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Configurator Tools… Made To Order

Configuration Services

Our made to order configuration tools allow businesses to create automated guides to
help their sales representatives: configure complex products and services, determine
the right pricing as well as to help the organization streamline processes by monitoring
its relevant data.

These tools utilize sets of rules that enable the sales personnel to select the right
product combinations and define pricing of services. These rules can be expressed
through Algorithms, Decision trees, Radio Buttons in addition to Filters which can be
used in conjunction with tables and pulled data in order to express restrictions and
relationships between products and services. Engineering Support services provide our
customers with configuration templates which solve for correct pricing, values, and
configured selections.

Configuration Services

For Example, a product configurator can prevent compatibility errors through the
application of algorithm(s) with any level of complexity. These instructions and
constraints will help to ensure that only a valid product or service will result out of the
configuration.

The configurator tools are made available through our web based sales automation
system allowing for online access to all the tools from any location. We aim to reduce
potential errors, make the quoting process easier and help to improve the overall
effectiveness of the sales team.

Through collaboration with our customers which may include importing macros and
using predefined rules, iQuote Xpress engineering support services charter is to assist
in surveying critical information from each relevant department within our clients
company in order to use this information to effectively design configuration tools
responsive to our customer’s challenges. This results in templates within the iQuote
Xpress platform made to order for our customer’s unique requirements and needs.

Some Advantages
 Easy implementation. We can import our customer’s current algorithms, exceptions, logical
progressions and create new ones.

 Flexibility. Algorithms can be easily edited in real-time, ensuring configurations are always up-to-date

 Accuracy. Using configuration tools ensures that the product or services proposed are the ones that
best fit the customer’s needs.

 Support. iQuote Xpress will not only provide the software but will also work closely with you in
creating and maintaining your configuration templates.

 iQuote Xpress is an ideal platform for multiple departments within an organization to benefit from
configuration services which can include Contract Compliance, Warranty T/C, Project Management,
Technical Support, Commission Calculations, Products, Services and of course Pricing.

Computer Configuration

iQuote Xpress prevents the representatives of the computer assembly company
from quoting incompatible products together. One of their main challenges is
making sure the right modules are selected for each motherboard.

Motherboards have limited compatibility with microprocessors (CPU) and random
access memory (RAM) chips. The following conditions define how the motherboard,
memory chips and microprocessor are put together as the essential pieces for a
new computer:

The number of random access memory chips is limited by the number of available
slots for connection.

The motherboard can accept either SDRAM or DDR SDRAM chips but these two
types cannot be combined on the available slots.

The RAM modules can be compatible with motherboards of 168 pin, 184 pin
and/or 200 pin.

The CPU units can only located on the motherboard if it compatible with its CPU
socket or Processor support.

Table: CPU Compatibility

The CPU socket or Processor support on the
motherboard must support the CPU family
according to the following table:

Socket Name CPU Families
Socket P Intel Core 2
Socket 441 Intel Atom
Socket B Intel Core i7
Socket A AMD

The above diagram shows how the available
motherboards carry up to 3 RAM chips.

CPU socket type of the
Motherboard determines the
type of Microprocessor that can
be selected.

(Radio Buttons)
(Drop-down List)

(Read-Only Drop-down List)
(Drop-down List)

(Read-Only Drop-down List)
(Drop-down List)

(Numbers Only Textbox)

The number of Units of RAM Modules is limited to
the type of motherboard selected. In this case, the
number of RAM Modules can be a maximum of
three.
X<3 X>0
X: # of RAM Module Units

Insurance Premium

An insurance company offers several coverage options for vehicle insurance. The
salesmen are not very familiar with how the premium for the collision coverage is
calculated; however, iQuote Xpress allows them to easily generate quotes using the
configuration created for this vehicle insurance option.

The formula used to calculate the premium for this insurance option is the following:

Collision Premium = (Original Price x (Years of the Vehicle x 15%)) x 20%

In other words, the yearly collision premium is 20% of the depreciated value of the
vehicle. This formula can be expressed as follows in order to perform calculations:

Collision Premium: Z
Original Price: X
Years of the Vehicle: Y

Z = (X * (Y* 0.15))* 0.20

Once the Collision Premium has been determined using the details about the vehicle,
the discount to which the customer might be entitled to will be defined by a diagram.

Decision Tree: Premium Discount

This decision tree shows how an
individual’s gender, age and
driving history are the deciding
factors to determine the
discount rate for vehicle
insurance.

For example, a women above 25
years of age with a positive
driving history obtains the
maximum discount rate
available, while a negative
driving history eliminates any
discount possibilities.

The discount rate that the customer is
entitled to will be determined by
personal details such as gender, age
and driving history. These aspects are
associated according to the decision
tree structure.

(Radio Buttons)

(Check Box)
(Numbers Only Text Box)

(Numbers Only Text Box)

(Read-Only Text Box)

(Read-Only Text Box)
Total = CP – 20%

The Insurance Premium is generated through a
formula related to the purchase price of the vehicle
and its years of age.
Z = (X * (Y* 0.15))* 0.20
Collision Premium: Z
Original Price: X
Years of the Vehicle: Y

Vehicle Transportation Scenario
A towing services company has nationwide coverage, offering long distance transport
of sedans, minivans, SUVs and trucks. The company’s service pricing is related to the
distance, destination, type of vehicle and incident. This information is used to define
the specifications of required hardware such as tow hitch, wiring and bed. iQuote
Xpress allows the representatives to quickly provide pricing once receiving an inbound
call from the potential customers.

