This week on Shirt Show, Dylan connects with RD Dokania, the co-founder of Questom. What began as a project to help his father’s embroidery business manage high volumes of customer inquiries has evolved into a sophisticated AI agent platform designed specifically for the apparel industry.
RD shares his journey from engineering roles at tech giants like Tesla and Google to discovering a significant automation gap in the print and embroidery world. The conversation explores how AI agents can handle repetitive tasks like quoting and invoicing, allowing shop owners to focus on creative work and human connections rather than mundane data entry.
RELATED: Print Smarter, Not Harder: SOPs, Workflow Hacks & Shop Truths | Shirt Show
FROM TECH GIANTS TO EMBROIDERY SHOPS
RD’s transition into the industry was fueled by the practical challenges his father faced running a large-scale embroidery business in India. Tasked with managing over 150 inquiries daily via WhatsApp, his father needed a way to automate responses without losing quality. RD and his co-founder, a former Siri engineer at Apple, recognized that this speed to lead problem was universal among apparel decorators.
SPEED TO LEAD AND THE QUOTING BOT
One of the primary bottlenecks for any print shop is the delay between a customer inquiry and a professional response. Questom solves this by deploying AI agents that can read incoming emails, query a shop’s specific ERP or pricing spreadsheet, and generate a detailed PDF quote instantly. This ensures customers feel seen and acknowledged immediately, even outside of standard business hours.
RELATED: Outbound Sales That Actually Work | Shirt Show
TRAINING YOUR DIGITAL EMPLOYEE
RD explains that these agents are not generic chatbots; they are digital versions of a shop’s specific workflow. During onboarding, the team combs through past emails to learn a shop’s specific cadence, pricing logic, and personality. Owners can talk directly to the agent to refine its responses, ensuring it handles complex scenarios, such as redirecting pants inquiries if the shop only prints t-shirts, with professional grace.
AI AS A TOOL, NOT A REPLACEMENT
A major theme of the episode is that AI serves as a support system for existing staff rather than a replacement for human talent. By taking over the repetitive data entry involved in quoting and invoicing, the technology frees up sales representatives to engage in more meaningful, personable conversations with clients. This shift from survival mode to growth-focused work allows smaller teams to compete with much larger operations.
RELATED: Rebrand, Riptide, and Real Talk: Drue Nickerson on Shirt Show
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Speed to lead drives conversion. Providing an instant, educated response significantly increases the likelihood of closing a sale.
- AI agents protect your time. Automating mundane tasks like data entry allows your team to focus on creative and personable work.
- Security is built-in. Modern AI agents are designed to perform specific tasks without storing sensitive data or training on personal information.
- Scalability with smaller teams. Proper automation tools allow a business to generate higher revenue without the immediate need for more overhead.
- Full disclosure builds trust. RD recommends letting customers know they are interacting with an AI assistant to maintain transparency.