TételívTÉTELÍV / QUOTATION GUIDE
Excel, ERP or AI: choosing a quotation-preparation workflow
A spreadsheet may be sufficient for low-volume, well-controlled quotation work. The ERP remains the source of truth for products, pricing and transactions. AI-assisted preparation may help when varied incoming material lists create repetitive interpretation and matching work. These approaches can coexist; choose based on measured results using your own data.
Find the bottleneck before choosing technology
Start with ten representative quotation requests. Measure time spent extracting the list, finding products, applying prices, clarifying missing details and reviewing the draft. If the delay is price approval, faster PDF extraction alone will not solve it.
Separate active work from waiting. A request held up by a missing technical specification may need one clear question to the customer rather than more automation.
Compare the roles, not the marketing claims
| Criterion | Spreadsheet | Existing ERP | AI preparation layer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main role | Structured working sheet and review | Products, pricing and business records | Organising incoming text and proposing matches |
| Varied PDFs and emails | Often requires manual conversion | Depends on the actual modules and import tools | May help prepare fields, with review |
| Price accuracy | Depends on source freshness | Uses configured business pricing rules | Uses the designated price source; prices are not invented |
| Uncertain products | Staff clarification | Depends on configured search and checks | Flagged for a human decision |
| System handover | Agreed file format | Import, export or an available API | Separately verified connection to the target system |
This compares roles rather than rating particular products. An ERP may already include document processing or AI features. Check the existing licence and modules before buying another service.
When should you keep the spreadsheet?
If requests are infrequent, formats are stable, product identifiers are exact and the current process does not burden the team, a consistent template may be enough. First clarify required fields, version ownership and who approves each quotation.
Automation built on a poorly maintained catalogue can produce incorrect drafts faster. Improving data quality is often the first useful step.
When is AI-assisted preparation worth testing?
Consider a pilot when multi-line requests arrive regularly in varied email, PDF or spreadsheet formats and colleagues repeat the same copying, searching and matching work. You need access to your own catalogue, a valid price source and a person responsible for review.
Tételív targets this preparation work. It does not replace the ERP, commercial approval or an electrical engineer’s technical decisions. The public demonstration uses fictional data; the actual system connection must be proved during the pilot.
Five questions to settle in the pilot
- Were every requested item, quantity and unit retained?
- Does the match follow from the actual catalogue and the correct technical attributes?
- Does missing or uncertain information stop an automatic decision?
- Is active handling time still lower after corrections and review?
- Can the approved draft be handed over correctly to the actual target system?
The free scorecard helps record comparable results. There is no universal time-saving percentage that applies to every wholesaler.
Proceed only with a verifiable result
Keep the existing process if the new preparation layer does not produce a meaningful benefit after corrections. Check native ERP features first if they cover the task. Proceed with a separate preparation layer when useful measured gains, manageable errors and a verified handover all hold on your own sample requests.
The integration guide explains export and API choices. Combine the technical pilot with a cost plan using the published fees and limits.
Frequently asked questions
Does Tételív replace the ERP?
No. It prepares drafts from designated product and price data; the ERP and commercial approval retain their roles.
Is every ERP already integrated?
No. Import, export or API handover must be verified on the actual target system.
Is automation worthwhile for a small number of requests?
Not necessarily. If the useful time savings do not justify the full cost, a controlled manual process may be the better choice.
Can AI approve a technical substitute?
Tételív does not approve technical substitutions or safety decisions. It flags uncertainty and leaves the decision to a qualified person.
