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Proof of concept · Manufacturing · Finance

AP Vendor Email Assistant

Reads vendor emails, checks the sender's access and finds the answer in finance systems, then replies, drafts for AP review or escalates in Teams.

Video and presentation

AP vendor email assistant POC walkthrough5:09

In the video

Select a time to play the video from that point.

  1. Vendor emails eat the day

    Payment status, PO questions, rebates and invoice mismatches each send someone digging through systems.

  2. How the agent works

    A vendor emails AP, the agent interprets the request, connects to ERP, payroll or expense systems and takes action.

  3. Three types of action

    Auto-response for simple requests, a draft when you want a second look, and escalation for mismatches, rebate disputes and fraud alerts.

  4. What changes

    Less manual email traffic, faster responses for vendors and employees, access checks on every request and growth without extra headcount.

  5. A dedicated mailbox

    Vendors are directed to one AP address that the agent monitors.

  6. Auto-response: PO details

    The agent understands the request, confirms the sender has access to the information and replies directly, with no work for the AP team.

  7. Draft: payment mismatch

    The agent finds where the payment and invoice differ, writes the reply and routes it to the AP team, who tweak or approve it before it is sent.

  8. Escalation: a misrouted attachment

    The agent reads an attachment that belongs to another team and posts to the AP team in Teams with its planned response before anything goes out.

Overview

The problem, and what the POC does.

The problem

Vendor emails eat the AP team's day. Payment status, PO questions, rebates and invoice mismatches each mean someone stops what they are doing and digs through several systems for the answer.

What the POC does

Vendors write to a dedicated AP mailbox. The agent interprets each request, including attachments, confirms the sender is entitled to the information and looks up the answer in ERP, payroll or expense systems. You decide how each type of request is handled: an automatic reply for simple requests such as PO status, a draft for the AP team to approve when a payment does not match the invoice, or an escalation in Microsoft Teams for complex cases.

Outcomes

What it is built to improve.

  • Simple requests such as PO status answered without AP involvement
  • Discrepancy research done before the AP team sees the draft
  • Vendors answered within the hour, and employees can check expense report status
  • Consistent responses that scale without additional headcount

Boundaries built in

  • Shares information only with senders who have access to it
  • You choose which requests the agent answers alone and which need a second look
  • Mismatches, rebate disputes and fraud alerts go to the AP team

Technologies used

Request an Agent Pilot

Run AP Vendor Email Assistant on your workflow.

Tell us about your systems and timeline. We will scope a pilot with agreed measures and human decision points.

For example your EHR, ERP, integration platform or Microsoft 365.

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