Turn emailed hire requests into hire contracts automatically
When a customer emails your hire desk, Build Concierge reads the request and any attachments. It then matches the customer, delivery site and equipment, and creates a hire contract in your hire management system. Your hire desk checks and confirms the contract instead of keying it in from scratch. Requests it can't match with confidence come to your team instead.
The problem: orders arrive in every shape
Monday morning, and the hire desk inbox is full. One request is a line in an email, another is a PDF purchase order, a third is a screenshot of a product page forwarded from site. Each one has to be read, the customer and site found, every item matched to a category and the whole order keyed in.
While that happens, customers wait for confirmation. When one chases, it's easy to raise the same order twice.
How it works
- Read the request. AI reads the email and supported attachments, including text in images and screenshots. It picks out the items, quantities, hire dates, order number and delivery details. If the email has been forwarded, it works from the original customer's request, and relative dates such as "next Monday" are calculated from when that request was sent.
- Match the customer and site. The sender is matched to a customer account and contact using their email address, or an account number quoted in the request. The delivery address is matched to one of that customer's sites, by postcode or by site name.
- Match the equipment. Each item is matched to one of your equipment categories, using stock codes where the customer has supplied them. A final check looks for any line that could send the wrong equipment to site.
- Check for a duplicate. The order number is checked against that customer's unconfirmed contracts. If one already carries the same order number, no new contract is created.
- Create the contract for your hire desk to confirm. The contract is created with the hire dates, order number and delivery details. Your team receives an email with the contract number and a summary of what was matched, including anything worth a second look.
The automation never confirms a hire. Confirmation, including availability, pricing and delivery arrangements, stays with your hire desk.
Illustrative example
A site manager forwards an email asking for two dehumidifiers and a site heater from next Tuesday, with a purchase order attached. Build Concierge matches the customer, site and each item, finds no unconfirmed contract with that order number, and creates the contract with the dates, order number and delivery address. The hire desk reviews it and confirms.
When your team takes over
No contract is created, and the request goes to your team with the relevant details, when:
- the customer can't be matched with confidence
- the delivery site isn't recognised
- an item can't be matched to a category, or the final check flags a line
- one of that customer's unconfirmed contracts already carries the same order number
For unmatched items, the email shows what was matched, what wasn't and the closest options, so your hire desk can finish the order quickly. You choose who receives these emails and the contract notifications.
Getting set up
You'll need API access to your hire management system, with customer accounts, contacts and delivery sites held there, plus your equipment categories and any stock codes you use.
- Review sample requests. Your Customer Solutions team looks at the requests you typically receive, attachments included.
- Connect and map. We connect your hire management system, storing your API details securely, and set up matching against your equipment categories and stock codes.
- Route requests and choose recipients. Hire requests are copied or forwarded to your Build Concierge inbox, and you decide who receives notifications and exceptions.
- Test on real requests. We run real requests through, check the contracts with your hire desk, then go live.
Questions hire desks ask
Before a contract is created, the order number is checked against that customer's unconfirmed contracts. If one matches, no new contract is created and your hire desk is told, so an order that gets chased isn't raised twice.
Yes. It reads PDF purchase orders and the text inside images and screenshots, such as a product page from a hire website.
Items are matched to your equipment categories from the wording of the request. Stock codes help where they're supplied, but they aren't required.
If they quote their account number, that can be used to find the account. If the customer can't be identified, the request comes to your team.
Yes. Each item is matched separately, and the summary email shows how each one was matched.
Already a Build Concierge customer? Your Customer Solutions team can talk you through setting this up.
More from the knowledge centre
Get alerts when purchase order lines change on invoiced jobs
When someone updates a purchase order (PO) line, Build Concierge checks whether the job it belongs to has already been invoiced. If it has, the people you choose receive an alert showing what changed, who changed it and links to the job and the PO. Your team can review the change while it's recent, rather than coming across it at month-end.
Automatically record SLA breaches against the right job stage
A service-level agreement (SLA) sets how quickly each stage of a job should happen, such as attending site or completing the work. When your job management system raises an SLA alert because a stage has run past its agreed time, Build Concierge finds that stage and flags it as a breach. The breach sits on the job, where your team can follow it up and report on it, rather than in an inbox.
