PURCHASE ORDER AUTOMATION FOR DISTRIBUTORS
Turn customer purchase orders and requests into reviewed quotes
Most pages about purchase order automation are written for the buyer: raising POs, approvals, three-way matching, accounts payable. This page is about the other end of the document. If you are a distributor, the purchase order is something a customer sends you, as a PDF, a spreadsheet, an email or a photo, and someone on your team has to turn it into priced, checked lines.
Qotora AI reads a customer’s purchase order, RFQ or plain list in any format and prepares a quote for a person on your team to review. It does not post sales orders into your software. It does the reading, matching, pricing and stock check that come before anyone keys an order.
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Purchase order automation: the buyer’s side and the seller’s side
The phrase covers two different jobs, and the software for one does not help with the other.
| Side | What gets automated | Where Qotora AI fits |
|---|---|---|
| The buyer | Raising, approving and sending POs; matching supplier invoices to them. | It does not. |
| The distributor | Reading the PO that arrives, matching its lines to your products, pricing and stock-checking them, preparing the quote. | This is what Qotora prepares, for a person to review. |
What a customer’s purchase order looks like by the time it reaches you
A purchase order may be a formal document, but the way it reaches a distributor is rarely tidy:
- A PDF exported from the customer’s own system, with the customer’s part numbers and short descriptions.
- A scan, or a photo of a paper PO taken on a phone.
- A spreadsheet the buyer built, with columns in their own order.
- An email that says “PO attached, please confirm” and lists the same items in the body.
- A “PO” that is really a request: new items, no agreed price, a delivery date but no confirmation of stock.
Whatever the format, the work is the same. Someone reads each line, works out which of your products it means, finds that customer’s price, checks stock and units, and only then enters the order. That preparation is where the time and the mistakes are.
How Qotora AI prepares a customer PO for your team
- Drop in the purchase order, in whatever form it arrived: PDF, Excel or CSV, email text or a photo.
- Qotora reads the lines: descriptions, the customer’s part numbers, quantities and units. The original document stays visible next to every line.
- Each line is matched to your catalogue. The customer’s part numbers are matched by description, and by cross-reference when your catalogue holds one. A match your team confirms is remembered for the next PO from that customer.
- Your price for that customer is applied (their tier, your discounts, your margin rules) and stock is shown line by line. Qotora never invents a price or a margin.
- Anything doubtful is flagged: a line with no match, a line that could be several products, a quantity in a unit that needs converting to your pack sizes, an item out of stock.
- A person reviews every line against the original PO, then sends the quote, or uses the checked quote as the list from which to enter the order in your own software.
What the PO says
- CPN 2210 · 3/4 copper tee · 60 EA
- CPN 2214 · 3/4 copper 90 · 120 EA
- CPN 5105 · 3/4 ball valve, sweat · 24 EA
- CPN 8802 · 3/4 clevis hanger · 100 EA
The quote, ready to check
| Description / part no. | Qty | Unit price | Line total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Copper tee 3/4 in, wrought, C×C×C — CU-T-075 | 60 | $2.35 | $141.00 |
| Copper 90° elbow 3/4 in, wrought, C×C — CU-90-075 | 120 | $0.98 | $117.60 |
| Ball valve 3/4 in, sweat, lead-free brass — BV-S-075 | 24 | $9.40 | $225.60 |
| Clevis hanger 3/4 in, galvanized — HG-CL-075 | 100 | $1.12 | $112.00 |
| Total (sample) | $596.20 | ||
Illustration with sample products and prices. In your own account, part numbers and prices come from your catalogue and your price rules, whatever figures the customer’s PO shows, and a person on your team reviews the result before it is sent or entered.
A typical request takes seconds to under a minute to prepare once your data is connected. Long PDFs and photos take longer, times vary with the request, and your team’s review time is on top.
Quote first, or straight to the order?
If you were searching for order entry software or sales order automation, this is the part to read closely. Two situations are common, and Qotora handles both without touching your software.
- The PO confirms something you already agreed. Qotora prepares the matched, priced, stock-checked quote; your team checks it against the PO and enters the order in your own software.
- The PO is really a request. Qotora prepares a quote for your team to review and send; once the customer confirms, your team enters the order.
What this is not
- It is not accounts payable or procurement automation. It does not raise, approve or match your own purchase orders.
- It is not EDI or a document network. It reads the documents your customers already send.
- It does not create sales orders in your software and does not write into it. Order entry stays with your team.
- It does not send anything on its own. Every quote is reviewed before it goes out.
It does remove the slow middle: reading the document, finding the products, applying the right price and checking stock, line after line.
What it costs
The Counter plan is US$49 for the first month, then US$149 a month, for up to 150 quotes sent per month and unlimited users. Setup is included: our team connects Qotora to your software or imports your catalogue, stock and prices. You have a 7-day money-back guarantee, counted from your first quote sent. Team (US$349 a month, up to 500 quotes sent) and Network (US$799 a month, up to 2,000) cover higher volumes.
Frequently asked questions
What does purchase order automation mean for a distributor?
It means automating what happens when a customer’s purchase order arrives: reading the lines, matching them to your products, applying the customer’s price, checking stock and preparing the response. Qotora AI prepares a quote for a person to review.
Does Qotora create sales orders in my software?
No. Qotora never writes into the software you use. It prepares a quote, and your team enters the order in your system as it does today.
Can it read a scanned or photographed purchase order?
Yes. PDFs, photos, Excel and CSV files and email text can be read, though a blurred scan reads less well than a clean one. Any line that cannot be read or matched with confidence is flagged for a person to check.
What about my customer’s own part numbers?
Qotora matches them to your products by description, and by cross-reference when your catalogue holds one. When your team confirms or corrects a match, it is remembered for that customer’s next PO.
What if the price on the PO is different from mine?
Prices on the quote come from your catalogue and your rules, whatever figure the customer’s PO shows. Which price stands is a conversation for your team.
Is this the same as EDI?
No. Qotora reads the documents your customers already send, in whatever format they use. It is not a document exchange network.
Does a person check the result?
Always. Every quote is reviewed by a person on your team before it is sent. There is no automatic sending.
How long does it take?
A typical request takes seconds to under a minute to prepare once your data is connected. Long PDFs and photos take longer. Times vary with the request, and your team’s review time is on top.
What does it cost?
US$49 for the first month, then US$149 a month on the Counter plan (up to 150 quotes sent per month, unlimited users). Setup is included, with a 7-day money-back guarantee counted from your first quote sent.