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Electrical wholesale

Electrical distributor quote automation with AI: from contractor enquiry to reviewed quote

Electrical distributor quote automation turns a contractor’s enquiry (an emailed takeoff, a lighting schedule, a list of cable, breakers and containment) into a draft quote built from your own catalogue. ERP Agent identifies the right products from shorthand and part numbers, brings in the contractor’s pricing and scores every line from 0 to 100. Your sales team checks the draft, and it lands in your ERP, CRM or other system.

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What does an enquiry look like at an electrical wholesaler?

An estimator emails an Excel takeoff for a block of flats. A contractor forwards the consultant’s lighting schedule as a PDF. A facilities buyer sends a purchase order with their own item codes. A regular customer sends “2.5 T&E grey x4, 20mm PVC conduit x30, B32 MCB x12” from their phone.

Every line has to become one of your SKUs, often among near-identical variants (cross-section, rating, IP rating, panel size, 24 V or 230 V), and then be priced on that contractor’s account. According to our case study, a sales rep spends on average 4–7 minutes per line when creating quotes and orders by hand. At that rate, a 200-line project list takes roughly 13 to 23 hours of desk work.

Contractors often send the same list to several wholesalers and need prices before their own tender closes. The wholesaler that answers first and gets it right wins the job, and your most experienced people should be selling, not keying lines.

Electrical shorthand, and what the agent reads in it

Electrical shorthand, and what the agent reads in it
The customer writesHow ERP Agent handles it
“2.5 T&E grey 100m”Reads the abbreviation; the numbers in the line separate the 1.5, 2.5 and 4 mm² variants.
“IP65 bulkhead 230V”Compares the stated IP rating and voltage with each candidate and pushes down products that contradict them.
“600x600 LED panel”Checks the stated size, so a 1200x600 panel drops down the list.
A manufacturer’s part numberFound directly when your catalogue carries that number next to your own code.
The contractor’s own item codeLearned from past quotes and from every line your team sends; the customer’s code stays on the line.
One code for a standard kit, such as a plot packSet up that code once with its contents, and the agent expands it into the fixed catalogue lines.

How does ERP Agent handle an electrical enquiry?

  1. The enquiry arrives

    A rep forwards the email to your company’s agent mailbox or pastes it into the web app as it is. The agent reads the body and attachments: PDF (scanned too), Excel, CSV, Word and images. See email to ERP.

  2. Customer and site

    It identifies the contractor in your customer register, warns when no customer matches, and flags a site delivery address that differs from the one in your ERP.

  3. Lines to products

    Wording your team has confirmed before goes to the same product again. Other lines are searched in your catalogue by code, numbers and description, across languages; with sales history, what this contractor usually buys ranks higher.

  4. Checks

    Stated sizes, voltages and IP ratings are compared with each candidate. A second check you can switch on sends wrong matches back and, with accessory rules set up for your company, reminds the rep of a mounting frame for a panel. A line it cannot place goes on your placeholder code instead of a guess.

  5. Pricing, review and send

    Customer pricing comes from the data and rules configured for your company. The rep approves, and the quote or sales order is written to your ERP, CRM or other system.

Example: a contractor’s takeoff, line by line

Prices are left out here; in a real draft they come from the contractor’s terms.

Customer requestIllustrative example
Email with Excel attached: “Can you price this for the Unit 4 fit-out?”
  1. 2.5mm T&E grey 100m x 4
  2. B32 MCB type B x 12
  3. 600x600 LED panel 4000K x 24
  4. IP65 emergency bulkhead 3hr x 8
  5. Our ref ELC-0412 x 6
  6. Fire alarm sounder to match existing x 3
Proposed lines · Illustrative example
Request lineProposed productScoreWhy
2.5mm T&E grey 100m310225 Twin and earth 6242Y 2.5 mm² grey, 100 m coil97Cross-section, colour and length agree
B32 MCB type B410132 MCB single pole B32 6 kA95Numbers separate B32 from B16 and B40
600x600 LED panel 4000K610660 LED panel 600x600 4000K94Size agrees; 1200x600 pushed down
IP65 emergency bulkhead 3hr620365 Emergency bulkhead IP65 3 h, non-maintained76Maintained version ready as the alternative; marked for review
Our ref ELC-0412430412 RCBO 32 A 30 mA type A98Contractor’s own code, learned from an earlier quote
Fire alarm sounder to match existingPlaceholder code0Make and system not stated; the rep asks instead of the agent guessing

Sample data: the request, article numbers and scores show how the agent handles each kind of line.

