Consider changing your enquiry spreadsheet when ownership, information retrieval, access control, or data consistency regularly interrupt the work. A more complex system is justified only if it addresses a clearly identified problem.
1. Can the team identify the next action?
A row can record an enquiry without explaining who owns it or what happens next. Review whether the team can reliably identify an owner, a status, and a follow-up date.
Before building software, try adding those fields and agreeing how they are used. If the problem is a missing process, a new application alone will not resolve it.
2. How much context sits outside the sheet?
Quotations, supporting documents, and conversation history may live in separate tools. Ask how someone reconstructs the complete context when a colleague is absent.
A shared application may help connect that information. It still needs a clear source of truth and rules for attachments and updates.
3. Are records consistent enough to use?
Different spellings for the same supplier, mixed quantity units, and free-text statuses can make comparisons difficult. Structured fields and reference lists may be enough to improve the spreadsheet.
If multiple people repeatedly create conflicting records, consider whether central validation and controlled editing would address the issue.
4. Do different people need different access?
A shared spreadsheet may offer broader access than the workflow requires. Identify who should view quotations, edit customer details, export data, and administer accounts.
Document these requirements before choosing a platform. A custom interface is not evidence that the underlying permissions are secure.
5. Can you define a valuable first phase?
Choose one workflow and write down its inputs, decisions, outputs, and exceptions. Identify the current pain and how you will evaluate the change.
For a trading team, that first phase might connect enquiries with supplier quotations and supporting documents. Additional reporting can wait until the records and process are useful.
A practical next step
Review a small sample of enquiries with the people who handle them. Map how each moved from receipt to decision. Note repeated searches, missing information, and unclear responsibilities.
Then compare three options: improve the existing spreadsheet, configure an existing application, or build a focused custom workflow. Choose based on fit, operating costs, and maintenance requirements.
Related work: Pharmet International’s website and trading workspace.