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Securing the commercial chain, from supplier price list to customer invoice.

Supplier price list integration, item master data, purchasing and sales terms, order entry, multi-warehouse replenishment, disputes: automating your teams’ low-value tasks and protecting margin, line by line.

The leadership challenges

What is at stake for leadership.

  • Margin, line by line

    Making visible the effect of purchasing terms, discounts and special terms on actual margin, by customer, by product family and by order.

  • Reliable item master data

    Supplier catalogues integrated without re-keying, complete and consistent item records, distributed to the ERP, the B2B portal and customer catalogues.

  • Service level

    The right item, in the right warehouse, at the right time: stockouts anticipated, substitutes proposed, lead times quoted that can actually be met.

  • Sales teams focused on customers

    Less time spent keying, checking and chasing, more time for advice, quoting and account development.

Day to day

The problems teams run into most.

  • Supplier price lists in heterogeneous formats

    Each supplier sends its catalogue and prices in its own format, on its own schedule: integration is done by hand, updates fall behind and outdated purchase prices stay in the ERP.

  • Orders re-keyed line by line

    Orders by email, as PDFs, by phone, via EDI or through the portal: sales administration re-keys, looks up the customer’s references, checks price and stock, and errors surface at delivery or invoicing.

  • Special terms that are hard to keep under control

    Customer discounts, net prices, contracts and terms granted over successive negotiations pile up in the ERP and in sales reps’ files: nobody has an overall view of what is actually applied.

  • Rebates tracked at year end

    Rebates depend on tiers and scopes specific to each supplier. Without continuous tracking, amounts earned are only known at closing, and supplier invoices are matched by hand.

  • Multi-warehouse stock managed by eye

    Without a consolidated view of consumption, stock by warehouse and supplier lead times, replenishment is decided case by case: stockouts on everyday items on one side, dormant overstock on the other.

  • Customer margin known too late

    Gross margin, discounts granted, disputes and credit notes are consolidated after the fact. By the time the analysis is ready, the terms eroding margin have already been applied to many orders.

Function by function

The time-consuming tasks, and what gets put in place.

The functionTime-consuming tasksWhat gets put in place

Buyer and category manager

Builds the range for their product family and negotiates purchasing terms.

Time-consuming tasks
  • Integrate supplier catalogues and price lists received in heterogeneous formats
  • Track purchasing terms, discounts and year-end volume rebates
  • Match supplier invoices against purchase orders and negotiated terms
  • Prepare annual negotiations on scattered data
What gets put in place
  • AI agentReading of supplier catalogues and price lists, whatever their format, and preparation of their integration; differences from the previous price list flagged.
  • SteeringTracking of rebates earned and still to earn, by supplier, based on actual purchases.
  • InterfaceSingle supplier file: terms, price lists, purchase history and disputes in one place.

Product data manager

Ensures the quality and consistency of item data.

Time-consuming tasks
  • Create and enrich item records from supplier data
  • Harmonise units, pack sizes and classifications
  • Distribute records to the ERP, the B2B portal and customer catalogues
  • Manage replaced and discontinued items and their equivalents
What gets put in place
  • EcosystemSingle item master (PIM) feeding the ERP, the B2B portal, e-procurement catalogues and sales materials.
  • AI agentNormalisation of attributes, first draft of descriptions and suggested classification, reviewed before publication.
  • SteeringCompleteness and consistency checks on item records, by family and by channel.

Pricing manager

Sets selling prices and governs special terms.

Time-consuming tasks
  • Pass supplier price increases through to selling prices
  • Keep customer price lists and special terms up to date
  • Analyse margin by customer, by family and by sales rep
  • Distribute price changes to every system
What gets put in place
  • InterfacePricing rules engine: markups, discounts by customer or family, net prices, with simulation of the impact on margin.
  • SteeringMargin dashboard by customer, by family and by sales rep, based on actual sales.
  • EcosystemAutomatic distribution of prices to the ERP, the B2B portal and customer catalogues.

Sales administration

Turns customer orders into accurate deliveries and invoices.

