How to answer quote requests by email and WhatsApp without retyping anything into your ERP

A quote request looks simple. It comes in by email or WhatsApp, in a message like this:

Good morning. Could you quote us for 40 boxes of the blue nitrile gloves and 15 boxes of the big degreaser, same as last month, delivered to our Braga shop by the 30th? Thank you.

Anyone who has handled requests like this knows the reply does not take two minutes. This guide walks through the usual process, where the time goes and how the same request is handled with Crafteer.ai.

How it is usually done

In many companies that sell to other businesses, the process goes roughly like this:

1. Someone opens the email or the message and works out who the customer is. Sometimes from the address or the number, sometimes from the company name in the signature.
2. They open the ERP and find the customer record.
3. They work out which products are meant. The customer writes “blue nitrile gloves” and the ERP has the item under another name, so they go through the customer's previous orders to find the codes. Then they check the price that applies to that customer.
4. They check stock and work out whether the requested date is achievable.
5. They create the quote in the ERP, or in a separate document, and export a PDF.
6. They go back to the email or WhatsApp, write the reply, attach the quote and send it.
7. If there is a CRM, they log the quote there. If the day is busy, that waits until tomorrow.

None of these steps is hard. The trouble is that they repeat dozens of times a week, and each one means switching screens.

Where the time goes

• Going back and forth between email, WhatsApp and the ERP. Every request means copying details from one place to another, sometimes line by line.
• Requests without product codes. The customer writes the name they use day to day, which is rarely the one in the ERP, or sends the list inside an attachment. Each line means one more search.
• Waiting. The request sits in the inbox or on the phone until someone has half an hour free. For the customer, that is the time that counts, and it is often when another supplier replies first.
• Typing errors. A wrong quantity makes it into the quote and, if nobody spots it, into the order.

How it works with Crafteer.ai, in five steps

1. The request arrives

The request arrives as it always has: in the company inbox, in Outlook or Gmail, or on WhatsApp, on the company's or the sales rep's number. Crafteer.ai handles both in the same way, and the customer does not change anything about how they ask.

2. Crafteer.ai reads the request

It recognises a quote request and pulls out the details: who is asking, which products, what quantities, where and by when. Customers rarely give the product code, so it matches the names they use against their purchase history and previous orders to find the right items in the ERP. If the list comes as an attachment, it reads the attachment. If two products could fit, it asks the team.

3. It checks the ERP

It goes to PHC, Primavera or Sage for the customer record, the prices that apply and the stock for each item. Nobody had to open the ERP.

4. It prepares the quote and the reply

It follows your company's procedure for quote requests: which terms apply, what to say when an item is out of stock, which wording to use. It prepares the quote and drafts the reply email.

5. The team approves

The reply appears in the chat as a “Waiting on you” card, with the quote and the draft ready, whether it is an email or a WhatsApp message. If it looks right, click Approve and send. If you want to change something, click Continue in chat and ask, typed or spoken, for example: “give 5% off the item that is out of stock”. Crafteer.ai redrafts it and puts it back in front of you.

Once sent, the reply is logged on the customer's account and the deal is updated.

What if the request comes in by phone?

The phone is not connected to Crafteer.ai yet, but the request does not have to end up on a scrap of paper. Whoever takes the call describes it in the chat, typed or spoken, during the call or straight after:

Rui Matos called asking for a quote for 40 boxes of the blue gloves, delivered to Braga by the 30th.

From there, the process is the same. Crafteer.ai identifies the customer and the products, checks the ERP and prepares the quote and the reply for approval.

What runs on its own and what waits for you

The rule is simple. Internal work runs on its own. Anything that goes outside, or that needs a decision, waits for a person.

Runs on its own:

• reading and sorting incoming emails and WhatsApp messages;
• pulling details from the request and its attachments;
• checking prices, stock and lead times in the ERP;
• logging the request and the quote on the customer's account.

Waits for the team:

• the reply with the quote, before it goes to the customer;
• discounts and exceptions the procedure does not cover;
• requests with missing information. In those cases, Crafteer.ai asks in the chat rather than guessing.

Where to start

You do not need to handle every kind of request at once. We suggest starting like this:

1. Pick one type of request. Quotes for catalogue products are a good start, because the steps almost always repeat.
2. Gather a few real requests of that type, by email or WhatsApp. Include the messiest ones. Those are the ones that show the exceptions.
3. Describe what the team does. The way you would explain it to someone who joined this week: where the price comes from, what happens when there is no stock, who decides on a discount. You can describe it in writing or by voice. We explain how in a separate guide on what an SOP is.
4. Review everything that goes out. At the start, it makes sense to approve each reply calmly and ask for changes. That is how the team builds trust in what Crafteer.ai prepares.

Implementation is done by the LucidHorizon team, after a demo. We connect your email, WhatsApp and ERP and write the first procedures with you. If you work in made-to-order manufacturing or distribution, each industry page has examples closer to your day-to-day work.