Customer email automation
Order status and return emails, answered from your own data.
Customer service teams spend hours answering “where's my order?” one email at a time. We read each request, look up the order, shipment and inventory in your systems, and draft an accurate reply for your team to send.
Example: a backorder question
What comes in
- From
- A customer's buyer
- Subject
- Status of PO 4471?
- Order
- SO-20918, 12 lines
- Received
- 7:42 a.m.
What your team seesSample data
- Matched PO 4471 to sales order SO-20918
- 10 of 12 lines shipped Tuesday, tracking found
- Needs a look: 2 lines on backorder. Next supplier receipt due Nov 6
- Drafted a reply with the tracking number and backorder date
Draft waiting in your rep's queue, ready to review and send.
Names and numbers in this example are made up for illustration.
How it works
Read the request
Each incoming email is read to understand what the customer wants and which order, PO or part it's about.
Look it up in your systems
The order, shipment, tracking and inventory records are checked in your ERP and shipping systems.
Draft the reply
An accurate reply is drafted in your team's tone, with the real ship date, tracking number or return steps filled in.
Your team sends it
Your rep reviews the draft and sends it, or edits it first. Requests that need judgment, like pricing disputes, go to the right person.
The same questions, all day
For a distributor, a big share of the inbox is the same few questions. Where's my order? When will the backorder ship? Can I get a tracking number? I need to return this. Each one means opening the ERP, finding the order, checking the warehouse or carrier, and typing a reply.
None of it is hard. It's constant, and it pulls your best people away from the customers and problems that actually need them. When the inbox backs up, replies slow down and customers start calling, which takes even longer.
Returns, too
Return requests follow the same path. The request is checked against the original order, your return policy and the time since shipment. Your team gets a drafted return authorization, or a note explaining why the request falls outside policy.
Common questions
Will replies sound like us?
Yes. Drafts follow your team's tone, using your past replies as a guide, and your reps can edit anything before it goes out.
Does it send emails on its own?
No. Every reply is reviewed and sent by someone on your team, until you decide otherwise.
What systems does it need?
Access to your inbox and to wherever order, shipping and inventory data lives, usually your ERP. We confirm the connection during the free audit.
What about upset or complicated emails?
Those go straight to the right person, with a short summary instead of a draft, so nothing sensitive gets a canned answer.
How long is the pilot?
2 to 3 weeks on a real shared inbox, so you can compare the drafts to the replies your team would have written.
More we take off your plate
Book your free workflow audit.
30 minutes, no cost. We'll find where your team's hours go and tell you honestly whether automation pays off, even if the answer is no.