QuoteClerk AI for Merlin users

Merlin, NMBS and the independent merchant

In January 2014 the NMBS board accepted Merlin Business Software as a member and an approved supplier of back office systems, so many independent merchants in the National Merchant Buying Society know the name. In many independent yards and counters the quote is still built by hand: read the list, find each product in Merlin, check the account price, type the quote.

QuoteClerk AI takes the first part of that job. Merlin keeps the stock, the accounts and the invoices. QuoteClerk AI only prepares the draft.

Start small, without any set-up in Merlin

An independent merchant does not need a project to try this. On Starter or Team, lists and drafts travel by email or through your own online workspace, so Merlin is not touched at all. What I need is an export:

• your product list with code, description, unit and price;
• your customer accounts;
• any customer specific or customer group prices you use.

CSV, XLSX or TSV are all fine. Clear column names are recognised automatically. If a Merlin export uses its own heading for a field, that heading is set up once during onboarding.

What happens to each list

1. The list arrives as a spreadsheet, a PDF of up to 10 pages, an email, or a phone photo.
2. Each line is matched to a product from your export and priced: customer price first, then group price, then list price, with quantity breaks.
3. Lines without a clear match or a valid price are flagged, never guessed.
4. Your colleague approves the draft. Nothing is sent before that.
5. You get an A4 PDF quote with your logo and a CSV of the approved lines.

A groundworks list and the unit question

A landscaper drops in a handwritten list for a patio: sharp sand, MOT type 1, 20 metres of kerb, a pallet of block paving, cement. On the photo, "sharp sand x 2" does not say whether that means 2 bulk bags or 2 tonnes. Units are kept apart, so the line is flagged with that question instead of priced at a guess. The kerb line says 20 metres; if your catalogue sells kerbs by the piece, the line shows the quantity as written next to the unit your catalogue uses, and waits for a decision. Uncertain lines are flagged for a person to check, and your counter team answers them in a minute.

The approved lines and Merlin

There is no native connection, so QuoteClerk AI never writes into Merlin. The approved quote comes back as a PDF and a UTF-8 CSV. Whether that CSV can be imported into Merlin depends on whether your Merlin set-up has a CSV import for quotes or orders, which is checked for your system during the pilot. Where it has none, the approved lines are keyed in from the draft, with every code and price already in front of your colleague.

Prices for an independent merchant

Starter is £390 a month for up to 20 requests and 2,000 line items, with drafts back within 1 working day and no setup fee. Team is £790 a month for 3 users and up to 200 requests. Both can be cancelled any month, and annual billing is 10 monthly fees. Merchants with higher volumes take the full rollout at £1,290 or £3,900 a month plus £5,950 onboarding, starting with the £1,490 paid pilot. How the paid pilot works ↗

Frequently asked questions