CUSTOMER SPREADSHEETS, READ ROW BY ROW
Customer spreadsheets in, draft quotes out
Procurement teams, estimators and maintenance planners live in Excel. Their request arrives as an .xlsx or a CSV exported from their own system: three hundred rows, their item numbers in one column, a loose description in the next, quantity and unit after that. At your counter, someone copies it row by row into the quote.
Qotora AI reads the spreadsheet, finds every row in your own catalogue, applies your own price rules and prepares a draft quote in your own template. A person on your team checks it against the original before anything is sent.
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What happens to a spreadsheet, step by step
- Attach the file to a new request. Qotora reads Excel (.xlsx) and CSV files. The original is stored first, so the customer’s sheet is always there to check.
- The cells are read directly, not as a picture. Opening the file is arithmetic, not AI: a number in a cell is the number you see, with no misread digits. A header row such as Item, Description, Qty, Unit in the first three rows is recognised and skipped.
- Each row becomes one line of text, with its cells joined in order, so “Hex bolt 1/2-13 x 3 GR5 zinc | 200 | EA” reads the way the customer would have typed it in a message. Both a customer item-number column and a description column go into the line.
- Qotora then reads those lines as it reads any request: the customer’s words, quantity and unit are kept as written, and nothing is converted, priced or invented at this stage.
- Each line is looked up in your catalogue: an exact hit on a part number or on words your team has matched before, then a narrower search by what the line says. When more than one product fits, a person chooses.
- Packaging rules and price rules apply, and a person reviews. The quote comes out in your own quote template, not written into the customer’s file.
What the spreadsheet says (one row per line)
- Hex bolt 1/2-13 x 3 GR5 zinc | 200 | EA
- Lock washer 1/2 | 200 | EA
- Gloves nitrile L | 4 | BX
- Bearing 6204-2RS | 8 | EA
The quote, ready to check
| Description / part no. | Qty | Unit price | Line total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hex cap screw 1/2-13 × 3, Gr 5, zinc — FB-050-13-300-G5 | 200 | $0.58 | $116.00 |
| Split lock washer 1/2 in, zinc — LW-050-Z | 200 | $0.10 | $20.00 |
| Nitrile gloves, powder-free, size L, box of 100 — GL-NIT-L | 4 boxes | $11.90 | $47.60 |
| Ball bearing 6204-2RS, 20 × 47 × 14 mm — BRG-6204-2RS | 8 | $3.95 | $31.60 |
| Total (sample) | $215.20 | ||
Illustration with sample products and prices. In your own account, part numbers and prices come from your catalogue and your price rules, and a person on your team reviews the quote before it is sent.
What can go wrong with a spreadsheet, and what Qotora does about it
Customer spreadsheets are built for people, not for software. These are the cases we know, and exactly how each is handled.
| What the spreadsheet looks like | What Qotora does |
|---|---|
| Merged cells | A merged cell keeps its text in its first cell only. A heading merged across columns arrives once, which is harmless. A description merged down over several rows leaves the rows beneath it with a quantity and no description. A row with nothing to match cannot be priced, so compare the number of lines detected with the rows in the sheet, and fix any gap in the review. |
| Several sheets in one workbook | Every sheet is read, in order, including a notes tab or an older revision. Rows from an old tab come in as lines, so remove them in the review or ask the customer for the one tab. |
| Hidden rows and columns | Read like any other. A column the customer hid is still read. |
| Colours, strike-through and cell comments | Not read. A row greyed out or struck through to mean “cancelled” still comes in as a line. If colour means something in a customer’s sheets, ask them to add a word. |
| Formulas | Qotora reads the value saved in the file, which is the last result Excel calculated. |
| CSV exports with semicolons or tabs | The separator is detected (comma, semicolon or tab), so a European export reads correctly. |
| An old .xls file | Save it as .xlsx or CSV first. Qotora reads .xlsx and CSV. |
| No quantity, or a unit that is not yours (“BX”, “CS”) | A missing quantity shows “Quantity needed” and stays open. A unit is converted only by your packaging rules, and both the customer’s unit and yours are shown on the line. |
| A row that fits several of your products | The row is held with the candidates and one question. The price follows once a person picks. |
Quantities, units and prices are never guessed. A human reviews every quote before it is sent.
Speed, and what stays in your hands
A typical request takes seconds to under a minute to prepare once your data is connected. A spreadsheet depends on its number of rows, and we do not give a time for a long one; your team’s review time is on top.
- Your catalogue and stock: rows are matched against your own products.
- Your price rules: tiers, discounts and margins are the ones you set. Qotora never invents a price or a margin, and it never uses a price from the customer’s sheet.
- Read-only on your system: Qotora never writes into the software you use.
- A human decides: every quote is reviewed before it is sent, and there is no automatic sending.
The Counter plan is US$49 for the first month, then US$149 a month, with setup included and a 7-day money-back guarantee, counted from the first quote you send with Qotora.
Frequently asked questions
Which spreadsheet formats can I upload?
Excel (.xlsx) and CSV files. If a customer sends an old .xls, save it as .xlsx or CSV first. Up to 20 files per request, up to 20 MB each.
Does the customer’s column layout matter?
Not much. Each row is read as one line with its cells in order, and a header row in the first three rows is skipped. A sheet with the item number, the description, the quantity and the unit in any sensible order is read the way a person would read it.
What if the sheet has several tabs?
Every tab is read, in order, including a notes tab or an old revision. Remove the lines you do not want in the review, or ask the customer for a single tab.
Will it use the prices that are in the customer’s sheet?
No. A price in the customer’s file is the customer’s own number. Your quote is priced from your own catalogue data and your price rules.
Does it fill in the customer’s own spreadsheet?
No. The quote is produced as your own quote document in your template, and it is not written back into the customer’s file.
Can it send the quote by itself?
No. Every quote is reviewed by a person on your team before it is sent. There is no automatic sending.
Does it work with the software I already use?
Qotora works with whatever software you use: we connect it, or import your catalogue, stock and prices. It reads your data and never writes into your software.