Start with one bounded order flow, genuine customer requests and agreed quality criteria. Measure review, correction and time available for customer contact, not just fewer keystrokes. AI order entry succeeds when repetitive work decreases and customers receive the right attention. A demonstration with perfect documents is insufficient evidence.
Which order flow should you choose first?
Select a recognizable group of requests with a process owner, reliable customer and item data and an existing ERP import route. Include difficult variants alongside normal orders. Starting with every mailbox, customer group and exception makes results harder to interpret.
What should be agreed before the pilot?
Define mandatory fields, exception ownership and the evidence required to call an order processed. Check mailbox access and who can view order details. Agree data retention and usage with the supplier; do not casually upload customer orders into an unmanaged chat environment.
| Measure | Limited evaluation | Useful evaluation |
|---|---|---|
| Reading | Show only tidy PDFs | Test real formats and variants |
| Item research | Use only exact numbers | Include descriptions and ambiguity |
| Time | Measure typing alone | Separate research, entry, review and repair |
| ERP outcome | Display a draft | Read the order back in your ERP |
| Customer contact | Assume capacity improves | Assess availability and follow-up |
How do you measure time released?
Compare the same types of orders at the same volume. Released processing time is the measured baseline minus the remaining entry, review and correction time. Separate one-off setup from recurring work. This is a measurement method, not a savings promise. Replacing typing with lengthy review is not automatically an improvement.
What can you learn from Voortman?
The Voortman case describes orders and quotes from free-text emails into SAP using fuzzy matching and order history. Implementation took six weeks. Use this concrete example to ask which data, integration and working agreements your situation needs. Another customer’s implementation time is not a guarantee for your pilot.
How does released time reach customers?
Decide what sales support will do with the capacity: clarify ambiguous requests, answer delivery questions or follow up important customer issues. Check whether these tasks actually receive more attention during the pilot. Automation without an explicit change in responsibilities leaves the commercial goal unclear.
Which questions should suppliers answer?
- Can you demonstrate our normal and difficult orders?
- How is uncertainty shown and who decides?
- Which data goes to which systems?
- How do you confirm correct posting in the ERP?
- What recurring review and management remain with us?
Evaluate answers with sales support and the ERP and data owners. Read which orders still need human review. Choose on the complete order flow, with time for valuable customer contact as the objective.
