PLAYBOOK · SUPPLIERS & DISTRIBUTORS
Orders in, without the re-typing.
For wholesalers, supply houses and small manufacturers taking orders by email, fax, PDF and phone, with counter staff or inside sales keying them into an ERP or accounting system. Three automations that tend to pay off first, and how to pilot the first one in six weeks.
01 / WHERE THE TIME GOES
The three places work gets stuck
If two of these sound familiar, there is probably a pilot worth running. If none do, you may not need us.
Every PO is re-typedPurchase orders arrive as PDFs, photos of handwritten lists, and emails in a dozen formats. Someone retypes every line, and part-number mistakes turn into returns and credits.
“Where’s my order?” eats the dayStatus questions interrupt the counter and inside sales all day, each one answered by looking it up and writing the same email.
Exceptions hide until they hurtBackorders, substitutions, credit holds and short shipments get discovered late, usually by the customer.
02 / WHAT USUALLY PAYS OFF FIRST
Three automations, in order
Boring on purpose. Each one connects to tools you already have and keeps a person in charge of anything a customer sees.
MEDIUM COMPLEXITYPurchase order capture
Incoming POs from email and fax are read, matched to your customer and item records, and turned into a draft sales order. Unmatched items, odd quantities and missing ship-to details are flagged rather than guessed.
- Connects to
- Email, fax-to-email, your ERP or accounting system’s order import or API, your item catalog
- People stay in control
- A person reviews and releases every draft order. Pricing and credit checks stay in your system’s rules.
- A good first step
- Pull 50 recent POs and check how many customers use your part numbers versus their own; that decides the matching approach.
LOW COMPLEXITYOrder status replies
Status questions are recognized, the order is looked up, and a reply is drafted with the current status, tracking and expected date. Anything the system can’t find goes to a person with the lookup already done.
- Connects to
- Email, your ERP or order system, carrier tracking
- People stay in control
- Replies are approved before sending until accuracy is proven; after that, routine ones can go automatically with a person copied.
- A good first step
- Count status emails for a week and write the three reply templates you actually use.
LOW COMPLEXITYException watch
Each morning, a short digest lists orders that need a human: backorders past the promise date, credit holds, partial shipments, orders with no confirmation sent. Each line links to the record.
- Connects to
- Your ERP or order system, email
- People stay in control
- The digest informs; people act. Nothing is changed automatically.
- A good first step
- Agree the five exception rules that matter most and produce the digest by hand for a week to test them.
04 / BEFORE YOU BUY ANYTHING
Free fixes worth doing first
Sometimes the honest answer is a process change or a feature you already own. These usually are.
- Your ERP may already import orders from a spreadsheet or EDI; that import is often the cheapest integration.
- A customer-facing order status page or portal, if you have one, cuts status emails before any AI is involved.
- Clean item cross-references (customer part number to yours) are the real unlock; start that list now.