What your sales team sees before anything is sent

  • The contractor’s line next to the proposed product, so the rep checks instead of searching.
  • A match score from 0 to 100; lines under 80 are marked. See how the match score works.
  • Reasoning and alternatives: open a line to read why the agent chose a product, or take a runner-up, such as the maintained emergency fitting.
  • Quote chat: add or remove rows and change quantities or prices, for example to a project price agreed for the site; every proposed edit is approved or rejected line by line.
  • A person approves. The agent sends nothing on its own, and product codes are checked against the ERP before the draft is written.
ERP Agent quote review interface with sample data
Quote review screen (sample data). Open full size

Specified brands and “or equivalent”

When a lighting schedule or specification names another manufacturer’s range, a cross-reference list set up for your company maps that range to your equivalent, and the agent picks the exact product from the size, voltage and IP rating on the line. Lines without a mapping are matched by their description, and anything uncertain is marked for the rep. See part number cross-reference.

Built for electrical wholesalers, on top of your ERP

  • Made for the wholesaler that supplies the materials. The takeoff a contractor’s estimator produces is exactly the enquiry ERP Agent turns into your quote.
  • Works on top of your ERP, with no replacement project. The agent prepares the quote or sales order and writes it to the ERP, CRM or other system you already run.
  • Reads free-form lists, no templates to build. A CPQ configurator needs every product and rule modelled in advance; ERP Agent reads the contractor’s own words and identifies the products in the catalogue you already have.
  • Covers what EDI does not reach. EDI handles orders that already carry your article numbers; ERP Agent handles everything else: the email with a PDF schedule, the Excel takeoff, the photo of a list.
  • Your team stays in control. Nothing reaches a contractor without a rep’s approval.

AI for electrical distributors: where does it help first?

Useful AI for an electrical distributor works on your own catalogue, customer pricing and past quotes, not on generic product data. ERP Agent learns from the lines your team sends: the next time a contractor writes the same thing, it picks the same product. New reps work from what experienced colleagues have confirmed, that knowledge stays when someone leaves, and contractors get their prices back sooner.

ERP Agent is the first agentic AI layer for wholesale distribution ERP systems. It is live with steel, HVAC and fastener distributors, and our published case is LVI-WaBeK in building services wholesale. Start where the hours go today: run your slowest takeoffs and the enquiries from contractors who write in their own codes. The AI quote agent pilot checklist shows how, and the quote cost calculator shows what a manual line costs you.

Where does the quote land?

Quotes and orders land in your ERP, CRM or other system. ERP Agent integrates with Business Central, SAP, NetSuite, Visma, IFS, Sage and any other ERP or CRM. We set up the connection for your company during onboarding, and you can start with a catalogue file the same week. See all integrations.

