content management system
Before they implemented Responsive, the proposal team had been storing their responses in a cloud-based content management system.
While the system was equipped with an import function, it was too cumbersome to use when uploading just a handful of question-answer pairs. Instead, they relied on manual entry to add new content.
Because uploading content into the database was so labor-intensive, they often weren’t able to make time to do it—as soon as they finished an RFP, they’d already be off and running on the next one. Before they knew it, they would have a backlog of RFPs waiting to be uploaded into the system.
With Responsive, this is no longer the case. The content management system within Responsive is so easy to update that they’re able to ensure their team always has access to the latest and greatest information.
And the Content Library is continuously becoming more robust. When they first implemented Responsive, they had imported around 2,500 question-answer pairs from their previous content management system. After using Responsive for just 5 months, their content library nearly doubled—and the entire organization has benefited. Thanks to Responsive’s unlimited license model, everyone at the organization can access this rich knowledge database at no extra cost.
“The biggest reason we decided to go with Responsive was that we could give everyone at our organization access to the tool at no additional cost.”
Assigning tasks and managing RFP projects with proposal automation software
Before Responsive, the proposal team managed projects using color-coded spreadsheets or documents. Each SME would be responsible for responding to questions in their assigned color.
This system was manual, tedious, and time-intensive. Not only that, but it increased the potential for human error. “I couldn’t tell you how many times I received a finished document from an SME… only to discover they answered the wrong questions,” someone on the team explained.
Proposal automation software has totally transformed this process. With Responsive, the proposal team first uploads an RFP in any format (including Word, pdf, and excel) onto the system.
After everything is in the system, questions are assigned to SMEs on the platform itself. SMEs then receive an email listing their assigned questions; they can then log into Responsive and respond to the questions there, or simply respond to their email, which will automatically populate answers into the platform.
Once they’ve gathered all the information they need, the proposal team can export the answers back into the source file or into a custom template—and any new question-answer pairs will enter a moderation process to determine whether they should be added to the library.
Responding to 16 RFPs simultaneously with a 2-person team
At the end of Q1, the proposal team received a pile of RFPs that needed to be responded to—16 to be exact. A proposal manager on the team remembered that last year, “we also had a similarly substantial number of RFPs we needed to respond to, but we had to push back.”
This year, with Responsive, they were able to upload all the RFPs into the system, assign tasks, and collaborate with pre-sales teams located all over the world—including North America, Europe, and Singapore—to successfully submit all 16 RFPs on time.
The proposal manager clarified that the difference with Responsive is being able to keep track of numerous projects at one time. “When we were responding to 1-2 RFPs at a time, we could keep track of everything via email and Word Docs. But there’s no way we could have responded to 16 RFPs simultaneously using a manual process. You just can’t keep that much information straight in your head.”
“The key area we’re seeing success with Responsive is being able to handle multiple RFPs at the same time. There’s no way we could respond to so many RFPs at the same time using a manual process.”
