Every print business hits the same wall. More customers mean more quote requests. More quotes mean more staff calculating material, finishing, and production costs. For Vincenzo Cirimele, founder of Inkee and Teetaly, the math was unsustainable.
His team fielded requests through emails, WhatsApp, and phone calls. Each one pulled someone from higher-value work. Response times lagged. Opportunities slipped away. Then he implemented GelatoConnect's AI Estimator. The results were transformative.
Half the staff, double the output
"We can reduce staffing by at least 50% for this activity in the back end, and increase our reply rate to clients by at least 100%."
That's not a projection. That's what Vincenzo is already seeing. Half the people handling twice the volume of quotes. For a growing business, that's the difference between scaling efficiently and drowning in operational overhead.
After years of trying everything (custom solutions, multiple printing technologies, standard automated quoters), Vincenzo found them all lacking. Too rigid. Too slow. When he evaluated GelatoConnect's AI Estimator, he saw something different: a system flexible enough to handle complex print specifications while simple enough to deploy quickly.
Live in two weeks, not months
"It's very easy. It took one week for technology and parameters, then with my IT team, just two hours to connect the AI Estimator to our platform."
One week to configure Inkee's specific technologies, pricing structures, and production capabilities. Two hours to integrate. No consultants. No months-long timeline. Unlike legacy solutions requiring extensive development work, the AI Estimator uses simple spreadsheet files for configuration. New capabilities or pricing adjustments take clicks, not custom code.
Speed wins deals (customers confirmed it)
"With AI Estimator we can deliver different quotations with different technologies (digital, offset or large format) in one click. With people, yes it's good, but we lose time and we lose opportunities."
Manual quoting isn't just slow. It's strategically limiting. The AI Estimator instantly provides multiple options across production methods. Digital for short runs. Offset for larger quantities. Each quote optimized for specific job parameters.
And the AI Estimator isn't just for internal efficiency. Inkee embedded it directly on their website, letting customers generate their own quotes instantly. No forms to fill out. No waiting for callbacks. Just immediate, accurate estimates.
Customer feedback validated the approach. "We have a lot of positive comments from our clients: 'Hey, Vincenzo, it's very easy. Hey, Inkee team, bravi, it's good!'" Speed and simplicity became part of Inkee's value proposition.
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"It's real-time, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The point is we can capture much more information and much more opportunities from clients, whether B2B or B2C."
Inkee's website transformed from brochure to 24/7 sales channel. Customers submit quote requests and get instant estimates. A major Italian client explained the behavior shift:
"Before, if I had 10 quote requests, I would only submit two or three to your system. Now I submit 100% of my quotations because I receive the AI estimates in real time."
This customer was filtering requests. Out of 10 potential jobs, they'd only send 2-3 because friction was too high. Now they send everything. That's a 300-400% increase in quote volume from one customer, just by removing friction.
From boring work to better work
"I can reassign two or three operators to much better activities and jobs," Vincenzo says. The AI handles repetitive work. His people focus on what requires human judgment and creativity.
That's the real promise of AI in operations: freeing people from work that doesn't require their full capabilities. For Inkee, the same team now handles significantly more volume while pursuing higher-value activities that grow the business.
The compound advantage
For Vincenzo and Inkee, the AI Estimator delivered what growing businesses need: dramatic efficiency gains that compound into competitive advantages.
The results:
50% reduction in manual quoting work
100% increase in win rates
300-400% increase in quote volume from existing customers
24/7 sales channel replacing static website
Two-week implementation with small IT team
Ready to transform your quoting process? See how GelatoConnect's AI Estimator can help you handle more quotes with fewer resources. Watch the in-depth demo or schedule a personalized walkthrough with the GelatoConnect team.
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