Digital Order Confirmation
Process incoming order confirmations automatically and compare them with the corresponding order – with our solution, you can process your order confirmations faster and with less manual effort.
Reduce throughput times and errors now and benefit from an intuitive and uncomplicated workflow.
Order Confirmations as a Key Process
At first glance, order confirmations—also known as purchase order confirmations—appear to be purely informational documents. In practice, however, they serve as a critical checkpoint in purchase processes. This is precisely where it becomes clear whether a supplier has actually confirmed the order exactly as it was originally placed.
In many companies, this verification is still done manually. The confirmation arrives via email, ends up in a single person’s inbox, gets forwarded, or is only reviewed once inquiries have already been raised. By that point, changed delivery dates, differing prices, missing discounts, or other terms may have already made their way through the process. Purchasing, production, warehousing, and accounts payable then operate with differing levels of information. These discrepancies add up, are detected too late, and result in a significant amount of reconciliation work.
This is precisely why automating this process holds such great potential for many departments. With our intelligent solution, you’ll benefit from, among other things:
How to Digitize Your Order Confirmations
Processing different input formats and sources
In the first step, the incoming order confirmation (OC) is recorded digitally – regardless of the transmission channel. Whether by e-mail, as a PDF attachment, by fax or classically by mail: The solution automatically recognizes the format and processes it without media discontinuity. Integrated OCR technology precisely reads all relevant header and item data of the OC – e.g. article numbers, quantities, prices or delivery dates. The majority of documents are processed fully automatically, a manual visual check is only required in the event of ambiguities.
- Capture incoming order confirmations from all sources (email, PDF, fax, mail, EDI)
- All relevant data is read out using OCR or AI/machine learning
- Automated postings without user interface is possible for the majority of documents – manual checking only in the event of discrepancies
Extensive automation
After the order has been processed, the software can automatically compare order confirmations with orders in the ERP system. Quantities, prices, discounts, article numbers and delivery data are checked in real time. If the details match, the order is automatically released. If there are discrepancies, the system recognizes them, marks them accordingly and forwards them for manual processing. In addition, missing order confirmations or unreliable suppliers can be recognized and reported by the system – a real added value for supplier management.
- Automatic comparison of order confirmation and order (prices, discounts, quantity, date, etc.)
- Automatic approval possible if the data matches
- Deviations are recognized and marked separately
- Possibility to identify missing or late confirmations
Intuitive, simple approval process
Deviating order confirmations are transferred to a digital workflow that contains all approval steps. The responsible purchaser or clerk receives an automatic notification and can check the deviation directly, comment on it or make queries to the supplier. Depending on the set of rules, approval can be single-stage or multi-stage.
All actions are fully documented so that it is always clear who decided what and when.
- Digital workflows for checking deviating order confirmations
- Complete traceability and documentation of all checking steps
Posting and audit-proof archiving
As soon as an order confirmation has been checked and approved – either automatically or via the workflow – it is seamlessly posted in the ERP system. The order is marked as confirmed and any further steps (e.g. warehouse disposition) are triggered. At the same time, the order confirmation is stored in the DMS or archive system under audit-proof conditions so that it can be found at any time and retrieved from the ERP. This creates maximum transparency and also meets all compliance requirements (e.g. GoBD).
- Automatic posting of the approved order confirmation in the ERP
- Audit-proof archiving in the DMS or archive system
- Order confirmations can be viewed directly from the ERP
Advantages of the Software for Digitizing Order Confirmations
High Selection Rates
Thanks to AI, most of the data is automatically read correctly within a short time and without prior training
Faster Throughput Times
Incoming order confirmations can be processed on the same day – significantly shortening procurement processes
Fewer Errors
The automatic comparison with the existing order or the master data reveals deviations immediately
Reducing the Workload of Employees
Tedious, manual routine tasks are a thing of the past. Your employees can focus on more important tasks
Transparency & Control
Each order confirmation and its current status quo can be viewed in the system, including complete documentation of all test steps
Seamless Integration
Seamless integration into your ERP system ensures that the entire process runs without media discontinuity
Digital Order Confirmations for Purchasing, Accounting, Logistics, and Production
Order confirmations are not limited to the purchasing department. As soon as prices, quantities, part numbers, or delivery dates differ, this affects multiple areas of the company. That is precisely why it is not enough to simply file order confirmations away somewhere. The relevant information must be extracted, verified, reconciled, and made available where it is needed in the next step of the process.
