Did you know?
Did you know that an AI agent can process your orders automatically?
You receive hundreds of orders by email every day. Sometimes as a neatly structured PDF, sometimes as a semi-unreadable scan, and occasionally even as a photo of a handwritten note. And yet... There is no longer any hand involved in processing it. Sounds utopian? Nope. This is already happening.
Manual order processing? That has to be smarter!
Manual order processing? That has to be smarter!
In many organizations, it is still a daily occurrence: a team in the back office that manually retypes orders from e-mails to the ERP system. Slow, error-prone and above all... totally unnecessary.
Meet the mail-to-order AI-agent
What if you had a digital colleague who processed incoming orders independently? No more copy-paste work, no back-and-forth with Excel sheets or illegible attachments. The AI agent automatically processes incoming orders – whether they come in as an email text, PDF, Word or Excel attachment – and immediately converts them into a correct order in Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations.
Not a rigid robot but a flexible assistant. He reads, understands and translates what comes in into concrete order lines – including customer data, article codes, quantities.
Manual order processing in figures
80 %
of errors in sales orders are due to manual entry.
4 out of 5
Businesses experience errors in manual order entry, with error rates ranging from 4% to 7%
1%
Is the generally accepted error rate of manual data entry
"The agent is constantly learning. The more examples, the smarter it gets."
How does it work exactly?
It may seem simple, but it is oh so cleverly structured. The AI agent operates in a flow of three phases:
1. Trigger - The agent monitors a mailbox (e.g. sales@company.nl). As soon as an email arrives there, the process is automatically initiated. This can also be done manually via a button or based on a schedule.
2. Processing - The content (text or attachment) is scanned using Azure OpenAI. The AI recognizes the format and extracts the correct data. The agent uses smart validation to check whether customer and item data is correct. If something is unclear, it is neatly flagged for manual review.
3. Output - The data is automatically entered into D365 F&O. The customer receives an order confirmation, and the sales team sees the order in real-time in the system.
Messy input? No problem.
What distinguishes this solution from traditional automation is the flexibility of AI. While other methods often stumble at data deviations, the AI agent simply continues.
It processes:
- PDFs with varying formats or missing data
- Texts with only dimensions or quantities
- Scans of handwritten forms
- Excel sheets without a standard structure
- Photos of order lists or circled products in a brochure And all of that without having to set up fixed templates
"Whether it's an email, PDF, scan, or even a photo – the AI agent knows how to handle it."
What are the benefits?
Significant time savings. Imagine an employee who spends 30% of his time on order entry, that's already a saving of 550 hours per year.
And that's without counting with:
- Less correction work due to error reduction
- More peace and focus on the back office
- Better customer experience through faster confirmation and delivery
How do you start?
You don't have to change your entire order process right away. Start smart: start by automating the structured orders – they are quickly profitable. Then you expand in phases to more complex, less standardized scenarios. This way you keep a grip on the implementation and the result.
"We start with a happy flow, and build it step by step to your complex reality."
The entry is easily accessible. The AI agent runs on familiar Microsoft technology such as Power Platform, Azure OpenAI, Copilot, Power Automate and AI Builder. You can train it yourself, or do it together with consultants. No customization nightmare, but a modular system that grows with your organization.
HoW DOES AI ADD VALUE TO YOUR ORGANIZATION?
Why HSO
AI is changing the way businesses operate. Every process, every position and every employee has to deal with it. But how do you ensure that AI does not remain a hype, but really contributes to your business results?
AI that makes impact
At HSO, we believe that AI makes companies more productive and efficient. That's why we help you see AI not as a separate tool, but as an integral part of your business strategy.
✔ Focused on your goals – AI should help your organization move forward.
✔ From strategy to practice – We translate AI into applications with direct impact.
✔ Proven technology – Powerful Microsoft solutions that work.
✔ In-depth industry knowledge – Knowledge of your industry and challenges.
Our mission is clear
Helping companies worldwide with technology-driven solutions that really make a difference. AI is an essential part of that. Do you want to know how AI can help your organization move forward? Let's talk.
Find out more
Ask our AI expert
I believe that AI only has an impact when it is really used. My passion is to bridge the gap between what is technologically possible and what organizations actually apply.
Data is the foundation for this. With a strong data engineering background and experience in tools such as Microsoft Fabric, Azure Data Factory, Databricks, Copilot Studio and AI Foundry, I build scalable, data-driven AI solutions that deliver real value.
Curious about how AI and data can accelerate your organization? Let's spar!