Time-consuming tasks
  • Enter orders received by email, as PDFs, via EDI or through the portal
  • Send order acknowledgements and answer lead-time enquiries
  • Handle disputes, returns and credit notes
  • Chase customers for missing information
What gets put in place
  • AI agentReading of orders, whatever their format, matching against the customer’s item references and prices, preparation of entry; human validation of doubtful cases.
  • InterfaceCustomer portal: self-service tracking of orders, deliveries and invoices.
  • SteeringTracking of disputes and credit notes by reason, by customer and by supplier.

Inside sales rep

Handles customer requests and grows revenue across their portfolio.

Time-consuming tasks
  • Prepare quotes and proposals, often at short notice
  • Check prices, terms and availability before committing
  • Propose substitute products when an item is out of stock
  • Follow up on pending quotes
What gets put in place
  • InterfaceQuoting workstation connected to the ERP: customer price, stock by warehouse, margin and purchase history on a single screen.
  • AI agentReading of price requests received by email, first draft of the quote and suggested equivalents when an item is out of stock.
  • SteeringTracking of quotes issued, won and lost, and of follow-ups due.

Replenishment planner

Ensures item availability in every warehouse.

Time-consuming tasks
  • Calculate requirements and prepare replenishment orders
  • Choose between supplier purchase and inter-warehouse transfer
  • Track open orders, delays and backorders
  • Adjust stock parameters by hand
What gets put in place
  • SteeringReplenishment proposals calculated from consumption, stock by warehouse and supplier lead times, validated by the planner.
  • EcosystemERP, WMS and supplier integration: confirmations and delivery dates kept up to date without re-keying.
  • AI agentAlerts on looming stockouts and suggested trade-offs.
One process, before and after

From incoming customer order to order acknowledgement.

Today
  1. Order received by email or as a PDF Manual
  2. Re-keyed line by line into the ERP Manual
  3. Price and special terms checked Manual
  4. Stock checked warehouse by warehouse Manual
  5. Acknowledgement written Manual
Tomorrow
  1. Order received (email, PDF, EDI, portal) Automated
  2. Lines read and matched to items AI agent
  3. Customer price and availability checked Automated
  4. Sales admin decides on flagged discrepancies Human decision
  5. Acknowledgement sent Automated
  • Manual
  • Automated or AI agent
  • Human decision
Investment and return

What the task costs, what the solution costs.

  1. 01

    What the task costs today

    Time spent × frequency × full cost of the roles involved, plus the cost of errors (credit notes, disputes, re-keying) and of delays.

  2. 02

    What the solution costs

    A scoped diagnostic, then a staged build, each stage priced before it starts. Running costs (hosting, licences, maintenance) are stated from the outset.

  3. 03

    The return

    Calculated task by task, on your volumes: hours redeployed, errors avoided, lead times shortened. The tasks that pay back fastest come first.

No average gain is published: it depends on your processes and volumes. The diagnostic quantifies it, task by task, before any commitment.

Questions from leadership

What leadership asks.

Which B2B distribution roles can be automated with AI?
The repetitive tasks of six roles first: buyer (price list integration, rebate tracking), product data (item records), pricing (price lists and terms), sales administration (order entry, disputes), inside sales (quotes) and replenishment planner (multi-warehouse replenishment). The diagnostic identifies which ones pay back fastest in your business.
How can orders received by email and as PDFs be entered automatically?
An AI agent reads the orders, whatever their format, extracts the lines, matches customer references to the items in your master data and checks the applicable price. Uncertain cases go to sales administration, which validates them. Order entry becomes a check.
How can supplier price lists be integrated without re-keying?
By defining a target integration format for your items and purchasing terms, then having an AI agent read each supplier file and convert it to that format. Differences from the previous price list, new items and discontinued items are flagged before the ERP is updated.
How can actual margin be tracked by customer?
By linking sales to actual purchasing terms, discounts and rebates included, and to the special terms granted to each customer. A dashboard then calculates margin by customer, by family and by sales rep, and highlights the terms that need reviewing.
Can AI replace the work of sales administration?
A large share of its entry and checking tasks, yes: reading orders, checking prices and availability, acknowledgements, preparing credit notes. What remains human is handling exceptions and the customer relationship. In practice, sales administration moves from re-keying to checking and service.
Questions from the teams

What teams look to improve.

