From 20 Minutes to 16 Seconds: How a Manufacturer Automated Email Inquiry Processing

The Challenge

Every order inquiry followed the same manual path: a staff member opened the email, opened each attachment, located the relevant order details, and typed the data into the ERP system one record at a time.

At roughly 20 minutes per inquiry — multiplied across hundreds of inquiries per day — order entry consumed a large share of the team's working hours. The process created several compounding problems:

• Capacity drain: Skilled staff spent their days on repetitive data entry instead of higher-value customer and operational work
• Error exposure: Manual transcription from attachments into the ERP introduced avoidable data-entry mistakes downstream
• Throughput ceiling: Processing speed was capped by headcount, so busy periods created backlogs and slower customer response times

The company needed a way to process inquiry volume accurately and at speed — without simply hiring more people to type faster.

The Solution

AI engineers designed and deployed an AI agent that handles the entire inquiry-to-ERP workflow automatically.

The agent reads each incoming email as it arrives, extracts order data from the attached documents, validates every record against the product catalog, and pushes confirmed orders directly into the ERP system — no human touch required for clean records.

It reads the email, checks the catalog, and the order is just...in the system.

The automation was built around three core principles:

• Accuracy first: Every extracted record is validated against the product catalog before it reaches the ERP, so automated entries are trustworthy by design
• Exception-based workflow: Staff only see the inquiries the agent can't confidently resolve — incomplete data, catalog mismatches, or unusual requests — keeping humans focused where judgment matters
• Seamless ERP integration: Confirmed records flow directly into the existing ERP system, preserving the company's established processes downstream

The solution was tailored to the manufacturer's existing systems and document formats, so the team could adopt the new workflow without disrupting operations.

The Results

With the AI agent in production, inquiry processing that once took 20 minutes now completes in 16 seconds — a reduction of more than 98% — and the team's role has fundamentally changed.

• Speed at scale: Hundreds of daily inquiries are processed automatically, with no backlog during peak periods
• Staff redeployed to higher-value work: The team shifted from manual data entry to managing exceptions only, applying judgment where it's actually needed
• Improved data quality: Catalog validation on every record reduces transcription errors before they reach the ERP
• Faster customer response: Orders enter the system within seconds of arrival, accelerating downstream fulfillment and planning