You sent a B2B quote two weeks ago and heard nothing. Today the buyer replies, “Approved, let's proceed with the price you sent.” If the quotation had an expiry date and that date has passed, do not treat the message as automatic authorization to fulfil at the old price. Review the quote version, current pricing, availability and agreed terms, then confirm the approved next step.
Was the quote actually expired?
Start with the original document, not the last chat message. Did it state an expiry date? Was the price conditional on currency, quantity or delivery timing? Did the buyer accept before or after the deadline? Is there a documented exception or agreement that changes the position?
If no validity period was stated, do not invent one retroactively. Follow the actual agreement and company policy. Contractual ambiguity should go to an authorized person. This article describes operational controls, not binding legal advice.
Why a quick “yes” can become expensive
The original price may reflect a different supplier cost, freight charge or exchange rate. Stock availability may also have changed. Equally, the business may decide to honor the old price to preserve the relationship. That can be a legitimate commercial decision, but it needs the right authority rather than an unsupported promise by a sales agent.
Consider a hypothetical equipment supplier whose quote had a defined validity period. The buyer accepts several days after it ends. The team checks current costs and stock, then sends either a documented approval to honor the old terms or a revised quote explaining the differences. This is an illustrative scenario, not a customer testimonial.
One approved version beats an old PDF plus new chat messages
Microsoft's sales transaction guidance distinguishes active quotes from revised versions and describes a revision workflow. It is a useful reference for version control, not evidence that Mr. AI creates or revises commercial documents automatically.
Keep the quote ID, issue date, expiry date if specified, document revision, approver, reason for changes and date the revised version was shared. Even if the price remains unchanged, a changed delivery date should be documented. The buyer needs to know which exact version is safe to rely on.
A reply that protects the relationship
“Thanks for confirming. The original quotation had a validity period that has now ended, so we need to recheck price, availability and delivery terms before confirming fulfilment. We will send the approved version, and if the original price still applies we will say so explicitly.”
If the team authorizes the original price, confirm that clearly. If terms change, explain which items changed rather than sending a new total without context. A buyer's “approved” message does not imply acceptance of a price increase they have not seen.
Who makes the call?
Sales owns the conversation record and identifies which version the buyer received. Pricing or commercial management decides whether to extend the original offer or issue a revised one. Inventory or operations verifies availability and delivery timing. If a purchase order or signed contract already exists, use the applicable change-control process rather than casually repricing an accepted obligation.
See purchase order changes after quote approval for post-approval changes. If the decision is stuck across multiple stakeholders, see B2B quotation approvals.
Metrics that show where deals stall
Track quotes that expire before a buyer responds, turnaround time for revalidation, the share of renewed quotes with a clearly identified version and opportunities lost because no next step was assigned. A delayed response is not always rejection. The buyer may simply have been waiting for internal approval and now needs a current offer.
Mr. AI's role and limits
The current Mr. AI FAQ describes company-knowledge replies, conversation summaries, follow-up and human handoff. It does not establish automatic supplier repricing, quote validity extensions or discount approval. Test “expired quote” conversations and escalation rules before going live, then try Mr. AI with your approved business information.
Sources: Microsoft Learn, manage quotes, orders and invoices, July 31, 2026 and create or edit quotes, March 2026. The system reference is global; the business scenario is hypothetical.
