Special orders, exact to the catalog number
Quotes gathered, alternates held, POs placed against the customer order. In your ERP.
Today
You do everything. Agents should!
- ManualAgent Read branch email
- ManualAgent Find spec sheet
- ManualAgent Check branch stock
- ManualAgent Email suppliers
- ManualAgent Compare replies
- ManualAgent Vet alternates
- ManualAgent Check job pricing
- ManualAgent Key the PO
- ManualAgent Add SO reference
- ManualAgent Call the branch
What it costs
Where money is lost.
- Wrong part One character, different breaker
- Missed job date Contractor waiting on site
- Stale job pricing Expired quote, wrong price
- Double orders Special already on a PO
The solution
No integrations. No babysitting.
The agent works your screens like a trained employee, by your rules.
- Screen, mouse, keyboard It uses your apps the way your team does.
- Runs on your machines In your sessions, with the logins you give it.
- Rules decide, not the model Your limits, checked the same way every run.
- People approve Spend and exceptions stop for the right person.
- Every run on record Documents, values, approvals, saved records.
The solution
Hand the whole cycle to an agent
- Collects specials
- Reads the spec
- Sends inquiries
- Compares replies
- Engineer rules alternates
- You award
- Places the PO
- Updates the order
Agent does itYou decide
How it works
Five steps. Zero re-typing.
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Step 1
It picks up every special
From any branch, with customer, spec sheet and job date.
Inbox
Branch 14 · inside sales
Special: SO 2208841, on site 11/20
Checked request
✓2 EA Velmar VM-HJL36150, 150A 3P 35kA
✓4 EA Arcline CM-4420-24D, 24 VDC
✓Spec sheet attached
✓No duplicate open PO
-
Step 2
It compares by catalog number
Exact part, price, freight, ship date. Alternates held.
Quotes received
PDFNorthgate Electric Supply$1,284.00/EA, prepaid
PDFBrightwater Wholesale$1,096.00/EA, Corrin CB3-150F
PDFLarkfield Electric$1,310.00/EA + $40 freight
Landed cost per each · Velmar VM-HJL36150 breaker · 2 EA
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Step 3
It keys the PO with the SO
Customer order on every special. Reopened to check.
PO ENTRY PO#: 88310
VENDOR: NORTHGATE ELEC
LN PART QTY COST
01 VELMAR V 2 EA $1,284.00
▌
Green screenEpicor Eclipse
PO 88310Emailed to supplier -
Step 4
It confirms against the job date
A slipped ship date reaches the branch the same day.
NOVEMBER
SMTWTFS 12345678910111213141516171819202122232425262728293031Need datePromised
Northgate Electric Supply · PO 88310
Breakers now arrive 11/23. SO 2208841 needs them on site 11/20.
Earliest is the 23rd.
To your buyer
PO 88310 will land 3 days late. ExpediteSwitch supplier -
Step 5
It chases the confirmation
No ack yet? A follow-up goes out with the job date.
Draft · to Brightwater Wholesale
PO 88311 · please confirm
Please confirm 4 EA Arcline CM-4420-24D, ship date and freight. The job needs them 11/20.
- PO sent
- No reply, 2 days
- Reminder sent
- Buyer told if still silent
The full process
Electrical distributors: every step
What the agent does, where you decide, and the rules it checks.
- Special-order line arrives
- Read spec & ratings
- Needs a new PO?No → use stock or open PO
- Inquire with approved suppliers
- Compare replies by catalog number
- Exact catalog number?No → hold for engineer
- Job price still valid?No → buyer confirms price
- Buyer awards supplier
- Within buyer's limit?No → route to manager
- Key PO with SO reference
- Reopen PO, send it
- Ack matches PO?No → flag to buyer
- Update date on customer order
- Special on its way
Agent does it You decide Rule check
Built for you
Built for electrical specials
- 1Catalog numbersOne character changes the part
- 2Ratings statedAmps, poles, volts, kA
- 3Approved equalsFrom your list, never guessed
- 4Job pricingChecked for expiry first
- 5Branch specialsCustomer and job date attached
Your controls
Your rules. Exactly.
Written once in plain English. Followed every time.
- Different manufacturer quoted? Hold for engineer
- Rating not stated? Stop the line
- Job price expired? Send to buyer
Never, on any run
- Order an unapproved alternate
- Assume a rating the spec omits
- Call parts equal by description
- Move a customer's required date
- Place a PO before buyer approval
When a rule says no
It stops and asks you.
Every held item lands in one queue with the documents, the values read and the rule that fired.
- Use stock or open PONeeds a new PO? 2 min
- Hold for engineerExact catalog number? 14 min
- Buyer confirms priceJob price still valid? 1 h
- Route to managerWithin buyer's limit? 3 h
RUN-2291
Use stock or open PO
RuleNeeds a new PO? No
I stopped here. Everything I read is attached. Your call.
The difference
Your team, before and after
| Today | With your agent | |
|---|---|---|
| Spec reading | From the attached sheet | Extracted, source linked |
| Supplier inquiries | One email at a time | Sent to approved suppliers |
| Alternates | Decided under pressure | Held for sign-off |
| Branch updates | Call when remembered | Date on the order |
Your existing systems
No new systems!
The agent runs where you work.
Distribution ERP
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Epicor Eclipse - Epicor Prophet 21
-
Infor SX.e -
DDI Inform -
NetSuite -
Dynamics 365 Business Central -
SAP Business One - AS/400
Supplier channels
- Supplier portals
- Manufacturer price files
- Rep agency email
- EDI 855 acks
Inbox & documents
-
Outlook -
Gmail -
Excel -
Teams -
Acrobat / PDF - Submittals
Screens differ by version and setup; we confirm the exact steps on your system before a pilot. Logos and product names identify systems only and belong to their owners; they do not imply a partnership or endorsement.
Your numbers
How many hours can you get back?
Your volume, your times, your labor cost. Estimates, not results.
Special-order lines × (minutes today − minutes with the agent) ÷ 60 × hourly cost
These are example assumptions, not results. Example assumptions for a multi-branch wholesaler: minutes cover reading the spec, stock checks, supplier inquiries, comparison and PO entry. Use your own volumes and timings.
Demonstration
Watch recorded runs
This recording is a manufacturer's sales-quoting workflow in Epicor Kinetic, not electrical special-order purchasing. It is relevant because it includes a supplier price found expired, a supplier RFQ raised by the agent and a buyer approving the new price in Teams before anything moved on.
FAQ
Questions buyers ask us
Can the agent distinguish manufacturer part numbers?
It compares the manufacturer and the full catalog number exactly, so a difference in frame, trip unit or rating suffix counts as a different part. Where your ERP item, the supplier's number and the manufacturer's number differ, it uses your cross-reference and sends anything unmatched to a buyer.
Who approves substitutions?
Whoever your process says: usually the customer or their engineer, sometimes your product specialist for items on an approved-equals list. The agent never approves an alternate. It holds the line, shows the specified and offered parts side by side and records who signed off.
Can it handle vendor portals?
Where your team already logs into a supplier portal, the agent can work the same pages with the same access to check price, availability or order status. Portals change and differ, so we confirm each one during setup rather than promising coverage in advance.
What about blanket or job pricing from the manufacturer?
If the special is covered by a job or blanket price your team keeps, the agent checks that the quote applies to this item and hasn't expired. An expired or missing price goes to the buyer instead of being assumed.
Which special should an agent place first?
- We build itYou show us the work once.
- Start to finishDoes exactly what your team does.
- No-risk trial$0 setup. See it work before you scale.
Bring one special-order line, its spec sheet and the replies you got back.
Get demo