Automatic RFQ sorting works like this: set sorting and assignment rules first, then let the system read each RFQ email, pull out the company, country, product, quantity, lead time and attachments, assign it to the right salesperson by those rules, send the buyer a confirmation, and record the details in a sheet or your system. Sales no longer digs through inboxes or copies details by hand, and only handles what needs judgment: whether you can make it and how to quote. Emails the system can't read or sort go into a needs-review queue for a person to handle. None of this replaces your inbox or ERP; it connects them.
1. Where RFQ emails get stuck
An exporting factory's RFQs usually come in from several places: the website form, B2B platform messages, emails after a trade show, and emails sent straight to a salesperson's own inbox. Three problems are common. First, nobody owns the sorting, everyone assumes someone else will reply, and the reply goes out days later. Second, one buyer asks through two channels and two salespeople each send a quote. Third, RFQs sit in personal inboxes, so when a salesperson leaves or takes time off, they're lost.
2. Set sorting and assignment rules first
Before automating, write down who handles what today. It doesn't need to be complicated; one table is enough.
| Sort by | Examples | Assign to |
|---|---|---|
| Product line | Metal parts, plastic parts, assembly | The salesperson for that product line |
| Region | North America, Europe, Japan | The salesperson for that region |
| Customer type | Brand, trading company, existing customer | Existing customers go to their current salesperson |
| Urgency | The email says the deadline is tight or asks for a fast quote | Flagged as urgent, and the manager is notified too |
| Not an RFQ | Ads, job applications, vendor pitches | Moved to a separate folder, not assigned |
Start with the most common cases, send exceptions to a person, and adjust after a month or two.
3. Fields to pull from every RFQ
The details sales needs to quote are best laid out at assignment, so nobody has to open the email and search again.
- Company name, country, contact person
- Product or part description, part number
- Quantity: samples and production separately
- Target lead time
- Attachments: drawings, specifications, BOM
- Source: website, B2B platform, trade show, referral
- Whether it's an existing customer
AI can help read emails and attachments and pull out these fields, but it will get some wrong. So every record should link back to the original email, letting sales check it at a glance.
4. What the automated flow looks like
| Step | What the system does | What people do |
|---|---|---|
| Receive | Collects RFQs from the website form and designated inboxes | Nothing |
| Read and sort | Pulls out fields, identifies product line and region, filters out non-RFQs | Review the needs-review queue |
| Assign | Assigns by the rules and notifies the salesperson of a new RFQ | Salesperson confirms they've taken it |
| Acknowledge | Sends the buyer a confirmation email | Nothing |
| Prepare quote data | Writes the fields to a sheet or system; where it can connect, pulls part numbers and past quotes from ERP | Sales decides whether it's feasible and how to quote |
| Follow up | Reminds the salesperson and manager when an RFQ goes unanswered past a set number of days | Reply or close it |
These flows can be built with n8n, connecting your inboxes, spreadsheets and systems. Whether your ERP can be connected depends on whether it offers a way to do so, such as an API or data export.
5. What still needs a person
Automation handles sorting, assignment and preparing data, not judgment. Whether you can make it, whether to take the job and how to price it are still decided by sales and engineering. Don't let the system send quotes automatically either; a person should always check them. And when the system can't sort an email, it's better to put it in the needs-review queue than force it; misrouting one important RFQ costs far more than reading a few extra emails.
6. Where to start
Pick the inbox or website form that receives the most RFQs, run it for two to four weeks to check that sorting and assignment are right, then add other channels. Before you start, record where things stand: how many RFQs arrive a week, how long the first reply takes, and how long it takes to send a quote. Measure the same way afterwards to know whether it improved.
The short version
RFQ automation hands sorting, assignment, confirmations and data preparation to the system, so sales spends its time on judgment and quoting.
Frequently asked questions
- Do we need to replace our email or ERP?
- No. We connect the inboxes, spreadsheets and systems you already have; whether your ERP can be connected depends on whether it offers a way to do so.
- What if the AI sorts something wrong?
- Every record links back to the original email, and emails the system isn't sure about go to the needs-review queue. After running for a while, the rules are adjusted based on the mistakes.
- Can B2B platform messages be included too?
- If the platform sends RFQ notification emails, route them to a designated inbox and they're sorted along with everything else; if not, first check what export or connection options the platform offers.
- How is pricing worked out?
- It's scoped to your needs: how many inboxes and systems to connect and how complex the sorting rules are. We quote after a free 30-minute consultation.