Automated purchase order exception creation from emails

  • Release version: Australia
  • Updated March 12, 2026
  • 2 minutes to read
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    Summary of Automated purchase order exception creation from emails

    This feature enables automatic creation of purchase order exceptions or universal requests from emails sent by registered supplier contacts. It leverages the Email Intent to Action Agentic workflow, which analyzes incoming supplier emails to identify their intent and triggers appropriate actions via Intent Identification and Intent Executor agents. This automation streamlines supplier communication handling and exception management within ServiceNow.

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    Prerequisites and Configuration

    • Configure the snsupplier.slmemail system property with the supplier email address to register the supplier contact.
    • If using the SLO Supplier inbox for supplier case creation, use the same inbox for purchase order exception creation to ensure consistency.
    • Deactivate the inbound action Create Supplier case for email to avoid conflicts with exception creation.
    • Activate the inbound action Trigger Intent to Action to enable the workflow to process emails and invoke the agentic workflow.
    • Set the snunireq.universalrequestportal property value to Supplier to support creation of universal requests accessible via the Supplier Collaboration Portal when emails cannot be converted into purchase order exceptions.

    How It Works

    • When a supplier email is received at the configured address, the Intent Executor Agent evaluates the email content.
    • If the email contains purchase order line information, a purchase order exception is created. Multiple exceptions are created if multiple lines are referenced.
    • If the email content is unclear, unrelated to purchase order exceptions, or references unknown purchase orders or lines, a universal request is created instead.
    • Suppliers receive email notifications upon creation of purchase order exceptions or universal requests.
    • Purchase order exceptions created by the workflow are marked with a banner indicating agent creation.
    • Email content is logged in the activity stream of the created exceptions for operational buyers to review and manage any discrepancies.

    Important Details

    • Supplier emails must include at least one identifier such as ERP purchase order and line IDs, ServiceNow purchase order line number, or a single-line ServiceNow purchase order number.
    • The workflow supports emails in English, French, Canadian French, German, Japanese, and Dutch.

    Emails sent by a registered supplier contact are automatically converted to purchase order exceptions or universal requests by using the Email Intent to Action Agentic workflow.

    The Email Intent to Action Agentic workflow analyzes incoming supplier emails, identifies the email intent, and executes associated actions using the Intent Identification and Intent Executor agents. For more information on the Email Intent to Action Agentic workflow, see Email Intent to Action Agentic Workflow.

    Prerequisites for automated creation of purchase order exceptions

    To use this functionality, verify that the following steps are completed:
    • Configure the [sn_supplier.slm_email] system property. Edit the Value field to contain supplier email address. For more information, see Configure properties for Supplier Case Management.
      Note:
      If you plan to use or are using the SLO Supplier inbox for scenarios such as supplier case creation, you must use the same inbox for creating purchase order exceptions.
    • Deactivate the Create Supplier case for email inbound action. For more information, see Deactivate Create supplier case from email inbound action.
    • Activate the Trigger Intent to Action inbound action. To learn how to enable and configure intent to action workflow to invoke the agentic workflow from inbound actions, see Enable intent to action workflow from inbound actions.
    • Set the sn_uni_req.universal_request_portal property value to Supplier. This step supports supplier user experience cases where a supplier email can't be automatically converted to a purchase order exception. Instead, a universal request is created in the Supplier Collaboration Portal and the supplier receives an email with a link to the universal request created. For the link to correctly direct the supplier to the Supplier Collaboration Portal, the sn_uni_req.universal_request_portal property value must be set to Supplier.
    When a supplier sends an email to the configured email address, the Intent Executor Agent then implements the associated action based on the following conditions:
    • If the email contains a purchase order line related information, a purchase order exception is created.
    • If an email includes details for multiple purchase order lines, separate purchase order exceptions are generated for each line.
    • If the email contains unclear information or questions not related to purchase order exceptions, a universal request is created.
    • If the purchase orders and purchase order lines mentioned by the supplier can't be found in the system, a universal request is created.
    The supplier receives an email notification when a purchase order exception or a universal request is created. A banner appears on purchase order exceptions created by the agentic workflow, indicating that an agent created them. The originating email content is added as an entry in the Activity stream, allowing operational buyers to review agent actions and flag any discrepancies.
    Note:
    • The supplier email must contain one of the following identifiers for the purchase order line:
      • ERP purchase order (PO) and ERP purchase order line (POL) IDs
      • ServiceNow® purchase order line number
      • ServiceNow® purchase order number when it contains only one line
    • The workflow processes emails in any of these languages: English, French, Canadian French, German, Japanese, or Dutch.