CRM for compressed air equipment distributors

A compressed air equipment distributor sells compressors, dryers, filters, receivers, piping and the service kits that keep them running to factories, workshops and plants. The compressor is the visible sale, but the service contract and the filters and parts that follow are the steady income. A CRM for this trade has to hold the installed base, because the next sale is usually a service visit, a replacement or an extra unit at a site you already supply.

In PromptLab, a site trial or loan unit is tracked as a sample on the deal, the quote carries equipment, installation and delivery, and the sales order sits on the account. The wider view is on the distributors page.

How does a compressed air distributor actually sell?

Plant and maintenance managers buy to keep production running. A failed compressor is an emergency, and speed and local service decide the sale.

Project buyers are building or expanding a plant. A consultant or the plant engineer sizes the system, and the distributor bids against others on the full package: compressors, dryers, filters, receivers and pipe.

Workshops and small businesses buy a single compressor, often from a stocked range, and want delivery and a warranty.

OEMs and installers buy equipment to build into their own machines or to resell with installation.

Most distributors represent one or more manufacturers and carry service as a core offer. A customer who trusts your engineer buys the next compressor from you.

What do buyers ask before they order?

• Capacity and pressure. Air flow and working pressure for the plant, and whether demand is steady or peaks.
• Air quality. Dryers and filters for the application. Food, pharma and paint shops have strict air-quality needs, so the filtration choice matters as much as the compressor.
• Running cost. Energy is usually the largest part of a compressor's lifetime cost, so buyers ask what it will use. A leak and pressure audit is a strong first step. Show figures from the audit, not the brochure.
• Fixed or variable speed, and whether to run two smaller units rather than one large one.
• Installation and commissioning. Room, ventilation, power, piping, condensate handling and who connects it.
• Service plan. Service intervals, kit cost, response time and what the warranty needs.
• Rental or loan. A temporary unit during a breakdown or a trial. Track it like a sample.
• Documents. Data sheets, pressure vessel documentation and manuals.

How does an audit or a loan unit work as a sample?

An air audit or a trial unit is the compressed air version of a sample. It goes to the site, it produces a result and the sale depends on what the plant sees.

PromptLab has sample tracking on every plan, with samples on the deal. Create a sample for each audit, loan or rental unit, with custom fields for the serial number, the dates out and back and the finding. Set a follow-up date on the deal so the conversation about the result happens within days. How to track product samples and how to turn samples into orders cover the routine.

How should you quote a compressed air system?

A system quote lists compressors, dryers, filters, receivers and pipework, with installation and delivery. Build it from products and the customer's price list, with line discounts where you give them. Add installation and delivery as named additional costs and put the specification and assumptions in the quote's Notes field, which prints on the PDF.

Quotes have statuses Draft, Pending and Approved, with no expiry date or e-signature. State the validity in the notes. Service kits and parts are best quoted from a price list for the customer, because the same part list repeats every service. How to write a sales quote is a short guide.

What pipeline stages fit a compressed air distributor?

PromptLab has one pipeline per workspace. Use a field to separate equipment, project, and service deals.

Add an expected close date as a custom date field. Deals have no built-in expected close date.

What must the CRM track?

• The installed base per site: model, serial number, install date, running hours and warranty end, in a custom object (Settings → Objects), one record per unit with a field that links it to the customer's account, so the units show on the account's page.
• Service due dates. A task dated for the next service on each unit. Tasks do not repeat, so create the next when you complete it.
• Service kits and parts as products with a price list.
• Quotes for equipment, and a quick quote for a kit.
• Documents on the account's Files tab: data sheets, commissioning records and signed service reports.
• Breakdown calls as tasks with an owner, and the repair quote on a deal.
• Messages from email, WhatsApp and Telegram in the Inbox. A maintenance manager sends a photo of the display from the plant room.

How do you set this up in PromptLab?

1. 1

   Import accounts and products

   Bring accounts, contacts and products in from CSV or Excel. Add product fields for flow, pressure and type, and an Installed units object for the compressors and dryers on each site.

2. 2

   Set the price lists

   Create customer price lists for contract, workshop and OEM customers. Service kits sit on the same list, so the price is the same every time.

3. 3

   Log audits and loans as samples

   Create a sample on the deal for each audit or loan unit with the serial number and dates. A workflow creates a task when its status changes.

4. 4

   Quote and raise the order

   Build the quote from the list, add installation and delivery costs, and send the PDF or link. When the order arrives, create the sales order on the account.

5. 5

   Schedule the service

   Create a task on the account for each unit's next service, and a daily digest in Slack, Telegram or WhatsApp lists what is due.

6. 6

   Find the idle sites

   Ask AI which accounts have gone longest without an order, and call them. How to reactivate dormant accounts has a script.

How does PromptLab compare for compressed air distributors?

Swipe the table sideways to see every CRM →

Pipedrive is one of the easiest sales CRMs to learn, from $14 a seat billed annually, but it has no samples, price lists or sales orders, and quotes wait for Premium at $59. Zoho CRM is the value pick among the big generalists, with quotes, orders and price books from $23 a user a month, billed annually; samples aren't modelled.

monday CRM builds a CRM from boards, with quotes and invoices from its $12 Basic plan, billed annually, and no sales orders, samples or price lists. See Zoho CRM vs PromptLab. Prices are as checked on 30 September 2026.

Frequently asked questions

What should a CRM for a compressed air distributor include?

It should hold the installed base, service due dates, quotes with installation costs, price lists for kits and parts, sales orders, and every message from email and WhatsApp. PromptLab covers these from $11.99 per user per month.

How do I track a loan or rental compressor?

Log it as a sample on the deal, with the serial number and dates in custom fields and a follow-up date. A workflow can create a task when its status changes.

How do I remember when a service is due?

Create a task on the account for the next service. PromptLab tasks do not repeat, so set the next one when you complete it. The daily digest lists what is due.

Can I quote service kits quickly?

Yes. Keep kits as products on the customer's price list and build a quote from them. Each quote can carry a delivery cost as an additional cost.

Is there a free trial?

Basic and Professional come with a 14-day free trial, with no card needed. There is no free plan.