04 · B2B distribution network · 12 weeks

Inbound demand stopped disappearing into handoffs.

Marketing operations

The lead-to-quote workflow was redesigned across intake, field quality, ownership, approvals, reminders, status visibility, and weekly governance. The goal was not automation for its own sake; it was to prevent qualified demand from stalling between marketing response and a commercial quotation.

The objective

Reduce operational leakage between lead capture and quotation by creating one visible workflow for intake, approvals, ownership, follow-up, and reporting.

Recorded evidence

Before and
after.

The displayed values reproduce the maintained case-study record. “Index” indicates a relative baseline where commercially sensitive absolute values are withheld.

01

Lead-to-quote speed

Before100 index

After172 index

02

On-time follow-up

Before58%

After91%

03

Status visibility

Before100 index

After214 index

The connected response

What changed
in the work.

The intervention crossed functions where the problem required it, while retaining one decision thread.

  1. 01

    Mapped the complete lead-to-quote workflow to expose bottlenecks, duplicate entry, and ownership gaps.

  2. 02

    Built a standard intake structure, routing logic, and shared status view with a visible next action.

  3. 03

    Connected landing forms, tracker updates, and follow-up triggers to reduce manual handoffs.

  4. 04

    Introduced weekly governance reviews using workflow evidence rather than anecdotal updates.

Engagement timeline

12 weeks

  1. 01
    Workflow mappingWeeks 1–2

    Current-state mapping, bottleneck discovery, and ownership-gap identification.

  2. 02
    System buildoutWeeks 3–6

    Intake standardisation, status logic, approval routing, and dashboard implementation.

  3. 03
    Team adoptionWeeks 7–9

    Usage training, exception handling, and accountability cadence rollout.

  4. 04
    OptimisationWeeks 10–12

    Workflow tuning, response-time governance, and reporting refinement.

The operating shift

The condition
changed.

Outcomes are more credible when the operating changes behind them remain visible.

Before
  • Lead capture and quoting depended on fragmented spreadsheets with inconsistent fields.
  • Approvals and ownership lived in chat threads, creating delay and accountability gaps.
  • Sales and marketing could not see where active enquiries were stuck without manual follow-up.
  • Reporting focused on total leads rather than response discipline and throughput.
After
  • Inbound enquiries moved through one intake and routing structure with clearer ownership.
  • Approval status and next actions became visible through a shared reporting dashboard.
  • Reminder logic and exception flags reduced manual chasing and improved follow-up discipline.
  • Lead-to-quote turnaround improved by 72% while team handoffs became easier to govern.
Business impact

What became possible.

  1. 01

    Commercial response became faster without increasing management overhead.

  2. 02

    Leadership gained a clearer view of lead volume, delay points, and conversion friction.

  3. 03

    Workflow automation reduced leakage between marketing demand and quoted opportunities.

  4. 04

    The business retained a reusable operating model for future campaign scale.

Disciplines in the work

Connected where required.

01Launch Strategy & Planning03Growth & Performance
Have a related pressure point?

Start with
the current evidence.

Share the website, social presence, and business context. Fernesta will review the visible signals before recommending what should change first.

Register for a free brand audit