Why UAE suppliers answer the phone first
A trading company in Al Quoz or Sharjah Industrial Area usually has a salesperson on the counter and a phone in their hand. An email RFQ goes into a shared inbox that someone reads when the counter is quiet. A call reaches the person who knows the stock and the price today, and they can answer in the time it takes to check the shelf.
- A call gets a price now; an email gets a price when someone gets to it.
- A call can ask the follow-up question — stock or order? delivered or ex-warehouse? — instead of waiting for another round of email.
- A call hears what the supplier is unsure about, which a written quote smooths over.
- Many smaller suppliers do not send formal quotes at all until they know you are serious.
What is wrong with calling, then
Only the time it takes. One call is quick; ten calls, with the engaged tones, the 'call back in an hour' and the notes on a pad, are a morning. The real cost of ringing round goes through where those hours go. So buyers fall back on email because it scales, and accept the slower, patchier replies that come with it.
AI calling keeps the call and drops the morning
PurchoSmart's AI calling agent makes the calls for you (what AI calling is). You describe the requirement once, approve the list of suppliers, and the agent rings them at the same time, asking each the same questions about price, stock and delivery. A supplier who does not pick up gets the same specification by WhatsApp and email, and a reply that arrives later still reaches your comparison.
- The speed of a phone call, without a person spending the morning on it.
- The reach of email, as the follow-up rather than the first try.
- One ranked comparison at the end, instead of a folder of replies in different formats.
- A call that rings out costs nothing — only connected minutes count against your plan.
Email is how you send an RFQ. The phone is how you get it answered.
When email is still the right tool
For a large tender with drawings and a formal submission deadline, email (or a portal) is the record. For overseas suppliers in different time zones, it is often the only option — see sourcing from China for UAE buyers. For the everyday purchase — a few tonnes of steel, a run of cartons, a drum of cable — the phone gets the answer, and the agent gets it from every supplier at once. See how it works or book a demo.