Demo 10 · PO and quote intake
The AI didn't change. The data did.
Every order-entry AI promises high accuracy. Then it meets your item master: duplicates, "SEE NOTES" descriptions, missing unit conversions (stocked by the each, ordered by the box). Watch one messy e-mailed PO match 31% of its lines, then watch the same PO match 92% after the item master is cleaned. Same matcher both times.
Sample data · fictional distributor and customer PO reading = recorded example · matching runs live in your browser · nothing is sent
The order desk
Inbox · orders@
- From
- Thistlewood Mechanical (fictional) <purchasing@thistlewood-mech.example>
- Subject
- PO 44871 - pls ship asap
- Received
- Tue 22 Sep 2026, 7:14 AM
See attached. Need it at the Eastside site Thursday. Thx - Dale
Attachment · PO44871_scan.pdf (scanned)
DATE 9/22/26
- 1.2 bx blue discs 4.5 @ 52.00
- 2.25 ft 1/2 hyd hose 100R2 @ 3.10
- 3.8 JIC fem swivel 1/2
- 4.4 ISO-B coupler 3/8
- 5.1 bx hose clamps #12
- 6.2 cs nitrile gloves L @ 84.00
- 7.100 3/8-16 x 1-1/2 hex cap screw gr 8 yellow zinc
- 8.1 bag zip ties 11in black
- 9.6 penetrating oil 11oz
- 10.12 safety glasses clear anti-fog
- 11.2 pipe thread sealant w/ PTFE 1 pt
- 12.2 1/2 ball valve brass
- 13.1 the usual fittings for Eastside job
The AI didn't change. The data did.
| # | Read from the PO | Qty | Unit | Read | Item master as-is | After clean-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | blue discs 4.5 · 2 BX · read 97% | 2 | BX | 97% | Unit unknownFD-4529Z? unit won't convert | Matched55-4412 · 2 BX × 10 = 20 EA |
| 2 | 1/2 hyd hose 100R2 · 25 FT · read 95% | 25 | FT | 95% | Unit unknown31-2208? unit won't convert | Matched31-2208 · 25 FT |
| 3 | JIC fem swivel 1/2 · 8 EA · read 93% | 8 | EA | 93% | No matchnothing close | Matched44-1080 · 8 EA |
| 4 | ISO-B coupler 3/8 · 4 EA · read 96% | 4 | EA | 96% | Ambiguous2 look alike: 47-3810 / 47-3811 | Matched47-3811 · 4 EA |
| 5 | hose clamps #12 · 1 BX · read 94% | 1 | BX | 94% | Unit unknown52-0012? unit won't convert | Matched52-0012 · 1 BX × 10 = 10 EA |
| 6 | nitrile gloves L · 2 CS · read 98% | 2 | CS | 98% | Matched61-2210 · 2 CS | Matched61-2210 · 2 CS × 10 = 20 BX |
| 7 | 3/8-16 x 1-1/2 hex cap screw gr 8 yellow zinc · 100 EA · read 91% | 100 | EA | 91% | No matchnothing close | Matched70-3816 · 100 EA |
| 8 | zip ties 11in black · 1 BAG · read 92% | 1 | BAG | 92% | Ambiguous2 look alike: 81-0011 / 81-0012 | Matched81-0011 · 1 BAG × 100 = 100 EA |
| 9 | penetrating oil 11oz · 6 EA · read 97% | 6 | EA | 97% | Matched90-0110 · 6 EA | Matched90-0110 · 6 EA |
| 10 | safety glasses clear anti-fog · 12 EA · read 95% | 12 | EA | 95% | Matched95-2201 · 12 EA | Matched95-2201 · 12 EA |
| 11 | pipe thread sealant w/ PTFE 1 pt · 2 EA · read 90% | 2 | EA | 90% | No matchnothing close | Matched63-0415 · 2 EA |
| 12 | 1/2 ball valve brass · 2 EA · read 96% | 2 | EA | 96% | Matched77-0508 · 2 EA | Matched77-0508 · 2 EA |
| 13 | the usual fittings for Eastside job · 1 LOT · read 71% | 1 | LOT | 71% | No matchnothing close | Needs a personno item fits: ask Dale |
The distributor's item master
20 records 15 after clean-up
Every change above is a ruling the distributor makes once (on a Decision Card): which duplicate survives, what a catch-all really was, which conversion row was missing. Customer words like "blue discs" come from the customer's own order history and the counter's knowledge (see the Tenure Capital demo, rule R-04).
