A Vancouver-based packaging company improved quote-to-deal conversions by 30% using Bigin and Zoho Books

The company

2020—a time that was rife with uncertainty—may not have been the best time to start a business, but for John Chang, it wasn't about perfect timing; it was about filling a gap for small and growing businesses that just needed someone in their corner for reliable, custom packaging.

From day one, Vancouver Premium Packaging's mission has been to help SMBs get their products shelf-ready without the usual gatekeeping. Whether it's custom boxes, labels, pouch bags, or cups, the team acts as the bridge to manufacturers, delivering solutions that actually fit a brand's scale instead of forcing them into "one-size-fits-all" territory.

Working with brands across the food, retail, and CPG worlds, John knows that scaling a business is a roller coaster. His philosophy is pretty straightforward: Make packaging the easiest part of the day. By taking that logistical weight off his clients' shoulders, he gives founders the space to do what they do best—building their products and connecting with their customers.

The challenge

As Vancouver Premium Packaging expanded, the team began handling a larger volume of customer conversations, quotes, and follow-ups across multiple regions. Most of this information lived across emails and spreadsheets, which made day-to-day coordination time-consuming and heavily dependent on manual updates.

John knew they needed a real system to keep everything under one roof, but the "big tech" options weren't exactly a vibe. Tools like Salesforce, HubSpot, and MS Dynamics felt less like a helping hand and more like an overpriced, overly complicated headache for a team that just wanted to get things done.

The solution

Bigin stood out for its simplicity. The team was able to get started quickly by going through tutorials together and aligning on how to use the system effectively.

To reflect their workflow, the team set up two pipelines: The prospecting pipeline captures incoming leads and moves them through stages like outbound inquiries, needs assistance, ready for quote, unsuitable, no reply for 60 days, and not interested. They also have a sub-pipeline for inbound inquiries with the same stages. Alongside this setup, a sales pipeline helps track active deals with stages: RFQ created, proposal shared, follow up, deposit invoice, WIP, production approval, and delivered.

Automation plays a key role in keeping things on track. If there's no response to a quote after seven days, follow-up reminders are triggered automatically. The team also manages design schedules in Bigin, which helps the team stay aligned on timelines.

With dashboards, the team gets a clear view of their performance and can track monthly sales and forecast production needs. This visibility helps them plan better and stay ahead of demand.

To close the loop, Bigin's integration with Zoho Books allows them to send out quotes and invoices directly from Bigin, making the entire process from deal to payment more seamless.

Benefits and ROI

With Bigin in place, Vancouver Premium Packaging saw a clear improvement in how their team operated day to day. Having all their data and conversations in one place made it easier to track deals. They achieved the following:

• Efficiency improved by 35%, as the team had better visibility into who was handling what, along with automatic reminders to stay on track.
  
• Quote-to-deal conversion went up by 30%, as the team spent more time following up on existing quotes instead of only chasing new leads.
• Revenue saw a 10% increase, supported by smoother processes and quicker deal closures.

Beyond the numbers, the team now works with better clarity and control, with a structured system that supports their growth instead of slowing them down.

Looking forward

Going forward, the team plans to use Zoho Campaigns to stay in touch with customers through regular marketing touchpoints and keep the relationship going beyond just deals.