# Purchase Order Processing: Emailed POs to Order Drafts

Source: https://maito.app/workflows/turn-emailed-purchase-orders-into-order-drafts

Maito reads emailed purchase orders, matches lines to your catalog and contract prices, builds a draft order and asks about anything unclear.

Maito reads customer purchase orders and prepares a checked sales order, so staff stop retyping them.

[Operations](https://maito.app/workflows/team/operations) · [Wholesale and distribution](https://maito.app/workflows/industry/wholesale-and-distribution) · When something happens · Updated October 19, 2026

Works with

-   Slack
-   Email
-   Gmail
-   Microsoft 365
-   Superhuman Mail
-   Box
-   Dropbox
-   Notion

## How do you turn emailed purchase orders into order drafts?

To turn emailed purchase orders into order drafts, forward POs to the workspace address. Maito reads the PDF, matches each line to your catalog and the customer's contract prices, builds a draft order and lists any open questions, such as an unclear item or a new ship-to address. You release it.

## How it's done today

Staff print the PDF, highlight lines and retype ship-to, items, quantities and terms.

## What Maito does

1.  Read the lines from the PDF
2.  Match customer, items and ship-to
3.  Check units and prices against terms
4.  Hold unclear lines for a person

## Example

Loop run: New PO in orders@northstar.example

**Maito** (7:52 AM):

PO 88213 from Globex Hardware (2 pages, 6 lines). Draft order SO-30417 is built but two questions are open.

**Matched:** 4 of 6 lines. Total so far: $3,914.00 at their contract prices.  
**Question 1:** line 4, "hinge 3 in, 240 pcs," matches brass (HG-3-BR, $1.85) and steel (HG-3-SS, $2.40). That's $444.00 or $576.00.  
**Question 2:** the PO ships to 14 Commerce St, which isn't an address on their account. Their Dayton DC is.

Catch: line 2 says 12 cs, priced per case, but our catalog counts that item by the each. I used 12 cases.

From the PDF, the ERP and their price terms.

**Dan** (8:03 AM):

Ship to the Dayton DC and make the hinges brass.

**Maito** (8:04 AM):

Updated. SO-30417 is $4,358.00, brass hinges, shipping to the Dayton DC. It is ready for you to release. I'll also draft a note to Globex Hardware about the Commerce St address.

## How to set it up

When something happens Turn emailed purchase orders into order drafts

Ask your agent

“When a PO arrives at orders@northstar.example, read the PDF, match it to the customer and our price list and draft a sales order. Post anything unclear in #orders.”

Connect email

-   Gmail
-   Microsoft 365
-   Superhuman Mail

Connect files

-   Google Drive
-   Box
-   Dropbox
-   Notion
-   Microsoft 365

Use ERP

-   NetSuite

No MCP server needed. Ask your agent to save a skill with the steps, then add the login or API key in Settings → Vault.

Not connected yet? Your agent sends you a link to sign in.

## What it won't do

It reads what the PO says. Handwritten changes, unreadable scans and items missing from your catalog need a person.

## Questions

### Does it release the order?

No. It builds the draft and you release it after answering the open questions.

### How does it match items and prices?

Against your ERP through a skill with a login in the Vault, and the customer's price terms from your files.

### What about a line it can't match?

It lists the options with prices and asks, rather than guessing.

## More operations workflows

-   [Chase missing inputs Ask people for what's missing, by Slack or email, until it's in. Operations · On a schedule Works with Gmail, Microsoft 365, Airtable.](https://maito.app/workflows/chase-missing-inputs)
-   [Monday report from connected tools The weekly operating report built from the tools you already use. Operations · On a schedule Works with BigQuery, Supabase, Intercom, Pylon, Stripe, PayPal.](https://maito.app/workflows/monday-report-from-connected-tools)
-   [Turn a process into a written guide Describe how something is done and get a clean step-by-step guide. Operations · When you ask Works with Slack, Email.](https://maito.app/workflows/turn-a-process-into-a-written-guide)
-   [Keep a shared spreadsheet clean Fix formats, fill gaps and flag odd rows in a sheet everyone edits. Operations · On a schedule Works with Airtable, Microsoft 365.](https://maito.app/workflows/keep-a-shared-spreadsheet-clean)
-   [Book travel within policy Get flight and hotel options that fit the travel policy. Operations · When you ask Works with Slack, Email.](https://maito.app/workflows/book-travel-within-policy)
-   [Answer "who owns this?" Find the right person or team for any system, process or question. Operations · When you ask Works with Slack, Email.](https://maito.app/workflows/answer-who-owns-this)

[See all workflows](https://maito.app/workflows)

## Put your AI teammate to work.

Set it up in minutes. Start with this one, and let it earn the next one.

[Put Maito to work](https://maito.app/login?returnTo=%2Fworkflows%2Fturn-emailed-purchase-orders-into-order-drafts)[Book a demo](mailto:support@maito.app?subject=Maito%20demo)