Automatically score tenders before you decide to bid
When your team completes a tender assessment, Build Concierge totals the scores, applies the threshold you've agreed and saves a Bid or No Bid recommendation to the tender record. Your team still scores the tender and still makes the decision. The automation makes sure every assessment is added up and measured against the same bar.
Add approved leave to engineer diaries automatically
When a manager approves leave in your HR system, Build Concierge adds the absence to the right engineer's diary in your job management system, with the correct dates and absence type. Leave is still requested and approved in your HR system as it is today. Your schedulers see who's away before they plan the week, without anyone copying it across.
Flag high risk jobs as they arrive
Put jobs that need a closer look in front of the right person. Build Concierge scores incoming job notifications against your chosen risk factors, then flags jobs that reach your threshold and alerts the owner.
Automate engineer compliance feedback
Give every engineer feedback they can act on, with their manager kept informed. Build Concierge turns completed compliance audits into personalised feedback: what went well, where to improve, anything urgent and a clear action plan. The engineer receives an email, their manager gets the same summary, and every section is saved back to the job.
Get alerts when purchase order lines change on invoiced jobs
When someone updates a purchase order (PO) line, Build Concierge checks whether the job it belongs to has already been invoiced. If it has, the people you choose receive an alert showing what changed, who changed it and links to the job and the PO. Your team can review the change while it's recent, rather than coming across it at month-end.
Automatically record SLA breaches against the right job stage
A service-level agreement (SLA) sets how quickly each stage of a job should happen, such as attending site or completing the work. When your job management system raises an SLA alert because a stage has run past its agreed time, Build Concierge finds that stage and flags it as a breach. The breach sits on the job, where your team can follow it up and report on it, rather than in an inbox.
Automatically score tenders before you decide to bid
When your team completes a tender assessment, Build Concierge totals the scores, applies the threshold you've agreed and saves a Bid or No Bid recommendation to the tender record. Your team still scores the tender and still makes the decision. The automation makes sure every assessment is added up and measured against the same bar.
Add approved leave to engineer diaries automatically
When a manager approves leave in your HR system, Build Concierge adds the absence to the right engineer's diary in your job management system, with the correct dates and absence type. Leave is still requested and approved in your HR system as it is today. Your schedulers see who's away before they plan the week, without anyone copying it across.
Flag high risk jobs as they arrive
Put jobs that need a closer look in front of the right person. Build Concierge scores incoming job notifications against your chosen risk factors, then flags jobs that reach your threshold and alerts the owner.
Automate engineer compliance feedback
Give every engineer feedback they can act on, with their manager kept informed. Build Concierge turns completed compliance audits into personalised feedback: what went well, where to improve, anything urgent and a clear action plan. The engineer receives an email, their manager gets the same summary, and every section is saved back to the job.
Get alerts when purchase order lines change on invoiced jobs
When someone updates a purchase order (PO) line, Build Concierge checks whether the job it belongs to has already been invoiced. If it has, the people you choose receive an alert showing what changed, who changed it and links to the job and the PO. Your team can review the change while it's recent, rather than coming across it at month-end.
Automatically record SLA breaches against the right job stage
A service-level agreement (SLA) sets how quickly each stage of a job should happen, such as attending site or completing the work. When your job management system raises an SLA alert because a stage has run past its agreed time, Build Concierge finds that stage and flags it as a breach. The breach sits on the job, where your team can follow it up and report on it, rather than in an inbox.
Automatically score tenders before you decide to bid
When your team completes a tender assessment, Build Concierge totals the scores, applies the threshold you've agreed and saves a Bid or No Bid recommendation to the tender record. Your team still scores the tender and still makes the decision. The automation makes sure every assessment is added up and measured against the same bar.
Add approved leave to engineer diaries automatically
When a manager approves leave in your HR system, Build Concierge adds the absence to the right engineer's diary in your job management system, with the correct dates and absence type. Leave is still requested and approved in your HR system as it is today. Your schedulers see who's away before they plan the week, without anyone copying it across.
Flag high risk jobs as they arrive
Put jobs that need a closer look in front of the right person. Build Concierge scores incoming job notifications against your chosen risk factors, then flags jobs that reach your threshold and alerts the owner.
Automate engineer compliance feedback
Give every engineer feedback they can act on, with their manager kept informed. Build Concierge turns completed compliance audits into personalised feedback: what went well, where to improve, anything urgent and a clear action plan. The engineer receives an email, their manager gets the same summary, and every section is saved back to the job.