Canals Aims to Streamline Distributor Workflows with New AI Tools
Canals, Miami, FL, a developer of AI tools for distributors that has signed on an impressive roster of large electrical distributors, has launched several new AI offerings. The expanded capabilities empower distributor teams across sales, customer service, accounting, purchasing and receiving to save time and get customers what they need sooner, leading to greater customer loyalty and sales at any scale.
“In wholesale distribution, winning business has always come down to operational execution — how quickly and accurately distributors can respond across thousands of daily interactions to deliver outstanding customer service,” said Michael Delgado, co-founder and CEO of Canals, in the press release. “What’s changing now is the ability to automate the tedious, repetitive parts of that execution end-to-end. From sales to purchasing to accounting, every team can move quickly to keep orders flowing and customers coming back.”
Canals said in the press release that its new suite of AI solutions helps distributors with all types of inquiries and the cross-company workflows that enable accurate and timely answers. The new functionality includes:
AI PO-to-Receipt Tracking
Keeps a distributor’s ERP updated with the latest ship dates and quantities from suppliers by automatically reading and uploading PO acknowledgements, advance ship notices and packing slips, as well as direct integration with vendor APIs. Purchasing and receiving teams have seen up to 80% time savings, and customer-facing teams no longer waste time second guessing ERP data.
AI Accounts Receivable
Accelerates cash application by automatically matching payments to invoices, auto-applying all matches and flagging short pays and other mismatches with likely reasons. Canals says early customers have achieved up to 99% match accuracy, helping save time, reduce posting errors, and streamline customer communication.
AI Inquiry Handling
Generates suggested responses to customer questions about order status, products and billing/account issues by identifying what’s asked and automatically pulling relevant context from ERP systems and other sources. Less manual searching and typing leads to faster responses and more consistent customer service.
Ask Canals Chatbot
Provides instant, cited answers to questions about product information, availability, specifications, policies and more, reducing time spent searching for information across sources and reliance on experienced employees.
Live Voice
Brings AI-powered order entry to spoken interactions by transcribing the audio and converting it into structured line items in real-time. Whether at the counter, in the field, on the phone, or processing voicemails, reps can create orders at the speed of conversation and reduce errors and follow-up calls.
In an interview with Electrical Wholesaling, Michael Delgado co-founder and CEO, said half of the 50 largest electrical distributors are already using Canals. The company initially focused on order entry, accounts payable and receiving and has expanded into other key distributor work processes.
According to the press release, 100-plus distributors now utilize Canals’ AI tools. Some of the electrical distributors now using the company’s AI tools include Turtle, Kendall Electric, Regency Supply, Kirby Risk, Standard Electric Supply, Revere Electric Supply Co., Benfield Electric Supply Co., United Electric Supply, Warshauer Electric Supply, Parrish-Hare Electrical Supply, Schaedler Yesco and McNaughton McKay. Video testimonials from Turtle, Regency Lighting and Kendall about their experiences with Canals are available at www.canals.ai.