Cost calculator FAQs

Apart from them being able to provide instant quotes for your customers 24/7, an online quote calculator can promote trust, and also promote other services which potential customers hadn't realised you offer.

It could also save you time and effort through not having to wasting time chasing leads that go nowhere.

Your online price calculator can reduce that burden by doing the qualifying for you, allowing you to free up time to focus on doing what you do best and deliver a great service.

You can also track who generated each quote, enabling you to follow up as a warm lead.

Most people who visit websites are looking for information and answers to questions they have.

One of the most common questions is How much? and if potential customers can't find the answers they're looking for, they're likely to leave you website and look elsewhere until they find the answers.

Therefore a calculator which allows users to instantly produce a personalised quote can be hugely beneficial for many businesses to include on their website.

So to avoid losing those potential customers to a competitor, why not provide the answers they're looking for whilst they're still on your website?

After all, if they leave, they might never come back!

Online quote calculators can be useful for many types of businesses. They can provide customers with the means to select items, services, sizes, quantities, etc., and then calculate a final price based on the values you provide.

Some quote calculators, like those from TargaWeb, can also allow the customer to email the quote to themselves, and provide you with a copy of that quote too. This can make them great for lead generation.

The cost of an online calculator depends on a number of factors, including the number of items and their variants, complexity, and also whether you want to offer your customers the ability to pay in installments, and how those payment plans are structured.

TargaWeb's affordable online calculators start at just £325 which covers the initial cost of designing and building your calculator, and small monthly charge which can be as little as £10 per month.

The monthly charge covers hosting, management, maintenance and analytics.

Your cost calculator will be fully responsive, meaning it will work seamlessly across smartphones, tablets and desktops computers.

It will also be optimised for fast loading times to ensure a smooth user experience, which helps to reduce bounce rates and improve conversion.

Depending on your needs, a bespoke online quote calculator could take anything from 5 days to design and build.

However, TargaWeb have streamlined a process which can make customisable calculators quicker and cheaper, with costs starting at just £325, which are usually able to be completed within a couple of days.

If you already have a website, you could ask your web designer to build you an online calculator. Depending on your needs, a bespoke online quote calculator could take anything from 5 days to design and build.

However, TargaWeb have streamlined a process which can make customisable calculators quicker and cheaper, with costs starting at just £325, and are usually able to be completed within a couple of days.

TargaWeb makes it really easy to add your new calculator to your website. Your web designer will simply need to add a small piece of code so that the calculator can be made visible to visitors of your website.

We can of course help and advise with that process.

In some respects, a TargaWeb calculator can be added to more than one website.

However, it's important to understand that because there is a trust element in the way that we control the height of the parent page iFrame window on your domain based on the individual calculator pages which are hosted on TargaWeb's domain.

Without that trust element being applied between your domain and TargaWeb's domain, there will be no automated control over the iFrame height whilst the calculator is in use.

Yes. TargaWeb have successfully devised a way for our cost calculators to be applied to WordPress websites.

It isn't difficult, and we can help you by guiding you through the process and testing.

Yes. During the design of your calculator we will analyse the styling elements of your website and replicate them on your calculator. That will ensure that your calculator's colours, styling, fonts, etc., are consistent with your website.

Online cost calculators are not an ideal replacement for businesses who could use a simple static price list, because their functionality and the costs involved to build it, would... in reality... be a waste of time and money.

However, they could be perfect for businesses who provide services, bundled options, and factor in other criteria such as multiple selections, order value, distance, frequency, ease of access, and any number of other factors which have the potential to impact the cost in some way.

Rarely does an off-the-shelf calculator truly reflect the specific prices and pricing structure of business without requiring at least some customisation.

Although TargaWeb does produce bespoke cost calculators, it is understandable that some businesses need to keep their own costs down and would prefer to have a lower priced calculator instead of spending on a fully bespoke solution.

Therefore for clients on a tight budget, we try to accommodate the most important aspects of their prices and pricing structure within partially pre-built templates.

This enables costs to be keep down, without compromising too much on what the business needs the most.

In some respects, a TargaWeb calculator can be added to more than one website.

However, it's important to understand that because there is a trust element in the way that we control the height of the parent page iFrame window on your domain based on the individual calculator pages which are hosted on TargaWeb's domain.

Without that trust element being applied between your domain and TargaWeb's domain, there will be no automated control over the iFrame height whilst the calculator is in use.

Quotes and Estimates are NOT different ways of referring to the same thing.

Quotes:
Quotes contain exact figures and are clear in what they include and do not include. They’re legally binding (often for a period of time which is made known at the time of the quote) and are not expected to change without notice.

Estimates:
Estimates are more of an approximation of the final cost, which is often because insufficient information was available at the time for a final price to be reached which the seller is willing or able to commit to.

Calculators for customers:
In the context of an online pricing calculator, it's important to understand that whilst the user (who maybe a potential customer) can provide as much detailed information at they're able to based on their ability to count, measure, predict or assume, it's reasonable to state that the cost or price the calculator produces is an estimate based on the information they provided.

Calculators for employees:
An employee (for example a salesperson or a tradesperson) might be been asked to be provide a price or cost for a job.

If they're able to use the calculator to generate a cost based on the details they have entered, the price calculated could be considered a quote if they feel that the information they have entered is accurate enough for them to commit a price to.

If for any reason some of that information needs further clarification, they might therefore choose to call it an estimate subject to confirmation. Therefore the calculator could be designed to provide the employee with the option of selecting quote or estimate and all relevant messaging related to the calculation should clearly state that.

To describe the main difference between a price estimator and a quote calculator, it’s worth understanding the difference in meaning between a quote and an estimate.

Quote or Estimate?
Quotes are legally binding, containing exact figures details of what they include and do not include. Estimates are more of an approximation of the final cost, which is often because of insufficient accurate being available at the time, making it difficult for a precise final price to be reached which the seller is willing or able to commit to.

The mechanics of a price estimator and a quote calculator are largely the same. The main difference is their target audience, and the accuracy of the information which is expected to be entered into the calculator.

Who do you expect to use your calculator?
For example, if the intended user is a potential customer on your website, you could expect that most potential customers will do their best to provide as much detailed information at they can based on their ability to count, measure, predict or assume.

But that information might not always be accurate enough for the calculator to generate a price on your behalf which you could confidently commit to. In this case we would call that an estimate and inform the user that it is approximate and subject to confirmation after further discussion, etc.

However, if you or one of your sales team or workforce is asked to provide a cost, you might feel that the information input into the calculator is accurate and detailed enough for you to confidently commit to. In that case you could call it a quote but you might prefer a more flexible option...

Flexible options for employees
If any of the information that your sales team or workforce enters needs further clarification, depending on how the calculator has been set up, you might still be able to provide a price, but select an option which indicates to the customer that it is an estimate subject to confirmation.

If your calculator allows you to select between quote and estimate all relevant messaging related to the calculated price should clearly state that, and display it on the web page and in any confirmation email which the customer might be sent.