Table: Price per Mile

The following table contains the multiplying factor that will define the price of the
towing service once the distance has been determined:

Per Mile Factor Sedan Minivan SUV Truck

Mechanical $2.50 $2.75 $3.16 $3.32

Accident $2.60 $2.86 $3.00 $3.15

Impounded $2.25 $2.48 $2.60 $2.73

Fire $2.65 $2.92 $3.06 $3.21

Table: Zip Code Information

The table containing the latitude and longitude values of each U.S. Zip Code can be obtained online. This
information is then imported to iQuote Xpress in order to perform distance calculations. The following tables
contain some of the Zip Code location information used to calculate distance:
PICK UP

ZIP CITY STATE LATITUDE LONGITUDE

85098 Phoenix AZ 33.276539 -112.18717

85099 Phoenix AZ 33.276539 -112.18717

85123 Mesa AZ 33.427135 -111.758483

85200 Mesa AZ 33.423596 -111.594435

DESTINATION

ZIP CITY STATE LATITUDE LONGITUDE

75396 Dallas TX 32.767268 -96.777626

75397 Dallas TX 32.767268 -96.777626

75398 Dallas TX 32.767268 -96.777626

75401 Greenville TX 33.15023 -96.11289

The following configuration shows how iQuote Xpress allows the over-the-phone representatives provide pricing instantly:

(Radio Buttons)

(Drop-down List)

(Drop-down Lists)

(Drop-down Lists)

The distance between the pick up location and the
destination is calculated using the latitude/longitude pair
for each Zip Code and applying the formula:

Distance = (25,000 miles)*(# of Degrees) / 360°

VoIP Hardware Installation Company

A technology company specializes in
VoIP installations. This service provider
has grown exponentially, requiring a
sales team with limited technical
background to generate price quotes at
an efficient rate. The voice
transmission items that must be part of
each offer are associated like the
following diagram shows:

The setup of the Voice over IP system relies on the specifications of the Router and
Switch selected. Routers have Analog and LAN connections, which are used to
connect analog phones and switches respectively. On the other hand, every Switch
has a number of ports to which computers can be connected to.

The following Router and Switch models are used by the installation company:

Routers Models:
• Model A: 1 Analog, 2 LAN Connections
• Model B: 2 Analog, 2 LAN Connections
• Model C: 2 Analog, 4 LAN Connections

Switch Models:
• Model A: 4 Ports
• Model B: 8 Ports
• Model C: 16 Ports

Algorithms

The following rules are added as algorithmic constraints to the iQuote Xpress
configuration in order to generate quotes with the appropriate hardware for the VoIP
system:
Y 1 ≥ X1
Y1: Router’s # of LAN Connections
X1: # of Switches
The number of LAN connections of the router must be greater than or equal to the
number of switches.

Y 2 ≥ X2
Y2: Switch’s # of Ports
X2: # of Computers
The number of ports on the switch must be greater than or equal to the number of
computers.

Y 3 ≥ X3
Y3: Router’s # of Analog Connections
X3: # of Analog Phones
The number of analog connections must be greater than or equal to the number of
analog phones.

Each destination can contain a table with a set of
fees for towing service:

(Numerical Text Box)
(Numerical Text Box)

(Radio Buttons)

The Radio Buttons are automatically selected
according to the established algorithms that relate
the quantities of analog phones and computers
with the router and switch specifications.

Objects of the Graphical User Interface
 Radio Button: Used when only a single selection is possible. These are known as
mutually exclusive options.

 Combo Box: Mutually exclusive options are displayed in a drop-down list.

 Check Boxes: Allow multiple selections from a number of options.

 Text Box: Used to input text information.

Data Types and Expressions

The Made to Order configuration service can manage all forms of data to generate
algorithms. The following are some examples of them:

 Character: Used to represent letters, numbers, punctuation marks.
 Boolean: Logical data type that can have a true or false value.
 Integer: Represents mathematical integers, meaning positive and
negative whole numbers.
 String: Contains a sequence of characters or values chosen from an array.
 Float: It describes a numerical data type that contains decimals.
 Date: Representation of a date.

A number of mathematical and logical expressions can be combined and associated
with different objects and data types in order to satisfy any configuration need. Some
of the commonly used expressions are:

 and, or
 abs(number)
 round(number, decimal places)
 sin(), cos(), tan(), exp()

Representation of Data
The representation of values and calculations has certain variations according to
the application that is being used. For instance the standard order in which
operations are performed obeys these rules in the following order:

1. Expressions within parentheses. Expressions within nested parentheses
are evaluated from inner to outer.
2. Prefix functions (such as sin, cos, tan, ln).
3. Postfix functions (such as ! (factorial)).
4. Power (^) and square root.
5. Negation (-), multiplication, and division.
6. Addition and subtraction.

In contrast, an application such as Excel reads expressions in the following order:
→ : colon
→ , comma
→ single space
→ – Negation (as in –1)
→ % Percent
→ ^ Exponentiation and / Multiplication and Division
→ + and – Addition and Subtraction
→ & Connects two strings of text (concatenation)
→ = < > <= >= <> Comparison

iQuoteXpress - Configuration tools...made to order

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iQuoteXpress - Configuration tools...made to order

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iQuoteXpress - Configuration tools...made to order