Integrations and what ERP Agent reads and writes in each
SystemTypeReadsWrites
Dynamics 365 Business CentralERP integrationItems, customers, customer pricesSales quotes and sales orders
SAP S/4HANAERP integrationProducts, business partners, customer pricesSales quotations and sales orders
SAP Business OneERP integrationItems, business partners, price listsSales quotations and sales orders
NetSuiteERP integrationItems, customers, customer pricesEstimates (quotes) and sales orders
Dynamics 365 Finance & Supply ChainERP integrationReleased products, customers, trade agreement pricesSales quotations and sales orders
VismaERP integrationItems, customers, customer pricesQuotes and sales orders
IFSERP integrationSales parts, customers, customer pricesSales quotations and customer orders
Monitor ERPERP integrationParts, customers, customer pricesQuotes and customer orders
Infor M3ERP integrationItems, customers, customer pricesQuotations and customer orders
ExactERP integrationItems, customers, sales pricesQuotations and sales orders
AFAS ProfitERP integrationItems, debtors, price agreementsQuotes and sales orders
OdooERP integrationProducts, customers, pricelistsQuotations and sales orders
SageERP integrationItems, customers, customer pricesSales quotes and sales orders
JeevesERP integrationItems, customers, customer pricesQuotes and sales orders; confirmed values on purchase orders
LemonsoftERP integrationItems, customers, customer pricesQuotes
Microsoft 365 / OutlookEmail integrationCustomer requests in the agent mailbox; email history for trainingNothing is sent to customers without your team
Catalogue file / SFTPFileProduct catalogue from a file, from the first weekThe reviewed quote or order as a file, ready to import into your system
Any other ERP or CRMERP or CRM integrationProducts, customers and prices, through the connection we set up for your company during onboardingQuotes and sales orders

ERP Agent in numbers

4–7 min
per line when a sales rep creates quotes and orders by hand, according to our case study
Over 95%
average automation across our customers
Over 95%
accuracy in quote-line automation at LVI-WaBeK (building services wholesale)
0–100
match score on every line; under 80 is marked for review

The same agent works for HVAC wholesalers, plumbers’ merchants, industrial and MRO suppliers and fastener distributors. For the workflow itself, see AI quote automation for distributors, RFQ automation for enquiry emails and order entry automation.

Frequently asked questions

What is electrical wholesaler quote automation?

Electrical wholesaler quote automation is software that turns a customer’s enquiry into a draft quote from the wholesaler’s own catalogue and that customer’s pricing, for a sales rep to check. With ERP Agent, the approved quote or sales order lands in your ERP, CRM or other system.

Which AI is best for electrical distributors?

The one that works on your own catalogue, pricing and past quotes, and shows its work. ERP Agent identifies the right products from contractors’ shorthand, part numbers and their own codes, brings in their pricing, scores every line from 0 to 100 with its reasoning, and learns from every line your team sends. CPQ vs AI quote automation explains why that matters more than a rules-based configurator.

Is this electrical wholesale quoting software or contractor estimating software?

Electrical wholesale quoting software. ERP Agent is built for the wholesaler that receives contractors’ enquiries and prices the materials on their account: the material list a contractor’s estimate produces is the enquiry it turns into your quote.

Can it read contractor takeoffs and lighting schedules sent as PDF?

Yes: PDF (including scanned PDFs), Excel, CSV, Word, images and forwarded emails. The rep forwards the email as it arrived, without retyping the list, and a long list is split into batches that run in parallel.

Does it work with our ERP and our contractor pricing?

Yes. ERP Agent integrates with Business Central, SAP, NetSuite, Visma, IFS, Sage and any other ERP or CRM, with prices from your ERP’s own price logic, customer discounts included; reps can edit them before sending. We set up the connection for your company during onboarding, and you can start with a catalogue file the same week. See ERP and email integrations.

Do contractors need to change how they send enquiries?

No. Contractors keep emailing their lists as before. Your reps forward them to the agent mailbox or paste them into the web app, and the draft is ready for review.

How long does a large takeoff take?

A typical request takes 3–8 minutes; a request of several hundred lines about half an hour. Fast mode handles requests of up to about 50 lines in 1–3 minutes. By hand, the same work takes on average 4–7 minutes per line, according to our case study. A large run shows its estimated time first and starts once a user approves it.

Let’s look at your quote workflow

Bring a real takeoff

Book a 30-minute call and bring a contractor enquiry your team found slow to quote.

  • Your requests and product catalogue
  • Your pricing and review process
  • A clear scope for the next step
Lauri Pelkonen

Lauri Pelkonen

Founder & CEO

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