Workstation quotes in minutes, not hours.
For 17 years, Consenna has helped global technology brands sell more through their channel partners. Its Managing Director asked Levelfeed to build Cogent, which turns a customer’s request into a matched, ready-to-send quote.
What it was. What it is now.
- Requests arrived as free-text emails, with no specs or part numbers
- A rep had to translate software needs into hardware by hand
- Candidate systems compared by hand in spreadsheets
- Every reply written from scratch, in each rep’s own format
- Cogent works out the specs those applications need
- The catalogue searched in plain English, with exact-spec filtering
- The best 2–3 systems shortlisted and compared side by side
- A drafted, consistent reply ready for the rep to review
Professional workstations are among the hardest products in IT to sell well. A request lands, say ten systems for a media studio running a specific creative suite, and a rep has to know what that software needs in processor, graphics and memory, search tens of thousands of configurations that often differ by a single component, compare the candidates, and write a clear recommendation. With a product database and filters, that took hours per quote, and only the most experienced people could do it well.
Consenna is a channel-growth agency that helps global technology brands sell more through their reseller partners. Its goal: put a senior workstation specialist’s knowledge in the hands of every sales rep. Its Managing Director, Alex Graham, commissioned Levelfeed to build Cogent, sitting alongside Consenna’s own sales-enablement products.
What we found first
We sat with the people who turn reseller requests into quotes, and followed a request from the inbox to the sent reply.
| What we found | What it cost | What changed |
|---|---|---|
| Requests arrived as free-text emails, with no specs and no part numbers | A rep had to translate software into hardware before any search could start | Automated: Cogent reads the request and works out the processor, graphics and memory it needs |
| Matching software to workstation specs depended on one or two specialists | Quotes queued behind a few people; new reps took months to become quote-ready | Automated: that reasoning is built into Cogent, so every rep quotes like a veteran |
| Finding the right system meant filtering a 40,000+ row catalogue by hand, where configurations differ by a single component | Est. 2–4 hours per complex quote | Automated: plain-English search across the catalogue, with exact-spec filtering, returning the best 2–3 |
| Candidate systems compared by hand in spreadsheets | Slow, and easy to miss the better-value option | Automated: side-by-side comparison, generated automatically |
| Every reply written from scratch, each rep in their own format | Rep time on formatting, and inconsistent quality in front of partners | Automated: a drafted, consistent reply for the rep to review and send |
| Catalogue changes (new models, end-of-life lines, price moves) arrive as spreadsheets | Risk of quoting a discontinued configuration | Parked: a single catalogue feed, recommended for phase 2 |
| Sent quotes have no systematic follow-up | Deals that go quiet are never chased | Parked: flagged for phase 2 |
Estimates are the working figures we used to rank the list, not numbers reported by the client.
One request in, one quote out
For sales reps, and for Consenna
- Paste the customer’s request as written, no filters, SKUs or part numbers
- The specialist knowledge is built in, so a newer rep recommends like a veteran
- The best 2–3 systems, compared side by side, so the rep can explain why
- A drafted reply email, ready to review and send
- Quotes in minutes instead of hours, a direct lever on win rates in a speed-driven channel
- Consistent, accurate recommendations across 40,000+ configurations
- A new product in its sales-enablement line-up, for the brands and partners it already serves
“The agreed term for Consenna Cogent is officially complete, and it has been great working with you.”
Alex Graham, Managing Director, Consenna
Five steps, one quote
- Describe the requestThe rep types it in everyday language: how many machines, what for, which software.
- Cogent works out the requirementsThe minimum specs those applications need to run well.
- It searches the full catalogueUnderstanding what the customer means, and checking exact specifications.
- It shortlists the best 2–3Laid out side by side.
- It drafts the replyReady for the rep to review and send.
Timeline: October–December 2023, a fixed term · still in use · Founder-led: designed and built, working weekly with Consenna’s Managing Director.
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