AI driven supplier onboarding using Now Assist for SLO

  • Release version: Australia
  • Updated March 12, 2026
  • 3 minutes to read
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    Summary of AI driven supplier onboarding using Now Assist for SLO

    The AI driven supplier onboarding playbook automates critical onboarding tasks such as supplier registration, information validation, and generation of task lists. This solution leverages AI agents within the Now Assist framework to streamline and enhance the supplier onboarding process, ensuring accuracy, compliance, and efficient communications.

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    Accessing and Configuring the Playbook

    • To enable the AI driven supplier onboarding playbook, update the Supplier case playbook's case type to "AI driven supplier onboarding" in the decision builder and save the change.
    • Set default AI models for One Extend capabilities by marking at least one model as true in the Generic Prompt and Summarize records under SysOneExtendCapability.
    • Activate AI agents by enabling the Status toggle on the Define availability screen to make them operational in the onboarding workflow.

    AI Agents and Their Roles

    • Supplier data steward AI agent: Ensures supplier data accuracy and compliance, maintains data across systems, checks for duplicate records during onboarding, and manages cases including invitations and task assignments. Duplicate requests can be resolved via the Now Assist panel by updating key supplier contact details.
    • Supplier approval AI agent: Manages supplier activation upon approval, updates company information, sends welcome and status emails, and closes cases appropriately. If rejected, it communicates reasons, notifies relevant parties, and closes the case as rejected.
    • Supplier document strategy generator AI agent: Creates customized onboarding flows and tasks based on the supplier’s regional location and industry compliance requirements, utilizing Knowledge Base articles for task creation. Supplier managers can approve or reject onboarding during the approval phase using integrated buttons.

    Key Activities in the Playbook

    • AI suggested similar suppliers: Triggered when onboarding originates from a sourcing request, this activity analyzes existing suppliers to suggest similar ones, helping avoid unnecessary new supplier onboarding. Users can reject or continue with the onboarding request based on AI suggestions.
    • AI driven primary data validation: Validates supplier-submitted banking details against attached proofs during registration, highlighting discrepancies. Supplier contacts can auto-populate bank information from attachments and update details if discrepancies arise. Supplier managers can reopen tasks if needed.

    Additional Features

    The AI agent decision log provides transparency by displaying the AI agents’ real-time interactions, decisions, and reasoning, aiding in monitoring and troubleshooting throughout the supplier onboarding process.

    Use the AI driven supplier onboarding playbook to automate onboarding tasks such as supplier registration, information validation, and task list generation.

    Accessing the AI driven supplier onboarding playbook

    To access the AI driven supplier onboarding playbook:
    1. In the decision builder, open the Supplier case playbook.
      1. Change the existing playbook case type from Onboard new supplier to AI driven supplier onboarding.
      2. Select Save.
    2. Set the default model for the One Extend capabilities.
      1. Navigate to Sys_One_Extend_Capability.
      2. Open the Generic Prompt record.
        1. Go to the OneExtend Definition Configs related list.
        2. In the default column, ensure that at least one model is marked to True.
      3. Open the Summarize record.
        1. Go to the OneExtend Definition Configs related list.
        2. In the default column, ensure that at least one model is marked to True.

    Available AI agents in AI driven supplier onboarding

    The following table lists the agents that are used in the workflow.
    Important:
    In the Define availability screen for the AI agent, make sure that the Status toggle is enabled to activate the AI agent.
    Table 1. AI agents used in AI driven supplier onboarding
    AI agent AI agent role
    Supplier data steward AI agent
    • Ensures that the supplier data is accurate, compliant, and continuously maintained across systems. During onboarding, this agent also checks for duplicate supplier records.
      Note:
      Duplicate supplier onboarding requests can be resolved from the Now Assist panel by updating the legal name or the email domain of the primary contact's email address.
    • Handles supplier onboarding by creating an invitation case for the supplier contact and assigning the necessary supplier tasks. Additionally, it ensures that the supplier case status is updated appropriately in the system.
    Supplier approval AI agent

    On approval, confirms supplier activation, activates supplier record and updates supplier company information, sends welcome email to the supplier, notifies the requester on onboarding status, and updates the case status to Closed complete.

    On rejection, provides a reason for rejection, sends an email to the supplier, notifies the requester and supplier about onboarding status, and updates the case to Closed rejected.
    Supplier document strategy generator AI agent
    • Generates dynamic onboarding flows that are customized to meet the supplier's compliance and regulatory documentation requirements. Flows are customized based on the following two factors:
      • The region in which the supplier is based.
      • The industry in which the supplier operates.

    • Automatically creates tasks for the onboarding flow by referencing all published Knowledge Base (KB) articles.
    Note:
    In the approval stage, supplier managers can also approve or reject supplier onboarding using the Yes and No buttons.

    Activities in the AI driven supplier onboarding playbook

    Table 2. Activities in the AI driven supplier onboarding playbook
    Activity Description
    AI suggested similar suppliers This activity is triggered when an onboarding request originates from a sourcing request. When a shopper selects an external supplier to fulfill a purchase request, an onboarding request is created automatically to onboard the external supplier.
    The AI suggested similar suppliers activity analyzes the sourcing request and suggests similar suppliers, eliminating the need to onboard a new supplier. You can select either of the following options to proceed:
    • Cancel the current onboarding request by selecting the reject button.
    • Continue with the current onboarding request by selecting the continue button.
    AI driven primary data validation This activity is triggered during the registration stage to validate banking details submitted by the supplier contact. It cross-references the banking details against the information in the attached proof and highlights any discrepancies.
    Note:
    In case of discrepancies, supplier managers can reopen the banking information task. Supplier contacts can then update the required information.

    Supplier contacts can auto-populate the bank name, account holder name, and account number fields by selecting the Extract values from the attachment to auto-populate form fields checkbox.

    The AI agent decision log displays the AI agents that are working to resolve the case, and you can watch their interactions, decisions, and thought processes as they happen in real time.