Simplify RFIs with Automation and AI

Responding to RFIs should be a straightforward step in the sales cycle—but for most teams, it’s anything but.

Even though RFIs are meant to collect important information, they often need help from many departments. They require coordination between systems and many hours of manual work. The result? A process that feels heavier than it should, slowing teams down when they need to move fast.

RFIs tend to land during the early stages of vendor evaluation, when buyers are gathering information but aren’t yet ready for a full proposal. That means the responses are often overlooked internally, rushed by Sales Engineers, or cobbled together from outdated content. And because RFIs don't usually lead directly to a deal, teams deprioritize them—until they're due in 48 hours.

But when done right, an RFI is more than a checkbox. It’s your first chance to differentiate. And with the right system in place, it doesn’t have to be a time sink.

What Is an RFI, and When Do You Use One?

An RFI (Request for Information) is used by buyers to gather broad, factual information about a vendor’s capabilities, solutions, and experience. It’s not about pricing or implementation plans—it’s about understanding who might be a fit and why.

So why send an RFI instead of an RFP?

Because buyers:

• Are still exploring the market
• Don’t want to waste time reading full proposals too early
• Need to compare vendors across high-level functionality, certifications, or technical fit
• Are deciding who to invite into the next phase (i.e., RFP or demo)

In other words, RFIs help buyers shortlist faster—and vendors need to make that shortlist count.

Why RFIs Are Still a Bottleneck

Despite being high-level, RFIs are time-consuming because:

• They still require input from multiple departments
• They ask for accuracy, consistency, and completeness
• The process is often manual: digging through old responses, emailing SMEs, formatting replies

For growing teams juggling sales cycles, RFIs become repetitive admin work—taking valuable time away from revenue-generating activity.

How Iris Solves the RFI Problem

Iris uses AI to eliminate the friction in RFI workflows. It doesn’t just generate answers—it orchestrates the entire process.

With Iris, you can:

Upload once, reuse often – Iris learns from your previous RFIs, security questionnaires, and internal policies so you're not starting from scratch

AI-generated drafts – Automatically produce responses aligned with your voice, tone, and formatting standards

Built-in routing and tagging – Assign questions to the right subject matter experts without needing to chase people down

Full version history and audit trails – Every edit and approval is tracked for total visibility and compliance

Centralized collaboration – Work in one place instead of juggling Slack threads, emails, and shared docs

What once took hours can now be done in a fraction of the time—with no loss in accuracy or compliance.

What Our Customers Are Saying

One of our G2 users shared this feedback after implementing Iris to support their RFI process:

"Iris has been an absolute game-changer for our team! What stands out most is its ease of data ingestion, which allows us to get up and running quickly without unnecessary headaches. The quality of the answers it provides is stellar—accurate, thorough, and tailored to meet our needs."

‍

One of my favorite features is the ability to easily assign questions to specific users or groups. This makes collaboration seamless and ensures that the right people are tackling the right tasks.

‍

Most importantly, Iris has significantly reduced the time and level of effort (LOE) required from our Sales Engineers and Reps when completing RFIs, RFPs, and security questionnaires. What used to be a tedious and time-consuming process is now streamlined and efficient.

‍

Additionally, working with the Iris team during implementation and setup was above and beyond what we expected. Their support was exceptional—they were proactive, responsive, and truly committed to ensuring our success every step of the way.

‍

Iris doesn’t just save us time—it frees us up to focus on what really matters: delivering value to our customers.”

‍

This review captures exactly what proposal and presales teams need today: a way to deliver high-quality responses without draining time and resources. Iris isn’t just speeding things up—it’s changing how teams think about RFIs altogether.

Real Results, Real Efficiency

Teams using Iris to manage RFIs see measurable improvements in:

• Response time – Reducing effort by 50–70%
• Internal visibility – Everyone works from the same, up-to-date source of truth
• Collaboration – Assigning, reviewing, and finalizing becomes frictionless
• Output quality – Responses stay sharp, on-brand, and compliant

With the heavy lifting handled, your team gets back hours every week—time they can now spend building relationships, advancing opportunities, and driving revenue with less internal friction and more confidence.

The Takeaway

RFIs don’t need to be time-consuming or chaotic. When handled properly, they’re your chance to stand out early—and set the tone for every interaction that follows.

With Iris, RFIs become a streamlined, collaborative, and strategic part of your sales process—not a bottleneck.

Ready to simplify your RFI workflow?

Book a demo and see how Iris helps sales, legal, and security teams respond faster—with less effort and better results.