Process · enquiries and quote requests
A quote request. Gaps first, then the reply.
An email describing a job rarely contains everything you need to quote. The system pulls out the details, shows what’s missing and opens a case with an owner. The reply is written as a draft — sending it is a person’s decision.
From: Emma N. · Subject: Bathroom refit — quote
Hi, we’d like to have the bathroom in our flat redone. Could you send us a quote?
Thanks, Emma
- Subject
- Bathroom refit
- Customer
- Emma N.
- Scope
- no room size
- Dates
- none
- Location
- no address
- Owner
- Dan
waiting for you Draft questions about the gaps
Fictional data. Fields and rules are agreed for your process.
What comes in. What goes out.
01 · Comes in
Email, form or message.
Sometimes with a full description. Sometimes with half the details and an attachment called “final_final2”.
02 · The system sorts it
Details, gaps, owner.
It pulls out the details, checks them against the list you need to quote, opens a case and assigns the person who runs it.
03 · Goes out
A brief and a draft reply.
Questions about the missing details are ready to send. They don’t go out without your approval.
Four questions before anyone starts quoting.
The system doesn’t fill gaps from imagination. It asks for what we agreed with you as the minimum for a quote.
- 01
What is the enquiry about?
The service, the customer and the place — specific enough that nobody has to ask for the basics.
- 02
What is missing for a quote?
Scope, dates, location. The list is agreed with you, not guessed.
- 03
Who owns the case?
One person or role, assigned straight away — not “someone in the team”.
- 04
What happens next, and when?
A draft reply and, if the customer goes quiet, a reminder according to agreed rules.
An ordinary day in this process.
Every step stays in the log. Purple rows are where the system deliberately stopped and is waiting for a person.
- 08:12 Enquiry: bathroom refit, three sentencescase #0418 done
- 08:12 Missing: room size, dates, addresslist agreed with the business paused
- 08:13 Draft reply asking for the missing detailswaiting for approval waiting for you
- 10:40 Form: kitchen fit-out, all details presentbrief → Dan done
- 13:05 Customer replied: 6 m², from Novembercase #0418 completed done
- 13:06 Request for a 15% discountcommercial decision waiting for you
Sample log, fictional data. Scope, rules and stopping points are agreed in the process map.
The limits are part of the system.
If the data is incomplete or contradictory, or the case doesn’t fit the rules, the system doesn’t guess. It flags an exception and passes it to a person. That isn’t a failure — it’s a checkpoint.
The system can
- pull details out of an email or form
- show the gaps against an agreed list
- open a case and assign an owner
- write a draft reply
- chase an enquiry that hasn’t had an answer
A person decides
- sending the reply to the customer
- price, discount and terms
- conflicting details in the enquiry
- anything outside the agreed scope
We cover this pattern in more depth on the blog
Automation doesn’t start with AI. It starts with one process.Other processes we often start with
Documents and invoices
A PDF or scan → a completeness check → a specific next step, or an exception with a reason.
See the processShared inbox
office@ → a working status and an owner → a handover with who, why and what to do.
See the processService requests
A form → missing details shown openly → a handover with a condition and one task.
See the processGot a process like this?
Describe it in a few lines. We’ll tell you whether it’s worth automating, where to start and what to leave alone.
Or call +44 7822 000220 · email info@sitco.uk