Supplier Quote Requests and Follow-ups
Automates supplier quote requests, extracts pricing from attachments via AI.
ops and IT teamsfounders and execs
What it does
Eliminate manual data entry in procurement by automating the entire supplier quote lifecycle. The system sends personalized email requests, monitors for replies, uses AI to extract pricing and product details from attachments, and automatically follows up with non-responsive suppliers via WhatsApp or email. This reduces a 5-hour process to a 10-minute review task while improving response rates.
Step by step
- Configure a Gmail trigger to watch for incoming emails with specific subject lines or attachments.
- Set up a Google Sheet as the central database to store supplier details, quote status, and extracted data fields.
- Define the API endpoints for OpenAI Chat Model to parse PDF/Excel attachments and Twilio to send WhatsApp messages.
- Create a scheduled workflow that checks for non-responsive suppliers after a set number of days.
Where the LLM does the work
- Design the system prompt to accurately extract pricing, currency, and lead times from varied supplier document formats.
- Generate personalized email follow-up templates that adapt tone based on the supplier's previous interaction history.
- Classify incoming quote attachments as valid or invalid before sending them for detailed data extraction.
Watch out for
Supplier PDFs often have inconsistent layouts so add robust error handling and human review steps for ambiguous extractions.
Twilio WhatsApp messages require pre-approved templates in some regions, so verify compliance requirements before launching the campaign.
Personalization tokens might fail if supplier data is missing in Sheets, add validation checks to skip incomplete records.
Tools that fit
OpenAI Chat Model LLM Extracting product details from PDF attachments
The agent brief
Everything your agent needs, including the gotchas. Copy it and go.
You are helping me build the following AI agent workflow. ## Goal Supplier Quote Requests and Follow-ups: Automates supplier quote requests, extracts pricing from attachments via AI. ## Specification - What it does: Eliminate manual data entry in procurement by automating the entire supplier quote lifecycle. The system sends personalized email requests, monitors for replies, uses AI to extract pricing and product details from attachments, and automatically follows up with non-responsive suppliers via WhatsApp or email. This reduces a 5-hour process to a 10-minute review task while improving response rates. - Trigger: On a schedule (Manual · on demand; Scheduled · hourly and daily) - Autonomy: Fully hands-off - Expected setup effort: about an afternoon - Tools/services involved: - Gmail: Sending quote requests and monitoring replies - Google Sheets: Tracking supplier data and storing extracted prices - OpenAI Chat Model: Extracting product details from PDF attachments - Twilio: Sending WhatsApp follow-up reminders ## Known pitfalls, handle each one explicitly in your implementation 1. Supplier PDFs often have inconsistent layouts so add robust error handling and human review steps for ambiguous extractions. 2. Twilio WhatsApp messages require pre-approved templates in some regions, so verify compliance requirements before launching the campaign. 3. Personalization tokens might fail if supplier data is missing in Sheets, add validation checks to skip incomplete records. ## Reference implementation https://n8n.io/workflows/12638 (workflow template) Fetch and inspect this before building. If it matches my stack, adapt it; if not, rebuild the pattern with my tools. ## Process requirements 1. Before building: ask me which of the listed tools I actually use and what my platform is (n8n / Make / code / other). Do not assume. 2. Adapt the pattern to my answers; do not force the reference stack. 3. Address every pitfall above; tell me how you handled each. 4. Provide a test plan I can run before letting this touch real data. 5. Ask before any step that sends messages, modifies data, or spends money. Source: https://usecasesforagents.com/use-case/automate-supplier-quote-requests-and-follow-ups/ via usecasesforagents.com
Frequently asked questions
Can I use a different Email than Gmail?
Yes. Gmail is only the example email in this recipe. The same flow works with Brevo, KlickTipp, Lemlist and Mailchimp. Swap the email connection and keep the rest of the setup as written.
Want this running in your business?
This is what I do. I design and build AI agents like this one, and keep them running. If you want it set up for your team instead of doing it yourself, get in touch.
Who it's for
Built for Ops-IT teams who need one more recurring task off a human's plate.
Founders and execs get the same output without having to ask someone else to run it.