Hardware Quotes and Ordering

Hardware Quotes and Ordering


Choosing workstation and server hardware for customer purchases is usually handled by a technician. 

For the full workflow of creating quotes, see: Workflow: Creating a Quote for Customer



Creating Equipment Quotes


In general for small inexpensive items we can send customer a link to order directly. For larger items or a larger quantity we order for the customer generally: Make sure the item will ship blind and please mark it up: 30% minimum for very inexpensive items; 15% - 25% for more expensive items. (When you’re including smaller items as part of a larger order (such as monitor cables, etc.) the markup should be at the higher end. If anything, cheap items should be marked up even more than 30%, but certainly no less. It takes time to order items and we need to cover that time whether the item costs us $10 or $500.)

We never sell anything without a markup. If there is a reason not to mark the item up, then ask the customer to purchase it directly. 


  1. Use AT Quote tool.
  2. Note special features and benefits or or customer requests in the description, . For example, 3-year warranty. Or a backlit keyboard. Something worth noting.
  3. Make hardware quotes valid for up to 5 days because prices for hardware and availability change quickly.  



Best Specs for a business end computer.



  1. Once the client accepts the quote, all hardware must be pre-paid before ordering. 
  2. Merchandise is never delivered to our office.  Item must be delivered with client signature only.  The carrier will make three attempts to deliver until the customer must go to the facility to pick it up.
  3. Check prices before ordering to make sure they didn’t change. 
  4. Check Qty of item that should be ordered and all other details. 
  5. Make sure to mark item as gift if using B&H, Amazon, etc. so receipt doesn’t show.
  6. Add a purchase order number to the order consisting of the ticket # plus the customer name.
  7. Double-check address.
  8. Double-check shipping date.
  9. Check box for tax exempt. 


If this is not a device that will be on RMM: Once payment is received and order is placed, go back to the ticket to which the charges are attached. Open the hardware charges for which order has been placed and check the box to "create configuration item."  Do not create configuration items for devices that will be auto-created by the RMM. 

When entering labor that is flat rate such as a data wipe, enter it as a charge, not as a time entry. For wipes there's a material code called "Labor~HD Wipe".

Vendors



  • Desktops and Laptops: Carbon systems. If this is a Carbon System-built machine, add link to customer's RMM agent and desired host name in comments when ordering. They will perform this part of setup before shipping. Customer Verbiage about Carbon. login is saved in office Keeper which was transferred to Roberta. (Need to transfer these logins to next office admin.)

  • B and H. They will drop ship / blind ship items. There is a salesperson we can speak with to get quotes and hold them. We tend to order Asus laptops with 3-year warranty / 1-year accident protection. Login is saved in office Keeper which was transferred to Roberta. (Need to transfer these logins to next office admin.)
  • Lenovo. We have a partner account. Login is saved in office Keeper which was transferred to Roberta. (Need to transfer these logins to next office admin.) Our Lenovo rep is Camali: cmorny@lenovo.com (919) 874-3300
  • Dell. Must be ordered via a distributor such as Ingram Micro. Discuss with Roberta. 


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