AI email assistant · for you and your business

It deals with businesses, so you don't have to.

Tell StandIn what you need, for yourself or for your business: offers on a car, quotes for a move, an answer on a claim that has gone quiet, price lists from new suppliers, freight quotes for a shipment. It finds the businesses that fit and the right person at each one, writes to them, follows up for as long as it takes, and negotiates. Then it brings it all back to you: the offers, the answers, and a decision that's yours to make.

Try it for freemyagent@standinfor.me see how it works

Just email myagent@standinfor.me to start. StandIn works over email. Write to it for yourself or for your business, and the first email you send is the first thing it takes on.

Examples · four jobs, one StandIn

Sam · personalDone in 2 days

A used RAV4, 2020 or newer, under $25,000

Wrote to the used-car manager at 9 Toyota dealers nearby. 6 replied.

3 offers. Best: $23,900 negotiated down to $22,600
Northside Café · businessIn progress

A new coffee roaster: 40 lb a week of a medium roast

Wrote to the wholesale manager at 10 roasters within 300 miles. 8 replied.

4 price lists in, samples on the way
Dana · personalDone in 9 days

A $3,940 hospital bill that looked wrong

Asked the billing office for the itemized bill, then disputed 2 charges that had been billed twice.

Bill reduced to $2,310
Harbor Tile · businessDone in 1 day

One pallet of tile, Dallas to Phoenix

Asked 6 freight carriers to quote the same shipment. 5 answered.

Lowest quote, all fees included: $412

Every job starts with one email. Who it writes to and what gets agreed stay your call. follow Sam's job, email by email ↓

Who to ask

You don't need to know who to ask.

Most of the work of dealing with businesses is finding the right ones, and the right person at each. Your StandIn does that part for you.

Nearly 20 million US businesses

Your StandIn searches a directory of nearly 20 million businesses across the US by what they do and where they are: every Toyota dealer within 50 miles of you, every mover that serves your route, every coffee roaster that could supply your café.

The right person, not the general inbox

At each business, StandIn finds the one person who handles your kind of request, as if by magic: the used-car manager, the leasing office, the billing department. Then it writes to that person by name.

If an email bounces, it tries the next person

It writes to the next right person at the same business, and it tries the people who tend to reply first. If a business can't be reached at all, it suggests another one for you to OK.

One job, start to finish

What happened after Sam sent one email.

Every message in this job, in order. Sam described the car once, said yes to StandIn's plan, approved its first emails, and picked a car at the end. StandIn did everything in between.

Different businesses usually ask the same questions: how much you want to spend, which dates work for you, and so on. Your StandIn doesn't forward each one to you. The first time a business asks something your StandIn doesn't already know, it asks you, once. After you've answered, it gives that same answer to every other business that asks. However many businesses are in the conversation, you answer each question one time.

Dealers contacted9
Dealers that replied6
Cars considered11
Cars shortlisted3
Days2
Emails StandIn wrote25
Emails Sam wrote3

Example job · Sam's used RAV4 May 2 – May 4

Sam → StandInMay 2

"I want a used Toyota RAV4, 2020 or newer, under $25,000, within 50 miles of me. It has to have adaptive cruise control."

StandIn → SamMay 2

Here's my plan. There are 9 Toyota dealers within 50 miles of you, and at each one I found the person in charge of used cars, such as Maria Chen, Used Car Manager at Northgate Toyota. I'll ask each for the cars that match, the out-the-door price (the total with every fee included), and whether each car has adaptive cruise. Shall I go ahead with all 9?

Sam → StandInMay 2

"Yes, go ahead."

Sam approvesMay 2

Before anything went out, Sam saw the 9 emails as drafts and approved them, and chose to let StandIn handle the replies from there.

StandIn → 9 dealersMay 2

Sent the same inquiry to all 9, each addressed by name to that dealer's used-car manager.

6 dealers → StandInMay 2 – 3

6 dealers wrote back with 11 cars between them, prices, and 5 questions, such as whether a 2021 would do. StandIn answered all 5 from what Sam had already told it. 3 dealers didn't reply.

StandIn → the 3 dealers who hadn't repliedMay 3

Sent each of them a polite reminder.

