--- title: "Automation rules" description: "Auto-handle incoming quote requests with When-If-Then rules that send, accept, decline, assign, and follow up - without watching the inbox." url: "https://www.quotway.com/docs/automation/automation-rules" type: "documentation" category: "automation" updated: "2026-07-12" locale: "en" source: "QuotWay - B2B Quote & Negotiation App for Shopify" --- # Automation rules **Read time:** 4 minutes. **Who it's for:** Merchants on Professional or Enterprise who want to auto-handle incoming quote requests - auto-send, auto-accept, auto-decline, auto-assign, and silence follow-ups - without watching the inbox. > ⚠️ Automation requires the **Professional** plan or higher. Put quotes on autopilot (Professional and above): rules that act on quote requests the moment they arrive, and follow up with buyers who go quiet. Find them under **Automation** in the app navigation. > Watch: create your first automation rule - auto-send safely. ## What a rule looks like Every rule is **When → If → Then**: - **When** - the trigger. Either *a quote is submitted* (storefront or customer-account requests; quotes you create manually are never auto-actioned) or *a proposal goes unanswered* for N days. - **If** - optional conditions, built with the same condition builder as approval policies: quote value, requested discount %, deepest line discount % (the single deepest line vs catalog - catches a deep-discount line hiding in an otherwise full-price quote), products, customer tags, currency, company location, combined with and/or/not. No conditions = the rule applies to everything the trigger sees. - **Then** - one action: | Action | What happens | |---|---| | **Send the proposal automatically** | Creates and sends the proposal at the buyer's requested price (or strictly catalog price). Two guardrails: the **safety cap** - totals above it always wait for a human - and the **price floor** (a max % below catalog, checked per line; the rule's own floor, or your shop-wide default from Settings → General). A below-floor line makes the rule skip by default, or pick **"Counter at the floor price"** to re-price offending lines to exactly the floor and send. | | **Accept the quote automatically** | The instant-close action: creates the proposal at the buyer's **requested price** and finalizes a full acceptance on their behalf, then runs your usual draft-order/invoice settings. Safety conditions keep humans in control - set a **safety cap** (totals above it wait for a human) and a **price floor** (any line more than your floor % below catalog waits for a human; auto-accept never counters), any unpriced or custom line is skipped for review, and any matching merchant or buyer approval policy always takes precedence. | | **Decline with a message** | Declines the request and sends the buyer your templated message (`{quoteReference}` and `{shopName}` fill in automatically). It also lands in the quote's message thread. | | **Assign to a team member** | Routes the quote to a staff member the moment it arrives. Skips quotes someone already claimed. | | **Email the buyer a follow-up** | After N days of silence on a sent proposal, nudges the buyer with a reminder email. Sent at most once per quote. | ## Things to know - **Approvals always win.** An auto-sent proposal goes through your approval policies exactly like a manual send - if a policy matches, the quote waits for approval and the buyer sees nothing until the chain approves. - **One shot per rule per quote.** A rule never fires twice on the same quote, even across retries. - **Everything is logged.** Each firing (including skips, with the reason) appears in **Recent activity** on the Automation page and on the quote's timeline. - **Pause everything at once** with the master switch at the top of the Automation page, or pause a single rule with its row switch. - **Follow-ups don't pile on.** A buyer who just received an expiry reminder won't get a follow-up the same day (and vice versa). - **Customer-tag conditions** only match logged-in buyers - guests have no tags. ## Common setups Start from a template on the Automation page: 1. **Auto-send small orders** - value < 500 → send at the requested price with a 500 safety cap. Big quotes still get human eyes. 2. **Decline deep discount requests** - requested discount > 40% → polite automatic no. 3. **Route big quotes to a manager** - value > 5,000 → assigned on arrival. 4. **Nudge after 3 days of silence** - proposal unanswered → friendly follow-up email. ## Can a rule require a deposit? On Shopify Plus stores (Professional plan and up), an **auto-send** rule can stamp a deposit on the outgoing proposal - set "Deposit - % due at checkout" in the rule's action, or start from the **"Require a deposit on big orders"** template (quotes of 10,000 or more auto-send with a 50% deposit). Approval policies can guard the other direction: the **"Manager check on low or waived deposits"** template holds any proposal asking less than 25% - including none - for a manager. On non-Plus stores these options don't appear. ## Troubleshooting - **A rule didn't fire.** Check Recent activity - skips show a reason (e.g. `over-cap`, `under-floor` when a line is priced below your price floor, `floor-unverifiable` when a floor is set but a line has no catalog price to check against, `unpriced-lines` for custom lines without prices, `already-assigned`, `status-moved` when a human got there first). - **Nothing fires at all.** Check the master switch, the rule's own switch, and that your plan is Professional or above. --- ## Related articles - [Auto-accept quotes](./auto-accept-quotes.md) - the auto-accept action and its safety conditions in depth. - [Approval workflows](../approvals/approval-workflows.md) - the human counterpart: multi-step sign-off before proposals go out. - [Plans, trial, and billing](../billing/plans-trial-and-billing.md) - automation is Professional+.