RFQ Email Case Study: Stop Losing RFQs

Executive summary

This case study documents the RFQ workflow at a Pune-based industrial component manufacturer before and after introducing scan-anchored RFQ routing. Pre-implementation, 38% of inbound RFQs received a first response only after 72 hours, by which point at least one competitor had already quoted. Post-implementation, with cards scanned at booth time and inbound RFQs auto-linked to existing CRM records, 89% of RFQs got a first response within 24 hours and win rate climbed 31% on a same-period basis. The RFQ-lost-in-email problem reads as a workflow fix, not a software upgrade — closely tied to speed of response.

Key findings

Pre-implementation: 72-hour response on 38% of RFQs — competitors quoted first. RFQs in email →
Post-implementation: 24-hour response on 89% of RFQs. Speed of response →
Win rate climbed 31% on a same-period comparison. Sales velocity →
RFQs lost to inbox dropped from 12% to under 2%. Quote tool →

Stop losing RFQs to inbox volume

VynDeal links inbound RFQs to scan records and triggers SLA reminders before competitors quote. 14-day free trial.

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Methodology and observations

The study tracked inbound RFQ volume, first-response time and won/lost outcomes over a 12-month period at the manufacturer. The RFQ-tracking workflow change involved one decision (mandate card scanning at all customer-facing exhibitions) and one technical change (route inbound RFQs into VynDeal with auto-linking to scanned-prospect records). No headcount was added. No CRM training programme was run. The email-RFQ-management improvement was structural, not motivational — the same lesson behind our follow-up automation case study and industrial use case.

"The RFQ was never lost in the inbox. It was lost three weeks earlier, when nobody scanned the card." — Field note, Quiamo RFQ desk

38%Pre-fix slow response

89%Post 24-hour response

+31%Win rate improvement

Frequently asked

How often do B2B manufacturers lose RFQs to inbox volume?

Industry observation suggests 10–15% of inbound RFQs at mid-size B2B manufacturers go un-responded to within the first 72 hours, by which point competitors have usually quoted. The percentage drops to 1–3% with scan-anchored RFQ routing and SLA reminders.

What was the win-rate improvement in this case study?

A 31% improvement in win rate on a same-period comparison after introducing scan-anchored RFQ routing. The improvement traces primarily to first-response time dropping from 72 hours to 24 hours on 89% of RFQs.

The RFQ workflow that actually wins

Scan free at the booth, route RFQs in VynDeal, and respond before competitors finish reading the email. For the sales-process design behind it, Kunal Waghmare advises B2B manufacturers.

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