The context
In general trade, most small shops order only when the salesman visits, often once a week. Between visits, urgent orders come by phone and are typed in by hand, or they don't happen at all and the sale goes to a competitor.
Most shop owners already use WhatsApp every day. This concept builds on my order management requirements work for a DMS rollout and designs an agent that takes orders on WhatsApp and checks them against the DMS before they reach the distributor.
The problem
Ordering is tied to the salesman's visit, and everything outside it is manual:
- Shops can only place a proper order when the salesman visits.
- Phone and paper orders are re-keyed by hand, with mistakes in products and quantities.
- Shops don't see the final price, scheme or stock position until delivery.
- Salesmen spend visit time writing routine orders instead of selling.
What I did
- Mapped the current order journey from my DMS project experience.
- Designed the conversation flow and the hand-offs between the agent, the DMS and the salesman.
- Defined the rules the agent must follow for prices, schemes, credit limits and stock.
- Wrote user stories with Gherkin acceptance criteria and a sample conversation script.
The process, before and after
Each column is a team or system. Numbered badges point to where time is lost today, and how the design saves it.
Scroll sideways to see the whole diagram →
- 1Shops can only place a proper order when the salesman visits, often once a week.
- 2Urgent orders arrive by phone and are typed in by hand, with mistakes.
Scroll sideways to see the whole diagram →
- 1Shops order any time, by text or voice note, in their own words.
- 2The agent turns free text into product codes and quantities.
- 3Prices, schemes and credit limits come from the DMS, so the total matches the invoice.
- 4Unclear orders, credit holds and complaints go to the salesman.
What changed, step by step
| Step | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
| Placing an order | Only during the salesman's visit, or by phone | Any time on WhatsApp |
| Entering the order | Re-keyed by hand | Created in the DMS from the confirmed chat |
| Price and scheme | Seen at delivery | Shown before the shop confirms |
| Unclear orders | Sorted out at delivery | Sent to the salesman straight away |
The approach
- 1Start from the shop's habitsShop owners already message on WhatsApp, in their own words and language. The agent works with that instead of asking them to install an app.
- 2Match free text to productsThe agent maps phrases like 'two cases of the 1 litre pack' to product codes, using the shop's past orders to resolve doubts.
- 3Let the DMS decide pricesPrices, schemes and credit limits come from the DMS, never from the agent, so the total matches the invoice.
- 4Confirm before orderingThe agent sends a summary with the total and any scheme applied, and creates the order only after the shop confirms.
- 5Keep the salesman in the loopUnclear orders, credit holds and complaints go to the salesman, who also sees every WhatsApp order on his beat.
- 6Measure what mattersTrack orders placed between visits, order accuracy and the share of orders that need a person.
Sample work: conversation design extract
| Step | Shop owner | Agent | Behind the scenes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Send 2 cases sunflower oil 1L and 5 packs biscuits | Lists the oil it matched and asks which biscuit pack | Matches products using the shop's recent orders |
| 2 | Glucose biscuits, 100 g | Shows the total with the scheme applied: buy 5, get 1 free | Gets price, scheme and stock from the DMS |
| 3 | OK | Confirms the order and the delivery day | Creates the order for the distributor |
| 4 | Can I pay next week? | Says the salesman will call about payment | Creates a task for the salesman |
Illustrative script written for this portfolio. Products are generic.
Expected outcomes
- More orders between salesman visits, without adding visits.
- Fewer order errors, because nothing is re-keyed by hand.
- Shops see the right price and scheme before they confirm.
- Salesmen spend more of each visit on selling and display.
Design principles
- The agent drafts; the DMS decides. Prices and schemes never come from the agent.
- Always confirm before creating an order.
- Hand off early. A wrong order costs more than a slow one.
Concept case study written during my 2026 sabbatical. It is not a deployed client solution. Examples are generic.
Next case study · AI-02From promotion brief to live scheme, without re-keying