Proton.ai Releases AI System That Drafts Quotes From Emails, PDFs

Proton.ai launches order automation for distributors

Proton.ai announced general availability of its Order & Quote Entry Automation system on July 21, targeting wholesale distributors who process customer requests across multiple formats and channels.

The AI platform handles inbound requests submitted as emails, spreadsheets, PDFs, screenshots, or verbal descriptions during phone calls. The system identifies products from competitor part numbers and vague descriptions, checks compatibility and availability, then generates draft quotes or orders for sales representative approval.

According to Proton, the platform can also draft customer-facing emails, follow up on unanswered quotes, and recommend substitute products when items are out of stock. All quotes require human approval before reaching customers.

Why it matters

Wholesale distributors typically spend significant staff time translating customer requests into actionable quotes—matching vague descriptions to catalog items, cross-referencing competitor part numbers, and checking inventory across multiple systems. Automating this workflow without sacrificing accuracy could free sales teams to focus on relationship-building and strategic accounts rather than administrative data entry.

Performance claims and early adoption

Proton cited testing conducted by an unnamed large North American industrial distributor. In that structured evaluation, the platform identified correct products from description-only lists three times more often than the distributor's existing cross-reference system, while cutting list-preparation time by 75 percent.

Building Products Inc., a Midwest building materials distributor serving lumberyards, is using the system in production.

The automation system operates on the same data layer as Proton's customer relationship management, product information management, and eCommerce tools. That shared architecture means information captured through one application—such as a customer's product preferences or a newly matched competitor part number—automatically improves matching and recommendations across the platform.

From waitlist to general release

Proton first introduced its unified "industry cloud" platform in March, combining CRM, product information management, eCommerce recommendations, and order automation in a single data environment. At that time, the order and quote entry module was available only through a waitlist.

"As long as your people are the glue between systems, the power of AI stays capped," Proton Founder and CEO Benj Cohen said in the announcement. "The agent that drafts the quote already knows the customer, the catalog and the pricing—so it doesn't type faster, it does the job."

Proton also recently partnered with distribution sales consultancy Revenue Optics to combine AI-generated account and product opportunities with inside-sales coaching processes. The partnership aims to help distributors identify revenue opportunities in existing accounts that receive limited sales coverage.

These details were first reported by Automation Watch.