This article is part of our guide to AI and automation for industry.
A customer sends a WhatsApp photo of a half-worn nameplate with a message: "I need the same one, or an equivalent, by next week." The salesperson opens one PDF catalogue, then a second one from another brand, then the price list, then the stock report. They call a colleague who "knows this range well". The quote goes out the next day, sometimes later.
Meanwhile, two other requests are waiting. And the customer may have sent the same photo to a competitor.
Why this time is expensive
Preparing a technical quote is not selling in the strict sense. It is research: finding a part number, checking compatibility, finding the equivalent in stock, working out a price. According to Salesforce's State of Sales study (2023, more than 7,700 salespeople surveyed across several countries), salespeople spend on average only 28% of their week selling. The rest goes on preparing offers, data entry and follow-up.
This figure is not Tunisian and does not cover industry alone. It gives an order of magnitude: in many companies, most sales time is not spent with the customer.
Tunisian manufacturers seem to have noticed. In the EY and Novation City Industry 4.0 barometer (2022, 74 companies), marketing and sales came second among the functions to digitise, right after production.
Internationally, McKinsey describes distributors already using AI to recommend products account by account and to serve small customers without hiring more salespeople. These are distribution businesses, like many of the companies selling industrial equipment in Tunisia.
What a quoting assistant does, step by step
A quoting assistant is not a new management system. It is a tool connected to what you already have, which does the research part in place of the salesperson.
- It understands the request. A partial part number, a description ("double-acting cylinder, 200 mm stroke"), a nameplate photo, an email in French, Arabic or English. It extracts what matters: product type, dimensions, original brand, quantity.
- It searches your catalogues. It queries your supplier catalogues, data sheets and price lists, and suggests the exact part when it exists, or equivalents from the brands you distribute.
- It checks stock and price. From your ERP export or API, it shows what is available, in what quantity, and the price that applies to this customer.
- It cites its sources. Every suggestion links to the catalogue page or price-list line. The salesperson checks in one click instead of searching.
- It prepares a draft quote. The salesperson reviews, adjusts, approves, then sends it from your usual tools.
The technique behind searching your own documents is often called RAG (retrieval-augmented generation). We explain it in this article on RAG for business. For broader technical questions (tightening torque, compatibility, customer history), see also an assistant that knows your catalogues and technical manuals.
What it does not do
- It never sends anything to the customer on its own. A wrong price or part number is costly. The salesperson always approves.
- It does not replace your ERP. It reads it, through exports or its API. We explain why we prefer integrating to replacing in the ERP trap.
- It only knows what you give it. If a catalogue is missing or a price list is out of date, its answer will be too. Part of the work is deciding which sources are authoritative.
- It does not set your commercial policy. Discounts, terms and priorities remain your team's.
How to start small
There is no need to connect every catalogue on day one. A realistic first scope looks like this:
- One product range: for example hydraulics, or a brand that generates many equivalence requests.
- One team: two or three salespeople who receive these requests every day.
- One indicator set at the start: the time between the customer's request and the quote being sent, measured before and after.
If the tool helps on that scope, we extend it to other ranges. If not, we stop, and you know why. Once quotes are faster, the next question is often follow-up: knowing where each offer stands. We cover that in sales follow-up by region.
If your salespeople spend more time in catalogues than with customers, let's talk.
Do you have this problem? Describe it in a few lines: what happens today, who is involved, what it costs you in time. We get back to you quickly, usually within 48 working hours, for a short discussion: to understand your project and see whether we are the right partner.
Describe your problem · WhatsApp · All our solutions for industry
Sources
- Salesforce, State of Sales, 2023 (more than 7,700 salespeople): salesforce.com
- McKinsey, AI in distribution sales: mckinsey.com
- EY / Novation City Industry 4.0 barometer, 2022, summarised by Managers (in French): managers.tn