Manage General Inquiries

Suppliers can now manage all General Inquiry requests directly from the new General Inquiry Management Grid, in addition to configuring routing and responding via Leads. This feature provides suppliers with improved visibility and control over inquiries received from buyers.

In this article, you’ll learn how to manage General Inquiries.

Note: This feature is available to Suppliers on Marketplace or the Customer Experience Platform.

Contents

Configure Channel Rules to Route General Inquiries

Receive and View General Inquiries

Manage General Inquiry Requests in the Request Management Grid

Replying to the General Inquiries from the Request Grid

Reply to General Inquiries from Leads

Handle Anonymous and Non-Anonymous GI Requests

Configure Channel Rules to Route General Inquiries

Configure Channel Rules for General Inquiries to ensure that inquiries are automatically assigned to the right representatives. Representatives are notified via email and assigned to the lead when inquiries are submitted by customers.

Use the “Assign Leads to” dropdown and assign a representative that should be notified in real time when a general inquiry is submitted.

To configure Channel Rules for General Inquiries:

1. Navigate to Channel Rules under Settings in the left hand sidebar
2. Click Create a Channel Rule and configure the following details:
   • Rule Name – Enter a name for your rule.
   • Event – Select Inbound Lead.
   • Event Type – Select General Inquiry.
   • Assign Leads To – Choose the representative(s) who should receive email notifications and be assigned the lead.
3. Click Create on the top right to create the channel rule

Note: Notify Representatives of General Inquiries on specific product pages by using the Product Attribute

Note: If a General Inquiry does not fit any Channel Rule, it will be sent to the Default Inbox for all leads, or to representatives assigned to other lead rules.

Receive and View General Inquiries

When a General Inquiry is submitted, representatives assigned to that Channel Rule will receive an email notification containing:

• Buyer’s name and contact information
• Inquiry message
• Product page (if applicable)

To view an inquiry from your email inbox: 

1. Open the General Inquiry email from Knowde
2. From the email, click View Details to open the Lead Details Page
3. Review the inquiry in the Buyer Journey section

Note: You can also filter leads by Lead Event = General Inquiry in the Leads Grid to locate all inquiries quickly

Manage General Inquiry Requests in the Request Management Grid

The new General Inquiry Request Management Grid allows suppliers to manage and track inquiries from a centralized dashboard.

Accessing the Grid

1. Navigate to Requests → General Inquiries in the left-hand navigation bar.
2. You’ll see a grid displaying all General Inquiry requests submitted by signed-in buyer users (anonymous submissions will be added in a future release).

Viewing Request Details

Each row in the grid provides visibility into the buyer and the inquiry details, including:

• Created Date and Last Update
• Status (New, In Progress, Complete, Archived, Declined)
• Requested By – Buyer name
  
• Company
  
• Product – If the inquiry originated from a product page
• Buyer Message
• Priority Level
• Request ID
• Markets
  
• Applicable Regions
• Sub-applications Regions
• Location
  

Note: Clicking on a request opens the full Request Detail Page, where you can review the buyer’s message and take management actions.

Managing Request Status and Priority

Suppliers can update key fields to track internal progress:

• Status
  
  • New – Request received, not yet reviewed.
  • In Progress – Representative is actively handling the inquiry.
  • Complete – Inquiry has been resolved.
  • Archived – Moved to storage for record-keeping.
  • Declined – Request not applicable or declined.

Priority Level – Set to Low, Medium, High, or Critical for internal visibility.

Replying to the General Inquiries from the Request Grid

From the grid, click Reply to contact the requester directly.

This action automatically opens your default desktop email client (e.g., Outlook, Apple Mail, or Gmail desktop app) and composes a pre-filled message from your linked company email account.

The following fields are automatically populated to streamline communication:

• Recipient: The buyer’s email address is automatically filled in.
• Subject Line: Automatically includes the Request ID and, if applicable, the related product name (for inquiries submitted from a product page).
• Email Body: Pre-populated with the buyer’s original General Inquiry message so the representative can easily reference and respond directly to the question.

Note: All pre-filled fields — including the recipient, subject line, and message body — can be edited by the supplier before sending if any adjustments are needed

Note: This automation helps suppliers respond quickly while maintaining full flexibility to personalize or modify the email content as desired

Reply to General Inquiries from Leads

Representatives can reply to General Inquiries directly from the Lead Details Page in the CRM.

To reply to an inquiry from a lead:

1. Go to CRM → Leads Grid
2. Select a lead and click View to open their details
3. In the Buyer Journey section, click Reply to Inquiry.
4. Clicking Reply to Inquiry will open your default desktop email client (e.g., Outlook, Apple Mail, or Gmail desktop app) — the same process used in the General Inquiry Management Grid.

Handle Anonymous and Non-Anonymous GI Requests

Anonymous Buyer Submissions

If a buyer submits a General Inquiry without signing in, the following applies:

• The inquiry will not appear in the General Inquiry Management Grid.
• The buyer will receive supplier responses via email only.
• Immediately after submitting an anonymous inquiry on the storefront, a pop-up encourages the buyer to sign up for an account to manage requests.
  • The pop-up highlights benefits such as:
    
    • Tracking all requests and inquiries
    • Receiving supplier responses in-platform
    • Staying up to date with product and data updates

Note: Users do not have to be logged in on CXP stores to submit a form

Non-Anonymous Buyer Submissions

For buyers who are signed in:

• Their inquiries appear in both the Request Management Grid and their Buyer Command Center.
• Each request has its own Request Detail Page, allowing suppliers to update statuses, adjust priorities, and view the full message thread.

Tip: It is best practice to review and respond to General Inquiries within 48 hours to ensure timely follow-up and a strong customer experience.

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