StandIn → the 5 dealers with cars still in the runningMay 3

Set aside 2 cars without adaptive cruise and 3 priced thousands over budget. For each remaining car, told the dealer the best price another dealer had offered and asked whether they could beat it.

StandIn → SamMay 4

Three cars are worth your time. Prices below are the final, negotiated totals:

2022 RAV4 XLE, 31,000 miles · Northgate Toyota, 12 miles awayDealer first quoted $25,600 · negotiated to $24,750
2021 RAV4 LE, 38,000 miles · Valley Auto Sales, 8 miles awayDealer first quoted $23,900 · negotiated to $22,600
2020 RAV4 XLE Premium, 44,000 miles · Parkside Motors, 27 miles awayDealer first quoted $24,200 · negotiated to $23,100

Sam → StandInMay 4

"The 2021 LE at Valley Auto. Tell them I'll come in Saturday morning."

StandIn → Valley Auto SalesMay 4

Asked them to hold the car for Sam on Saturday morning. Because that books a visit, the email waited for Sam's OK before it went out. Valley Auto confirmed 10 a.m.

Sam's part: 3 short emails and 2 approvals. StandIn wrote the other 25.

For you

Anything you need from a business that takes more than one email.

Getting prices from several places at once. Chasing one place that won't answer. Either way, your StandIn does the writing, the waiting, and the following up. If you'd rather send an email yourself, each card links to ready-to-send email templates.

Buying or leasing a car

Tell it the car and your budget. It asks every dealer near you for the out-the-door price (the total with every fee included) or a lease quote, then gets them to compete.

Car repairs and car shipping

Itemized estimates from repair shops near you before you agree to any work, and quotes from car shipping companies with pickup and delivery dates in writing.

Moving and storage

Written estimates from movers that serve your route, with the vague ones pressed for a binding price (one that can't go up later), and storage units compared on price and move-in deals.

Home repairs and services

A roof, a water heater, a bathroom remodel, solar panels, pest control, lawn care: written estimates from companies nearby, with exactly what's included spelled out.

Renting a home

Availability and what moving in really costs before you tour, then repairs, your deposit, and your renewal once you live there.

Dental and medical costs

Self-pay prices from several dentists or clinics for the same treatment, and a medical bill checked line by line and disputed where it's wrong.

Insurance

Quotes from independent agents lined up side by side, or a stalled claim pushed to a decision with your policy quoted back.

Bills, refunds, and cancellations

A charge that's wrong, a refund that never came, a subscription that takes three emails to cancel. It writes all three, and the fourth.

Events and celebrations

Venues, caterers, photographers, a party bus: availability and full prices for your date, in writing.

…and anything else that needs a patient reply.

For your business

Quotes, suppliers, and follow-ups for your business.

Write to StandIn from your work email and say what the business needs. It finds suppliers, carriers, and service providers across the US, asks each the same questions so the answers compare, and keeps after whoever owes you a reply. Vendors reply to StandIn, not to your phone.

Finding suppliers

Manufacturers, wholesalers, and distributors that make or carry what you buy, asked for price lists, minimum order sizes, and lead times, and lined up side by side.

Freight and shipping

A pallet, a partial load, or a full truck: quotes from carriers and freight brokers on the same shipment details, so the numbers compare.

Services for your business

Commercial cleaning, IT support, security, business insurance, bookkeeping: proposals and quotes from providers for the same scope of work, compared line by line.

Space, equipment, and materials

Office or warehouse space, a skid steer for the week, a truckload of lumber: availability and prices from the places that have them.

Team events and travel

Catering for the office, a block of hotel rooms, a charter bus, a venue for the offsite.

When a supplier drops the ball

A late order, a damaged shipment, a wrong invoice, a warranty claim: it keeps writing until it's fixed, with every promise in writing.

Try it for your business Opens an email to myagent@standinfor.me with a short outline to fill in: your business, what it needs, and any suppliers you already have in mind.

How it works

Say what you need. It does the writing. You decide.

Tell it what you need, in an email.

