Collect quotes by phone

Ask every vendor the same thing

Quotes are only comparable when the questions match. Write the request once, with the quantity, the spec and anything that changes the price, then send it to each vendor's number.

{
  "to": "+14155550199",
  "business": "Fieldwork Printing",
  "on_behalf_of": "Acme Robotics",
  "goal": "Get a quote for 500 tri-fold brochures, full colour, 100lb gloss, delivered to Austin TX.",
  "context": "We supply print-ready PDFs. We are collecting quotes and will not order on this call.",
  "collect": {
    "price_total": { "type": "number", "required": true },
    "turnaround_days": { "type": "number" },
    "includes_delivery": { "type": "boolean" },
    "quote_valid_until": { "type": "date" }
  },
  "max_minutes": 8
}

From a chat app, say it in a sentence and name the vendors one at a time. Your assistant confirms each business and number with you before the request goes out.

What a good quote call returns

Example data. Notice the third row: when a vendor will not give a number on the phone, the answer is marked as missing with the reason. Callers do not round, guess or fill a gap. Every row has a recording and transcript you can check.

What callers will and will not do

• They say who they are, who they are calling for and that the call is recorded.
• They ask for a quote. They do not negotiate, commit or place an order unless your instructions say they may.
• They do not sell anything or call consumers. Quote requests go to businesses in the US and Canada.

More on this under trust and process.

Cost of a round of quotes

Each call is billed on its own at $1 per connected minute, rounded up. Three vendors at around five connected minutes each is about $15, and a vendor who does not pick up costs nothing. Set max_minutes on each request so a long hold cannot run up the bill. See pricing.

Questions

Can an agent run the whole comparison?

Yes. It sends one request per vendor over the API, waits for each terminal status, then compares the outcome fields. In n8n it is a loop over two HTTP nodes.

What if a vendor asks for details I did not give?

The caller can send the question back to you, or note it in the summary. You can add details to a request before the call is dialed.

Do vendors know the call is recorded?

Yes. The caller says so at the start of every call.

Related

• Check stock and price by phoneHave a real person phone a supplier or store to confirm stock, price and lead time, and get the answers back as typed fields your team or AI agent can use.
• Add a phone call step to an n8n workflowUse HumanCalls from n8n: one HTTP Request node asks a real person to phone a business, and a second reads back typed answers your workflow can branch on.
• A human caller or an AI voice agent?When should an AI agent's phone call be made by a real person, and when by an AI voice agent? An honest comparison of cost, speed, accuracy and disclosure.