Premier Entertainment Group is a 10-person commercial integration firm that has spent more than 15 years serving clients across the live entertainment and audio-video-lighting (AVL) integration markets from its home base in Dothan, Alabama.
The company has been in business for 15 years, but only about two years ago did the team adopt D-Tools Cloud as its proposal and project workflow solution. That shift has produced remarkable results and Travis credits the move with fundamentally changing how fast and how often Premier Entertainment Group wins new business. Indeed, when asked what has moved the needle most since switching to D-Tools Cloud, Travis points straight to the top line.
“The biggest benefit that we've found in using D-Tools Cloud is the number of proposals we're actually able to win,” says Eric Travis, Integrations Manager. “Due to cutting time down in the proposal-creation process, we're actually able to put out more proposals and win more projects, which increases our revenue.”
"We probably can do two times the amount of proposals that we were able to do before D-Tools Cloud in a month, and we probably increased revenue by 40% to 50%." -- Eric Travis, Premier Entertainment Group
That speed has translated into higher volume. Travis estimates the team now produces roughly double the proposals it could generate before switching platforms and the revenue results have followed.
“When we cut that proposal time down, it allows us to put out more proposals, win more projects. I would say we probably can do two times the amount of proposals that we were able to do before D-Tools Cloud in a month, and we probably increased revenue by 40% to 50% thanks to that,” he cites.
An Integrated Product Catalog Keeps Every Proposal Accurate
The engine that feeds D-Tools Cloud is the Integrated Product Catalog.
“One of the biggest selling points to us was the integrated product catalog, which happens to be my favorite feature,” says Travis, who describes how simple it is for him to search for a product when creating his proposals, literally cutting his time in half.
“It pulls up every option possible and has integrated pricing. I don't have to worry about whether or not pricing is accurate, information is accurate, or use any resources,” he notes.
That same live data follows the job into the field. Technicians pull up the bill of materials directly from the D-Tools Cloud mobile app, cutting down on confusion and rework.
“The user options for field users to be able to pull up the mobile app, see the bill of materials, understand where things need to plug in saves their time in half,” he adds.
Multimedia Proposals Win Over Non-Technical Decision-Makers
One project in particular stands out to Travis as proof of what a polished, multimedia proposal can do. The Premier Entertainment Group team was working with a client contact who wasn't the one ultimately approving the budget, rather the decision sat with a board of trustees unfamiliar with the AV industry.
“The client was communicating with us about what their needs were, but they weren't the ones to make the financial decision. It was people who really weren't understanding of the AV industry. So having multimedia proposals was a big, big plus for that. Our client's contact was able to take a multimedia proposal back and give it to the board of trustees to actually see the equipment and have more understanding of what we were proposing, see the documentation for the product to see whether it fit their needs. In addition, the ability to put scope of projects, attachments, pictures, all of that in the proposal really I think is what drove us across the finish line with the project,” recalls Travis.
Up and Running in Two Weeks
Adopting a new business management platform can be a daunting prospect for a lean team, but Travis says the D-Tools Cloud rollout was refreshingly simple.
“We were actually able to do it really quick,” he recalls. “I know there's a really big headache when you take on new software… the fear of moving over all the information, the time it takes to onboard, the training time it takes to learn the new systems. That was virtually non-existent in our process. We were able to get the system up and going in about two weeks, do a bunch of tests, make sure everything worked the way we wanted, and the data flowed the way it was supposed to.”
"We were able to get the system up and going in about two weeks, do a bunch of tests, make sure everything worked the way we wanted, and the data flowed the way it was supposed to.” - Eric Travis, Premier Entertainment Group
He also points to the D-Tools support team as a key part of that smooth transition. “The team was very helpful,” Travis says. “They offered every option possible — plenty of time available, people available — and the support is really helpful to be able to ask questions as you need. And they don't pressure you to use their services unless you need help. You can do it yourself.”
A Platform That Listens and Keeps Improving
For other integrators evaluating business management software, Travis' advice is straightforward.
“I would recommend checking out D-Tools Cloud to give them a chance,” he says. “Not just because of the integrated product catalog — it's a big selling point, keeps all your data in one spot — but the project management features are really helpful in terms of communicating accurate information to your users in the field. You can make updates in the system, and they have it instantly in their apps, to be able to ensure cable lengths are correct, cable placements are correct, and the gear goes in the correct room that it was assigned for,” he explains.
Travis adds that D-Tools has been responsive as Premier Entertainment Group's needs have evolved.
“If you're checking out the product and you see features that aren't there, they are very responsive to requesting features and listening to what your needs are, and helping ensure that the product can provide all of the touch points and resources that you need to get across the finish line.”
For a lean team competing for larger, more complex projects, Premier Entertainment Group's experience offers a clear takeaway: faster, more accurate, more visual proposals save time and win more business. With D-Tools Cloud handling the product data, proposal design, and field communication in one place, Travis and his team have been able to double their proposal output and grow revenue by up to 50%, all without adding headcount.
