Automated purchase order exception creation from emails

  • Release version: Zurich
  • Updated February 11, 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. Leveraging the Email Intent to Action Agentic workflow, the system analyzes supplier emails, identifies their intent, and initiates corresponding actions. This automation supports multiple languages including English, French (Canadian), German, Japanese, and Dutch.

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    Key Features

    • Intent Analysis and Execution: Incoming supplier emails are processed by the Intent Identification and Intent Executor agents to determine whether to create purchase order exceptions or universal requests.
    • Multi-language Support: Supplier emails in English, French, Canadian French, German, Japanese, or Dutch are supported.
    • Purchase Order Identification: Suppliers must include one of these identifiers in emails to link to the correct purchase order line:
      • ERP purchase order (PO) and purchase order line (POL) IDs
      • ServiceNow purchase order line number
      • ServiceNow or ERP PO number when the purchase order contains only one line
    • Automated Creation Logic:
      • Emails referencing a single PO line create one purchase order exception.
      • Emails referencing multiple PO lines create separate exceptions for each line.
      • Unclear emails or those unrelated to PO exceptions generate universal requests instead.
      • If referenced POs or lines are not found, a universal request is created.
    • Supplier Notifications and Transparency: Suppliers receive email notifications upon creation of exceptions or universal requests. The originating email content is logged in the Activity stream for operational buyer review and includes a banner marking agent-created records.

    Prerequisites and Configuration

    • Configure the [snsupplier.slmemail] system property with the supplier email address.
    • Use the same inbox for purchase order exceptions as for supplier case creation if using the SLO Supplier inbox.
    • Deactivate the “Create Supplier case for email” inbound action to avoid conflict.
    • Activate the “Trigger Intent to Action” inbound action to enable the agentic workflow execution.
    • Set the snunireq.universalrequestportal property value to Supplier to ensure proper supplier access to universal requests via Supplier Collaboration Portal.

    Benefits for ServiceNow Customers

    By implementing this automated email processing workflow, customers can streamline supplier communication, reduce manual handling of purchase order exceptions, and improve responsiveness. The system’s ability to handle multiple languages and automatically create universal requests when needed enhances supplier collaboration and operational efficiency. Additionally, the visibility provided to operational buyers through activity logging supports quality control and exception management.

    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.

    The workflow can process supplier emails in any of these languages: English, French, Canadian French, German, Japanese, or Dutch.

    Suppliers must provide one of the following IDs in their email to identify the relevant purchase order line:
    • ERP purchase order (PO) and purchase order line (POL) IDs
    • ServiceNow® PO number or ERP PO number when the purchase order contains only one line

    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.