Write to myagent@standinfor.me. Say what you want in plain words, and give it whatever you already have:

Just describe it "I want a used RAV4, 2020 or newer, under $25,000, near Oakland."

You don't need to know who to ask. Your StandIn finds the businesses and the right person at each, and contacts them itself.

Name the business "Get me a quote from Bay Movers in Oakland for a move on June 12."

Already know who you want to deal with? Name the business, or give its email address, and it takes the conversation from there.

Forward a thread "Take this over. Don't accept less than the full replacement cost."

Stuck in a back-and-forth already? Forward the whole thread with one line on top, and your StandIn picks it up mid-conversation.

Each new email thread is a new job for your StandIn. Replying in that thread continues the same job. To start, just email myagent@standinfor.me.

It finds who to ask, and you OK the list.

Your StandIn looks up the businesses that fit and the right person at each, then writes back with its plan: who it wants to contact and why, what it will ask, and anything it still needs from you, like your dates, your budget, or the claim number. It doesn't write to anyone until you've said go.

You see its first emails before they go out.

The first emails come to you as drafts: approve them, or say what to change. After that, you choose. Approve every email yourself, or let StandIn send on its own. Either way, an email that would commit you, like accepting an offer, booking a date, or agreeing to pay, waits for your OK first.

It follows up, negotiates, and brings you the result.

It answers the businesses' questions from what you've told it, reminds whoever goes quiet, and pushes on price, terms, or a decision. For a purchase, you get the two or three offers worth your time, each with the negotiated price in writing. For a claim or a dispute, you get the answer and how it got there. The deal itself is between you and the business.

You can see everything it did at any point: every email it sends you has a link to a page with the complete correspondence for that job, every message sent and received.

What's different

It works for you, not for the businesses.

On a comparison site, you fill in a form, your phone number goes to several businesses, and they call you. Here it's the other way around.

Businesses don't get your contact details.

They see your name and your request, and they reply to StandIn. Your email address and phone number stay out of it unless you choose to share them. We don't sell your details or pass them on as leads.

It negotiates, and it pushes back.

When there's a price, it asks sellers to beat each other and drops any offer that doesn't match what you asked for. When there's a claim, it quotes the policy back and asks for a decision by a date.

Nothing is agreed without you.

Every email it sends says it can't accept an offer or agree to terms on your behalf. Emails that would commit you wait for your OK, and the deal is yours to make.

It keeps going until it's done.

Whoever doesn't answer gets a reminder. Questions get answered. The job stays open for as long as it takes, an afternoon or three weeks.

Questions

What people ask before they try it.

Is it free?

Yes, it's free to use. There's nothing to pay and no account to create first: you start by sending an email to myagent@standinfor.me.

Which businesses can it reach?

Businesses across the US: dealers, contractors, clinics, landlords, insurers, manufacturers, wholesalers, freight carriers, and many more. Its directory has nearly 20 million of them. If one you need isn't there, just name it. StandIn is for people and businesses located in the US.

Can I use it for my business?

Yes. Write to it from your work email and say what the business needs: suppliers to compare, freight to quote, a vendor to chase. It writes on your behalf, and your suppliers reply to StandIn. If you're acting for your employer, make sure you're allowed to act for them.

Will businesses see my email address or phone number?

No. Businesses get an email from StandIn with your name and your request, and they reply to StandIn. Your own email address is kept out of what they receive, and your phone number is only shared if you ask StandIn to share it.

Will it agree to something without asking me?

It's built not to. It has no authority to accept offers or agree to terms, and every email it sends says so. Emails that would commit you, like accepting a quote or booking a date, wait for your OK, and you can choose to approve every email it sends.

Does it read my inbox?

No. StandIn never connects to your email account. You write to it at myagent@standinfor.me, and it deals with businesses from its own address. It only sees what you send it.

What do businesses see?

An email from StandIn written for your request, with a note at the bottom saying who it's writing for and that it can't agree to terms on your behalf. Here is what we tell businesses that receive one.

The next "just following up" doesn't have to come from you.

Try it for free — it opens an email to myagent@standinfor.me. Say what you need, hit send, and it's already working on it.

That email is all it takes to start. Any email you send to that address is a job it takes on, for you or for your business.