Every send is a version
Sending bumps the version and freezes that revision, so both sides can see exactly what was offered and when. Edit a sent quote and it withdraws to draft for the next version.
From request for quote to order, in one thread.
An RFQ is a buyer asking what something will cost. Here the request becomes a quote your team prices in one editor — versioned, with a validity date — and when the buyer accepts it, that quote becomes the order. Nothing is re-keyed and nothing lives in an inbox.
Buyers counter, not just accept
A buyer can propose changes line by line. The quote moves to countered and your editor shows what you quoted against what they propose, with their note.
Nothing ships at zero
A line you cannot price is marked not applicable rather than left at zero, and a quote with an unpriced line cannot be sent or accepted.
Acceptance creates the order
The accepted quote becomes an order carrying the same lines, the same VAT treatment and the same thread — no re-entry, no second source of truth.
Answered in minutes when it can be, by a person when it should be
Most requests are for things you already sell to people you already know. An automation can price those from the buyer’s own list and send them back immediately, which leaves your team the ones that need judgement: the off-catalogue part, the big order, the tight margin.
- Requests raised from the catalogue, including parts you do not list
- VAT shown exclusive or inclusive, and the order inherits the choice
- Validity and expiry dates, after which the quote is final
Requests that arrive on WhatsApp.
The buyer is recognised
A request from a number your ERP already holds lands on that customer’s account, with their prices and terms, instead of on a new contact named after the number.
Payments are not requests
A question about where to pay, a payment receipt or “paying shortly” stays in the chat. It never opens a request or lands on one.
Only real asks reach the desk
A message that names what it needs opens a request. A vague one is weighed by the assistant first, so greetings and chatter stay out of your quote desk.
One conversation per request
The buyer’s messages and your team’s replies, including those typed in your WhatsApp inbox, sit in one thread on the request, each message once.
How a request becomes an order
The buyer asks
From a product, from the cart, or for something off-catalogue — with quantities and a note.
Your team prices it
One editor for lines, discounts, fulfilment and configured products; or the automation prices it instantly.
You send it
Version bumped, validity set, and the buyer sees it in their portal and their inbox.
They accept or counter
Acceptance creates the order. A counter-offer comes back line by line for you to answer.
Questions people ask about this
What is the difference between an RFQ and a quote?
The request for quote is what the buyer sends: the parts and quantities they want priced. The quote is your answer, with prices, validity and terms. One request can produce several quote versions.
Can buyers negotiate online?
Yes. Buyers accept, decline, or counter-offer line by line with a note. A counter puts the quote back in your editor showing your price against theirs.
Does an accepted quote become an order automatically?
Yes — acceptance creates the order with the same lines and the same tax treatment, so nobody re-keys it.
Can we quote parts that are not in our catalogue?
Yes. A request can include off-catalogue lines, and you price them in the same editor as everything else.
Do quotes expire?
They can. Set a validity date and the quote expires on its own; once accepted, declined or expired it is final and can no longer be edited.
How do we know which requests became sales?
Requests to invoices sets every request against the invoices your ERP issued that customer afterwards: how many were followed by an invoice, for how much, and how many days it took. An invoice counts once, for the latest request before it.
Bring us one RFQ you answered last week.
We will price it in the editor on the call and you can judge the difference.