Quotation Agents: Lead Time, MOQ, and Terms Without Invented Prices
A foreign-trade quotation Agent reads structured price books inside permissions and may output reference bands or standard copy—it is not a chat widget that “gets friendly and names a number.” Bad quotes usually mean: no price ingest, no SKU key, no validity dates, or an Excel paste in the prompt with no refuse rules. It pairs with the inquiry Agent (who owns first reply through sample stages); shared multi-entry pricing: /blog/alibaba-vs-independent-site-inquiry-agents. GeonAI delivers guardrails; /agents are capability references only (not a public trial of 363+ presets). Email [email protected].
Where bad quotes come from
- No SKU/series key → model guesses a “helpful” price
- Rows without validity or currency → stale or mixed-currency quotes
- Unstructured MOQ tiers → wrong band for order size
- Incoterms/freight not bound → FOB quoted as delivered price
- Prompt says “be helpful” → discounts invented beyond the allowlist
How to model the knowledge base (SOW-ready)
| Field | Type | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| SKU / series | Key | No key → no numeric price |
| MOQ | Number + bands | Tiered MOQ; exceptions need humans |
| Price | Row | Currency, Incoterms, valid from/to, customer tier if any |
| Lead time | Tier | Standard / expedited; changes → sales |
| Incoterms | Enum | Bound to freight/liability copy—no mixing |
| Certs / compliance | Citation | Published version only; expired → refuse or hand off |
Release/rollback: /blog/custom-agent-knowledge-release-rollback. RAG and ACL patterns: /blog/enterprise-rag-knowledge-base-agent.
Generation strategy (three layers)
- Row hit: optional reference band + validity watermark + terms summary; “formal quote subject to sales confirm”
- Miss / over-table / fuzzy intent: refuse numbers, collect slots, hand to sales (inquiry stage table)
- Formal quote PDF / contract / price break: human issue only; Agent may draft for review
Which inquiry stages automate: /blog/foreign-trade-inquiry-agent-playbook. Contract do/don’t/human tables: /blog/custom-agent-scope-boundary-in-contract. At peak, tighten auto-quotes and use an expedited human lane: /blog/foreign-trade-peak-season-agent-surge.
Tools: read-only price API beats prompt paste
- Price via read-only API or MCP tool (SKU + tier + date) with version in the response
- Do not paste whole books into the system prompt—too long, stale, unauditable
- Writes (price change, send formal quote) stay off default Agent ACL
- Integration patterns: /blog/agent-function-call-mcp-integration
Anti-patterns (stop the project)
- Buyer pushes “lowest price” → model invents discount or breaks MOQ
- Separate Excel books per channel with no unified version
- Merge quotation Agent with cold outreach blasts (split roles)
- Auto-send “formal quotes” at scale with no sampling
When to split Agents: /blog/multi-agent-vs-single-assistant. Outreach boundaries: /blog/foreign-trade-outreach-agent-compliance.
Pilot acceptance
- Wrong numeric prices / stale row cites = 0 (or harm metric scale-stop)
- On miss: zero invented prices (sampled)
- Formal PDF/contracts 100% human issued; Agent drafts versioned
- After price change, automated copy matches new version within your publish SLA
Pilot KPI framework: /blog/custom-agent-30-day-pilot-metrics.
How to brief GeonAI
Share a sample price book (fields, currency, validity), update cadence, who may break price, and whether ERP/CRM price APIs exist. Email [email protected], /pricing, or Live chat. We deliver guardrails—not “fully automatic legally binding quotes.”
Frequently asked questions
Buyer pushes “what’s your lowest price?”
Reply with standard band and MOQ; formal price needs sales confirm. No model-invented discounts or price breaks.
Can we start without an electronic price book?
Pilot yes, but structure a minimal SKU table and refuse rules first; verbal Excel prices are not safe for full auto numbers.
Separate from the inquiry Agent?
Small teams can share one Agent and one book if the stage table is clear; split when outreach or ACL complexity demands it.
Can the Agent output formal quote PDFs?
Default human issue only; Agent may draft or fill templates—sales must confirm before send.
How handle multiple currencies?
Each row declares currency and rate date; no model FX unless an authorized rate API is in the tool contract.
Do the 363+ presets include price guardrails?
No. Presets do not include your book versions, break-price ACL, or formal-issue workflow.