Step 4 · the order desk's real test
Matched is not entered. Priced is.
A distributor judges an order by whether it carries the right price and can ship from the right branch. After the clean-up, the same order resolves its ship-to, prices every matched line from Thistlewood's contract or matrix, checks stock at the branch that serves the job, and stops the one line where the customer's own PO price is below what they are owed.
Order header
- Bill-to
- C-20417 · Thistlewood Mechanical (fictional) · class B · Net 30
- PO says
- “EASTSIDE JOB SITE #4”
- Ship-to
- C-20417-0004 · EASTSIDE JOB SITE 4 (HOSPITAL ADDITION)
9100 E Broad St, gate C, Reynoldsburg OH 43068 - From the ship-to
- tax Licking Co. 7.25% · rep Outside · Sam K. · branch 14 · job J-0412
Why it matters: the ship-to sets the tax, the salesrep (order headers inherit the rep from the ship-to, not the bill-to) and which contracts apply. Contract K-1042 covers ship-to 0004 only.
This order
Ready to enter $526.48 · held $117.00
| # | Item | Qty | Price from | Unit | Ext | Branch 14 | PO price check |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 55-4412FLAP DISC, ZIRCONIA, 4-1/2 IN, 40 GRIT, TYPE 29 | 20 EA | Contract K-1042 | $5.85 | $117.00 | 140 on hand | Needs customer approvalPO says $52.00/BX; contract K-1042 is $58.50/BX. Needs customer approval before it is keyed. Never entered at the PO price. |
| 2 | 31-2208HOSE, HYDRAULIC, 1/2 IN, SAE 100R2, PER FOOT | 25 FT | Contract K-1042 | $3.10 | $77.50 | 300 on hand | PO agreesPO price agrees with contract K-1042. |
| 3 | 44-1080FITTING, JIC FEMALE SWIVEL, 1/2 IN HOSE X 1/2 IN | 8 EA | class B matrix | $4.76 | $38.08 | 4 on hand · 4 shortbranch 10: 60 | no price on the PO |
| 4 | 47-3811COUPLER, QUICK, ISO-B, 3/8 IN | 4 EA | class B matrix | $11.54 | $46.16 | 10 on hand | no price on the PO |
| 5 | 52-0012CLAMP, HOSE, WORM GEAR, #12 | 10 EA | class B matrix | $1.13 | $11.30 | 30 on hand | no price on the PO |
| 6 | 61-2210GLOVES, NITRILE, DISPOSABLE, LARGE | 20 BX | Contract K-1042 | $8.40 | $168.00 | 22 on hand | PO agreesPO price agrees with contract K-1042. |
| 7 | 70-3816SCREW, HEX CAP, 3/8-16 X 1-1/2 IN, GRADE 8, YELLOW ZINC | 100 EA | class B matrix | $0.48 | $48.00 | 0 on hand · 100 shortbranch 10: 1500 | no price on the PO |
| 8 | 81-0011CABLE TIE, NYLON, 11 IN, BLACK, 50 LB | 100 EA | class B matrix | $0.09 | $9.00 | 400 on hand | no price on the PO |
| 9 | 90-0110PENETRATING OIL, 11 OZ AEROSOL | 6 EA | class B matrix | $6.16 | $36.96 | 12 on hand | no price on the PO |
| 10 | 95-2201SAFETY GLASSES, CLEAR LENS, ANTI-FOG | 12 EA | class B matrix | $3.71 | $44.52 | 18 on hand | no price on the PO |
| 11 | 63-0415SEALANT, PIPE THREAD, WITH PTFE, 1 PT | 2 EA | class B matrix | $8.74 | $17.48 | 6 on hand | no price on the PO |
| 12 | 77-0508BALL VALVE, BRASS, 1/2 IN NPT, FULL PORT | 2 EA | class B matrix | $14.74 | $29.48 | 2 on hand | no price on the PO |
| 13 | Not priced: the usual fittings for Eastside job, no item fits, so a person asks the customer first. | ||||||
Line 1 is never keyed at the PO's $52.00/BX: Dale's price is below contract K-1042, so the desk confirms with him first. A good intake system stops a price it was not told to give, instead of quietly accepting it or quietly overriding it.
Deliverable · customer part cross-reference
“Blue discs” lands in your ERP, not in someone's head.
