Supplier Communications Agent
Keeps deliveries on time by chasing suppliers over email, resolving order changes, and maintaining accurate ERP records.
Handles supplier-facing procurement tasks across the purchase order lifecycle: triaging requisitions into POs or buying plans, chasing order confirmations and deliveries, matching inbound packing slips to PO lines, and keeping receipt records current in the ERP. Flags contract deviations on incoming confirmations and escalates unresolved exceptions to the responsible buyer.
- +25–40 pts
PO touchless rate
A quarter to nearly half of POs that used to need chasing and updating now flow through on their own.
Contacts suppliers for confirmations and delivery updates
Sends email chasers to supplier contacts when order confirmations or delivery updates are overdue, reads replies, and posts updated PO statuses back to the ERP.
Flags contract deviations on incoming confirmations
Checks each supplier confirmation against contract terms held in the ERP or contract repository and escalates non-compliant responses to the responsible buyer.
Matches packing slips to open PO lines
Reads inbound slips from email attachments, EDI feeds, or supplier portals, verifies quantities and part numbers against the corresponding PO, and writes confirmed receipt dates back to the ERP.
Splits partial deliveries and tracks the remainder
When a delivery covers only part of a PO line, splits the line into received and outstanding portions and queues a follow-up chase on the open balance.
Triages requisitions into POs or buying plans
Reviews each open purchase requisition against current stock levels, existing open POs, and consolidation opportunities across other requisitions, then either generates a PO directly in the ERP or escalates a buying plan to the responsible buyer.
- Trigger
Scheduled ERP scan surfaces open procurement records
A time-based scan of the ERP (SAP S/4HANA, Dynamics 365, Infor LN, or IFS Cloud) reads the current state of purchase requisitions at review status, open PO lines that have passed their supplier confirmation window, and confirmed delivery dates with no matching goods receipt posted.
- Step 1
Triage open requisitions into purchase orders or buying plans
Reads each open purchase requisition from the ERP and checks on-hand stock, existing open POs for the same item, and the preferred supplier on record. Scans other open requisitions to identify consolidation opportunities that could combine multiple requests into a single order. Where the sourcing path is clear (single preferred supplier, confirmed stock deficit, no competing open orders), generates a PO directly in the ERP. Where the path requires a judgment call (new supplier, unusual quantity, or a consolidation trade-off), assembles a buying plan showing the available options and escalates it to the responsible buyer.
- Step 2
Chase suppliers for overdue order confirmations on open PO lines
Identifies every open PO line past its expected confirmation window, compiles the PO number, relevant line items, and agreed confirmation deadline for each, and sends email chasers to the supplier contacts on record. Monitors the EDI 855 feed and the supplier mailbox for incoming responses. Re-queues a follow-up chase if no reply arrives within the configured wait period.
- Step 3
Parse incoming confirmations, validate against contract terms, and update the ERP
Reads each incoming confirmation (email reply or EDI 855) and extracts confirmed price, lead time, quantities, and any proposed line changes such as quantity reductions, date pushes, partial splits, or cancellations. Checks each term against the governing contract or framework agreement held in the ERP or contract repository. For compliant confirmations, writes confirmed dates and quantities back to the PO in the ERP. Where a supplier proposes terms outside the contract, or a change that affects pegged demand or production orders, traces the downstream impact through the relevant demand and production records, then routes a framed trade-off to the responsible buyer with recovery options (alternative source, expedited shipment, or schedule adjustment) and executes the chosen path once a decision is returned.
- Step 4
Match inbound packing slips to open PO lines and post goods receipts
Reads packing slips arriving by email attachment, EDI 856, or supplier portal and verifies each line's quantity and part number against the corresponding open PO line in the ERP. For complete deliveries, posts the goods receipt and writes the confirmed receipt date to the PO. For partial deliveries, splits the PO line into a received portion and an outstanding balance, posts the received quantity to the ERP, and queues a follow-up email chase to the supplier for the open remainder.
- Resolution
ERP current, all active PO lines receipted or tracked
Confirmed quantities are posted as goods receipts in the ERP, receipt dates are written to the relevant PO lines, and PO statuses reflect either full delivery or partial delivery with outstanding balances recorded and follow-up queued. Open purchase requisitions that entered the run have a corresponding PO or escalated buying plan on record.
Fewer POs slipping past due dates
so that delivery shortfalls are caught and chased before they delay production or create stockouts, reducing the cost of expediting and emergency sourcing.
Requisitions converted to POs without buyer keywork
so that buyers spend time on exceptions, negotiations, and supplier decisions rather than routine order creation and status follow-up.
Partial deliveries tracked and followed up automatically
so that open balances on split PO lines are not forgotten, working capital committed to outstanding orders is recovered on time, and receipt records in the ERP stay accurate.
- Read/write access to the ERP
- Connects to the ERP (e.g. Infor LN/M3/CloudSuite, Microsoft Dynamics 365, IFS Cloud, or SAP S/4HANA) to read open POs, purchase requisitions, stock levels, and existing GR postings, and to write back receipt dates, split PO lines, updated delivery statuses, and generated POs. Without this connection the agent cannot track receipts, evaluate requisitions, or keep PO status current.
- Outbound and inbound email access
- Connects to the organisation's email platform (e.g. Microsoft Exchange / Outlook, Google Workspace Gmail) to send order confirmation requests and delivery chasers to suppliers and to read supplier replies. Without it the agent cannot perform any supplier-facing communication.
- Supplier master and contract data
- Reads supplier records and contract terms from the ERP or a dedicated contract repository (e.g. Infor LN supplier master, SAP Ariba contract store) to identify preferred suppliers per item, check confirmation lead times, and flag deviations from agreed terms. Missing contract data means the agent cannot detect non-compliant confirmations.
- Packing slip and document ingestion
- Receives inbound packing slips, typically via email attachment, EDI feed, or a supplier portal, so the agent can match slip contents against PO lines and verify quantities and part numbers. Without this feed, goods receipt tracking and partial delivery handling cannot function.