How It Works
- You receive a PO via email from a customer
- Forward the email to your Buddy address
- Buddy reads the PO and creates a draft order
- You review and approve the order
Setting Up
1
Find Your Address
Go to Settings → Integrations → Email to find your unique forwarding address
2
Copy Address
Copy the address (format:
[email protected])3
Start Forwarding
Forward PO emails to this address
What Gets Processed
Supported Formats
| Format | Description |
|---|---|
| Purchase order documents | |
| Excel | .xlsx and .xls files |
| CSV | Comma-separated data files |
| Email Body | Order details in the email text |
What Buddy Extracts
From the PO, Buddy identifies:- Customer: From sender email, company name, or PO header
- Products: From SKUs, product names, or descriptions
- Quantities: Order quantities for each item
- PO Number: The customer’s reference number
- Ship-to: Delivery address if included
After Forwarding
What to Expect
Within a few minutes:- The email is processed
- A draft order is created
- The order appears in your Sales Orders queue
- Items needing attention appear in Data Quality
Review Process
1
Open the Order
Find the new order in Sales Orders (status: Draft)
2
Verify Customer
Confirm the customer was matched correctly
3
Check Products
Verify all products were matched correctly
4
Review Quantities
Confirm quantities match the original PO
5
Approve
Change status to Confirmed to process
Handling Issues
If something doesn’t match:| Issue | Solution |
|---|---|
| Customer not matched | Select the correct customer from dropdown |
| Product not matched | Search and select the correct product |
| Wrong quantity | Edit the quantity inline |
| Missing information | Add manually before approving |
Best Practices
For Better Matching
Clean Customer Data
Ensure customer emails in Buddy match how they send POs
Complete SKUs
Add alternative SKUs and aliases to products
Consistent Formatting
Ask customers to use consistent PO formats
Review Quickly
Process orders promptly while context is fresh
Workflow Tips
- Set up email rules: Create an email rule to automatically forward POs
- Dedicated inbox: Consider a dedicated email for receiving POs
- Check daily: Review your order queue at least once daily
- Train your team: Ensure team members know how to review orders
Sharing with Customers
You can give customers your Buddy email to send POs directly: Sample message:“Please send purchase orders to [email protected] and we’ll process them automatically.”
Only share your forwarding address with trusted customers to avoid spam.
Troubleshooting
Email not processed
Email not processed
- Check you forwarded to the correct address
- Verify the attachment isn’t corrupted
- Wait a few minutes for processing
- Check spam filters aren’t blocking forwarded emails
Customer not recognized
Customer not recognized
- Add the customer’s email to their profile
- Check for typos in the customer name
- The customer may need to be created first
Products not matching
Products not matching
- Add alternative SKUs to your products
- Check product names match what customers use
- Review Data Quality for unmatched items
Missing information
Missing information
Some POs have incomplete data. You’ll need to manually enter:
- Ship-to address if not included
- Specific product variants
- Special instructions
Duplicate orders
Duplicate orders
Buddy checks for duplicate PO numbers. If you forward the same PO twice, check if an order already exists with that PO number.
FAQ
Can customers email directly?
Can customers email directly?
Yes! Share your Buddy email address with trusted customers. They can send POs directly without you forwarding.
What if the PO format changes?
What if the PO format changes?
Buddy adapts to different formats. If a customer changes their PO layout, processing should still work. Check results carefully after format changes.
Is there a size limit?
Is there a size limit?
Attachments up to 25MB are supported. Very large files may take longer to process.
Can I process handwritten POs?
Can I process handwritten POs?
PDF scans of handwritten POs have lower accuracy. Consider asking customers for typed or digital POs when possible.