Every fastener distributor has a desk full of quote requests that are not quite catalog items. A shoulder bolt in an odd length. A metric fine-thread nut. A stainless screw with a special head. A part off an old machine, brought in a sandwich bag, with no markings anyone can read. The customer does not know what to call it, so he calls you, and your best inside person spends a chunk of the day working out what it is.
The Fastener App gives customers and your team faster ways through.
AI Quick Quote: say it, get a price
With AI Quick Quote, a customer says or types what they need in plain words, such as "500 3/8-16 by 1-1/2 grade 8 yellow zinc hex cap screws and matching nuts," and gets a priced quote back. A buyer can paste a list in their own shorthand. Lines that need checking are checked again against the full description and update on screen, and every crossed line shows the competitor's invoice text and full description when the request came from a competitor's paperwork.
That handles a lot of the everyday quoting without anyone at your desk typing it.
Get this for me: specials and the unidentified
For anything not in the catalog, Get this for me lets a customer ask for what they do not see. They can take a photo of the part, ideally with the box label or the head marking visible, and send it in. It goes to purchasing and comes back as a quote. The customer, the rep and your team all get a copy.
A photo of a head marking tells your team the grade or the maker. A photo next to a tape measure gives the length. Reps can do the same in the field: a rep can buy what a customer asks for, or send it to purchasing.
The email quote desk
Many quote requests still arrive by email: a bill of materials from an engineer, a bid list from a contractor, a reorder request with new quantities. The email quote desk prices requests that arrive by email and answers them. AI decisions keeps a record of every decision the agents made, so your team can check them.
Here is how the quote tools fit together:
- AI Quick Quote for catalog items, described in plain words.
- Get this for me for specials and unidentified parts, with a photo.
- Email quote desk for requests that arrive in the inbox.
- Quotes in the app, where the customer accepts the price when ready.
Why specials are good business
Specials are where fastener distributors earn their keep. They are rarely shopped hard on price, they lead to repeat orders, and they show a customer you know the trade. The distributor who identifies the strange part becomes the first call for the standard ones too.
When you source a special, add it to the customer's part numbers so the next order is one tap. If it is stocked just for them, put it under a dedicated custom inventory agreement so the risk is shared.
The quote tools do not replace your fastener experts. They take the easy quotes off their desks and organize the hard ones, so your best people spend their time on the specials, where the margin and the loyalty are.
Want to see The Fastener App with your own catalog and customers? See how it works.