The customer words learned in the clean-up become an import file for the ERP's own customer part cross-reference table, so the next order from Thistlewood matches without anyone remembering. Your staff review it and load it; we never write to your ERP.
| customer_id | customer_part_no | item_id | unit_of_measure |
|---|---|---|---|
| C-20417 | BLUE DISCS | 55-4412 | EA |
| C-20417 | HYD HOSE | 31-2208 | FT |
| C-20417 | JIC FEM SWIVEL | 44-1080 | EA |
| C-20417 | NITRILE GLOVES L | 61-2210 | BX |
| C-20417 | ZIP TIES | 81-0011 | EA |
Illustrative column layouts: a real engagement uses your ERP's own import template and version.
Before you trust a reader · Blind Grade
Grade the reader on orders it has never seen.
Vendors quote one accuracy number. Ask for the bars instead. Here, a reader's recorded readings of 200 past orders are scored against what Meridian's order desk actually entered, field by field. It never saw the answers.
Sample data · fictional orders Synthetic recorded readings: a fixed sample, the same on every visit. Not a live AI and not any real reader's or company's result.
The number a vendor shows
96.4%of 901 lines read to the right itemThe number your desk lives with
59.5%of orders right in every field, so they could go in with no human touchBoth are true at once. One wrong field anywhere sends the whole order back to a person, and the weakest field here is ship-to (88.0%): job sites written in free text, the same problem the ship-to step above solves with clean data.
Customer-written prices
9 orders carried a customer price below their contract or matrix price. All 9 were held for customer approval; 0 were keyed as entered.
What “wrong” looked like 12 examples, desk entry vs reading
| Order | Field | Desk entered | Reader read | Why |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| O-002 | customer | C-20512 | C-20417 | The PO came from a parent company’s purchasing office; the reader picked the parent, the desk keyed the plant. |
| O-004 | shipTo | 0005 | 0001 | The PO named a job site in free text; the reader fell back to the bill-to address. |
| O-004 | line | 36 × 47-3811 | 36 × 70-3816 | A handwritten line the reader matched to the wrong item, or skipped. |
| O-006 | shipTo | 0002 | 0001 | The PO named a job site in free text; the reader fell back to the bill-to address. |
| O-009 | po | 45785 | 45758 | A smudged digit on the scan: the reader transposed two digits of the PO number. |
| O-009 | method | Our truck | UPS Ground | “Best way” or “same as usual” names no carrier; the reader guessed UPS Ground. |
| O-010 | line | 47 × 81-0011 | 47 × 63-0415 | A handwritten line the reader matched to the wrong item, or skipped. |
| O-017 | method | Our truck | UPS Ground | “Best way” or “same as usual” names no carrier; the reader guessed UPS Ground. |
| O-026 | po | 45887 | 45878 | A smudged digit on the scan: the reader transposed two digits of the PO number. |
| O-035 | qty | 27 × 44-1080 | 270 × 44-1080 | A quantity in boxes read as eaches (or the reverse). |
| O-054 | qty | 10 × 90-0110 | 100 × 90-0110 | A quantity in boxes read as eaches (or the reverse). |
| O-061 | customer | C-20455 | C-20511 | The PO came from a parent company’s purchasing office; the reader picked the parent, the desk keyed the plant. |
Choosing an order-intake product? Bring 200 of your own past orders and what your desk entered. We grade every candidate blind, field by field, before you sign. Order Intake Pilot · Pricing: ask us
Talk to Mike about grading your readerWhat this shows
Fix the master before you buy the robot.
The reading step (turning a scan into lines) is shown as a recorded example. Order-intake products do that part well, and we help you choose one against at least two alternatives instead of selling you our own.
The matching step is live: the same word-overlap matcher runs twice in your browser, once against the as-is master and once against the cleaned one. The only thing that changed between the two runs is the data.
Line 13, "the usual fittings for Eastside job," stays with a person either way. No clean-up can guess what "the usual" means, and a good system says so instead of guessing.
Larger accounts often skip the inbox entirely: their EDI 850 purchase orders and punchout carts arrive as structured data. The same clean master decides whether those orders land right, because an 850 line still carries the customer's part number and unit.
Get your item master AI-ready
Thirty days to a master any intake tool can trust.
The Data Decision Sprint finds the duplicates, the "SEE NOTES" records and the missing units in your real item master, puts each fix to you as a one-minute decision, loads the fixes through import files you control, and leaves checks behind. Data Watchdog re-scans every month so the mess doesn't grow back.
Choosing an intake vendor? The AI Operating Partner scores at least two options against your own POs.
More demos: all demos · Quote Desk Inbox · Channel Data Clean-Room · Tenure Capital