TételívTÉTELÍV / QUOTATION GUIDE
Product catalogue matching for electrical wholesale quotations
Reliable product matching compares requested technical attributes with your own catalogue. A similar name is not sufficient evidence of a match. Missing specifications, different pack sizes and substitute products need distinct review states.
Why text similarity is not enough
A request for a “C16 circuit breaker” may leave out poles, breaking capacity or the required manufacturer series. Two similarly named products can differ technically and commercially. Search can identify candidates; the quoting workflow must also recognise when there is too little information to choose.
Tételív treats uncertainty as a visible state. A confident sentence is not a substitute for a match that can be checked against the catalogue.
The minimum useful catalogue
- A unique internal SKU and a complete product description.
- Manufacturer reference where available.
- Product family and the technical attributes that determine selection.
- Sales unit, pack size and conversion rules.
- Net price, currency, validity and applicable price list.
- Active or discontinued status; stock recorded separately with a timestamp.
An empty price is not zero. Old stock information is not a reservation. Before a pilot, identify duplicate SKUs, missing units and variants stored under identical descriptions.
Four states worth measuring separately
- Candidate exact match
- The required attributes agree and the line is ready for human review.
- Several possible products
- Show the attribute that would distinguish the candidates.
- Missing specification
- Ask a precise question, such as box dimensions or cable type.
- No suitable product found
- Do not invent a SKU or silently substitute another product.
An exact match and a substitute proposal are different decisions. An authorised person must assess the suitability of a substitute. Text similarity cannot establish the technical suitability of an electrical product.
How to measure matching quality
Keep an evaluation set separate, with reference answers already checked by your team. Record incorrect accepted matches, justified stops and unnecessary stops. Review coverage together with error severity: filling more lines adds little value if important technical differences are missed.
Break results down by product family. Good results for cables do not automatically prove reliable matching for switches or distribution boards. Record which catalogue version produced each result so later changes remain explainable.
Frequently asked questions
Can we use an incomplete catalogue?
A pilot can expose gaps, but missing technical data and prices must not be invented. Affected lines require clarification.
Can a substitute be selected automatically?
Substitutions require separate approval. A similar product name or category does not prove technical and commercial suitability.
