WhatsApp quotes: 4 checks before sending
A quote your system sends on WhatsApp automatically goes out only after 4 checks: current price and an authorised discount; available stock and an achievable delivery date; the quote goes to the customer's registered number with the payment terms approved for that account; and it carries a number, a validity period and a single live version. This lesson pairs with the payment receipt and payment reminder lessons, starting at the top of the cycle; see also the sales cycle from quote to collected invoice.
Why a wrong quote costs more than a late one
A late quote may lose a deal; a wrong one commits you to a price or date you cannot meet. Saudi Arabia's Civil Transactions Law, Article 35, lets the offeror withdraw an offer before acceptance unless the offer has a fixed period. Article 36 says the offer lapses when the period set for acceptance ends, and treats an acceptance with changes as a rejection that makes a new offer. So if your quote says "valid 7 days", you may be bound for those 7 days; in special cases, ask your legal adviser.
A case from the floor
Illustrative example: a plumbing supplies distributor sells to 80 contractors, who request prices on WhatsApp. It automated quotes from the contractor's message. In week one, of 38 requests, 31 quotes went out and 7 were held.
Those seven are the lesson. Three asked for more stock than was on hand. Two carried a 15% discount promised by a rep whose limit is 10%. One came from a number not registered on the contractor's account. And one customer, over the credit limit, would have been offered credit. Had all seven gone out, contractors would hold written promises you cannot keep. The 31 that went out arrived in minutes, not after the rep got back to the office: the gain the checks protect.
Four checks before a quote goes out
- Current price, authorised discount. The price comes from today's approved list, not this customer's last quote. A discount passes only within the rep's limit; anything above goes to the approver by message, as in the approval chain.
- Stock available, date achievable. The quantity is compared with available stock after reservations for confirmed orders. If short, the quote stops, or covers what is available with a date for the rest set by purchasing, never guessed.
- Right customer, right terms. The quote goes to the account's registered number with its approved payment terms. A customer over the credit limit is not offered credit automatically; a new customer gets cash terms until an account is opened.
- Number, validity, one version. Every quote has a sequential number, a date and a written validity period. A revision gets a revision number and the message cancels the earlier version, so no one holds you to the older price.
What the system does, case by case
| Case | What the system does |
|---|---|
| Discount above the rep's limit | Holds the quote and asks the approver |
| Quantity above available stock | Quotes what is available and refers the rest to purchasing |
| Request from an unregistered number | Replies that the quote goes to the registered number only |
| Customer over the credit limit | Offers cash terms and alerts the accountant |
| Customer accepts with changes | Treats it as a new request; no order confirmed |
| Validity period has ended | Sends an updated quote; old price not confirmed |
The conversation as it happens
A contractor writes from its registered number:
Customer: I need a quote for 40 kitchen mixers and 20 basins, and the delivery date
System: Quote no. 512: 40 kitchen mixers and 20 basins, total SAR 18,600, delivery within 3 working days, payment on 30-day credit as per your account. Valid for 7 days.
The contractor replies:
Customer: Agreed if you take off 5%
System: Noted; the manager will reply here. Quote 512 stands until then.
In the evening the owner asks:
Owner: How many quotes went out today?
System: 9 quotes worth SAR 74,200. I held 2: a discount awaiting your approval, and an over-stock quantity with purchasing. Send the details?
This is what running your business from WhatsApp adds: price, stock and account in one place, so quotes go out fast and right.
Checklist before you automate quotes
- One current price list and a written discount limit per rep?
- Stock counted after reservations, not in total?
- Each customer has a registered number, payment terms and credit limit?
- A default validity period on every quote, and revision numbers?
- A named person who receives held quotes?