Buyer and category managerHow can supplier price list integration be automated?
First set a single target format: supplier reference, description, unit, pack size, purchase price, effective date and associated terms. An AI agent reads each file received, whether a spreadsheet, a PDF or a catalogue, converts it to that format and flags increases, new items and discontinued items. Validating the price list and applying it in the ERP remain the buyer’s decision.
Buyer and category managerHow can rebates be tracked during the year rather than at closing?
Formalise each supplier agreement as explicit rules: item scope, tiers, rates and calculation period. A steering tool connected to actual purchases continuously calculates the amounts earned and the distance to the next tier, and matches supplier invoices against negotiated terms. Whether to concentrate volumes to reach a tier remains the buyer’s choice.
Product data managerHow can item master data fed by dozens of suppliers be made reliable?
Define, by family, the mandatory attributes, units and naming rules, then link each record to its dated supplier source. An AI agent normalises the data received, drafts a first description and suggests a classification, then the PIM distributes the record to the ERP, the B2B portal and customer catalogues. Item creation and the choice of equivalents remain validated by the product data team.
Pricing managerHow can a supplier price increase be passed through to selling prices without eroding margin?
Reason by family and by customer segment, distinguishing list prices, customer discounts and contractual net prices, rather than applying a uniform markup. A pricing rules engine connected to purchasing simulates the effect of the increase on margin and on each customer concerned, then distributes the new prices once the scenario is chosen. The level of pass-through and the exceptions granted to key accounts remain a commercial decision.
Sales administrationHow can orders received by email and as PDFs be entered automatically?
Start with a cross-reference table between each customer’s references and the items in the master data, and clear control rules on price, minimum order and availability. An AI agent reads the order, extracts the lines, applies these cross-references and prepares entry in the ERP, then the acknowledgement is sent automatically. Sales administration handles the flagged discrepancies and agrees next steps with the customer.
Sales administrationHow can disputes and credit notes be handled faster?
Structure each dispute as soon as it arrives: reason, order and delivery concerned, supporting documents, supplier possibly at fault. An AI agent gathers these elements from the customer’s email and the order history, and prepares the proposed credit note or return. Granting the credit note and any goodwill gesture remain a human decision.
Inside sales repHow can a quote request be answered faster?
Bring together on one screen everything the answer rests on: the customer’s price and special terms, stock by warehouse, supplier lead time, margin and purchase history. An AI agent reads the request received by email, identifies the items and prepares a first draft of the quote, which the quoting workstation prices at the customer’s rate. The final price, any discount and the lead-time commitment remain the sales rep’s.
Inside sales repHow can a substitute product be proposed when an item is out of stock?
Keep explicit equivalences between items in the master data, with their conditions of use: technical compatibility, pack size, price difference. A connected tool detects the stockout at the time of quoting or ordering and proposes the available equivalents, with their stock and margin. Choosing the substitute and presenting it to the customer remain the sales rep’s call.
Replenishment plannerHow can replenishment be managed across several warehouses?
Read together, by item and by warehouse, recent consumption, available stock, open orders and supplier lead time, with stock parameters specific to each warehouse. A steering tool connected to the ERP and the WMS calculates these indicators continuously and proposes the quantities to order or to transfer between warehouses. The planner validates, adjusts to context and keeps control of trade-offs between warehouses.
For the CIO

An architecture that fits what you already have.

  • Integration, not replacement

    The starting point is your ERP, WMS, PIM, B2B portal and EDI flows, connected together.

  • A single master data source

    One source of truth for items, prices and customers, distributed to every system.

  • Documented, traceable flows

    Logged APIs, EDI and exchanges: you know what moved, when, and why.

  • Supervised AI agents

    Defined scope, human validation on uncertain cases, a log of every action.

Roles
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02 — Getting started

Describe what’s holding your teams back.

A first conversation to qualify your need. Then a scoped diagnostic: the scope, the solution, the estimate.

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