Less Manual Verification, More Control
The purchasing department no longer has to manually compare every order confirmation with the original purchase order. Our solution automatically identifies relevant data, reconciles it with the original purchase order, and flags discrepancies in prices, quantities, discounts, item numbers, or delivery dates.
This allows the purchasing department to quickly identify which confirmations can proceed without issue and where action is truly required. As a result, inquiries to suppliers, internal coordination, and corrections in the ERP system can be handled in a more targeted manner. Manual document verification is transformed into a manageable exception process.
Know Earlier What Deliveries are Actually Confirmed
Confirmed quantities and delivery dates are crucial for logistics and production. If changes in order confirmations are detected too late, planning is based on incorrect assumptions. Materials are missing, incoming goods are expected at the wrong times, or production processes come under pressure.
Automated processing makes discrepancies visible early on. Changed delivery dates, partial confirmations, or differing quantities don’t get stuck in an inbox but can be factored into the process in a timely manner. This creates greater planning certainty and reduces unnecessary back-and-forth between purchasing, warehousing, and production.
A Better Data Foundation for Subsequent Invoice Verification
The accounting department also benefits from properly processed order confirmations. If prices, quantities, and terms are verified as soon as the order confirmation is received and updated in the ERP system as needed, subsequent invoice verification becomes significantly more reliable.
This reduces the need for clarification, especially for invoices linked to orders. The invoice does not match outdated order data but rather a current process status in which confirmed changes have already been taken into account. This simplifies the reconciliation between the purchase order, order confirmation, goods receipt, and invoice.
Integrated Rather Than Another Siloed Solution
For IT, the most important thing is to avoid creating another process silo. The solution is fully integrated into your existing system landscape and transfers data in a structured manner to ERP, financial accounting, DMS, or archiving systems.
Workflows, permissions, status information, and documentation remain traceable. Sensitive business data is processed securely, processes can be adapted to existing structures, and the solution scales to accommodate additional document types. This way, order confirmation is not addressed as a standalone issue, but as part of a seamless digital purchasing and procurement process.
This is What the Software for Digital Order Confirmations Looks Like
All relevant data such as prices, quantities, master data, delivery times, conditions and more are extracted automatically
Thanks to AI and machine learning, the solution can process all layouts without prior training
Deviations between the order and the digital order confirmation are highlighted and appear in the messages
Contradictory data and deviations from the order are automatically marked and presented for checking by the user
A different article number was recognized here and marked accordingly for manual checking
Extracted discounts or conditions are retrieved for individual items and for the total amount
Comment function below the extracted data for direct queries and comments
Delivery data is automatically extracted for all individual items and interpreted if necessary
All order confirmations and their current status in a well-organized list
Seamless Integration Into Common Accounting/ERP Systems
… and many more. Is your system not on this list? No problem. In most cases, we can connect to your existing ERP, financial accounting, DMS, or archiving environment and seamlessly integrate the processing into your workflow.
Schedule an appointment right away or send us a quick inquiry. Together, we will determine which integration approach makes the most sense for your environment.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Digital Order Confirmation
One Platform – Many Document Types
You can expand the software for the automated processing of order confirmations at any time to include other document types or use cases – such as incoming invoices, the processing of travel and expense reports, delivery receipts, material certificates, freight bills or even individual document types such as timesheets.
Thanks to the flexible architecture of our solution, additional document types can be quickly connected and seamlessly integrated into your existing workflows. Whether structured or unstructured, standardized or individual – we ensure that your document-based processes are efficient, secure and paperless.
