04 Trust
When the agent may act alone.
Every part gets a fit score out of 100. At or above the merchant’s , the agent orders alone. From 70 up to it, the agent asks the buyer to confirm. Under 70, or on a hard rule, a sales rep decides.
Threshold at work
5 orders meet 3 checks, then the fulfilment agent writes the one that passes. Each stops where a rule says stop.
Ordering agent: check 1, Hard rules, check 2, Threshold 85. Buyer’s agent: check 3, Limit €300. Fulfilment agent: check 4, Writes to the ERP.
- Acts. Oil and air filters, fit 100, €96.40. Every check passes, so the agent orders alone. The buyer can undo for 10 minutes, or until the van leaves.
- Asks. Water pump and timing belt kit for the Golf in bay 2, fit 90 and 100, €325.50. Over the €300 limit, so the buyer’s agent asks the approver, and the part is held.
- Asks. Thermostat for a Polo, fit 70. Under the threshold of 85, so the agent asks the buyer first and says why.
- Hands over. Alternator for a Transit, best fit 64. Under 70, so the agent hands it over to a sales rep.
- Stops. Front brake pads for a Peugeot 308, fit 100. Brakes are a safety category, a hard rule, so the agent stops and a sales rep decides.
Only an order that passes every check is ordered alone. Every other order stops, asks or hands over, and says why.
Example orders from the prototype’s mock ERP. The checks are the engine’s own rules, in its order.
Each agent’s limits
6 words for every agent, so their limits compare at a glance. What it does, and what it never does.
| The 6 words | Buyer’s agentFor the buyer | Setup agentFor the merchant admin | Ordering agentFor the merchant | Fulfilment agentFor the merchant | Review agentFor the merchant admin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Act | Lets an order through inside the buyer’s rules | Never applies a setting. It only suggests | Orders at or above the threshold, 85 to start | Holds stock, books the van, writes the order. In the pilot, a sales rep books the van | Never touches a live order |
| Ask | The approver, for the exact amount over €300 | The merchant admin, to approve every value | The buyer: which version if 2 fit, and to confirm a part from 70 up to the threshold | Never asks. It works only on decided orders | The merchant admin, with the evidence for a change |
| Explain | Says what it is, and why an order waits | Shows the replay: where the sales rep disagreed | Says why: the fit score, the ERP source and its age | Tells the buyer first when the van runs late | Shows undo, return and override rates per category |
| Stop or fall back | The part stays held while it reminds the approver. No agent ever approves | Under 90% rep agreement, the category only asks the buyer to confirm | On a hard rule, like a safety part, or a fit under 70 | ERP not reachable: a sales rep checks stock by phone | Never changes a safety category, whatever the numbers say |
| Hand over to | Approver | Merchant admin | Sales rep, with a 5 minute answer target | Sales rep | Merchant admin |
| Be undone | By the approver, who declines in 1 tap | By the merchant admin, who rejects any value | By the buyer, for 10 minutes or until the van leaves | By the buyer, for 10 minutes or until the van leaves, then a return | By the merchant admin, who rejects any change |
Buyer’s agentFor the buyer
- Act
- Lets an order through inside the buyer’s rules
- Ask
- The approver, for the exact amount over €300
- Explain
- Says what it is, and why an order waits
- Stop or fall back
- The part stays held while it reminds the approver. No agent ever approves
- Hand over to
- Approver
- Be undone
- By the approver, who declines in 1 tap
Setup agentFor the merchant admin
- Act
- Never applies a setting. It only suggests
- Ask
- The merchant admin, to approve every value
- Explain
- Shows the replay: where the sales rep disagreed
- Stop or fall back
- Under 90% rep agreement, the category only asks the buyer to confirm
- Hand over to
- Merchant admin
- Be undone
- By the merchant admin, who rejects any value
Ordering agentFor the merchant
- Act
- Orders at or above the threshold, 85 to start
- Ask
- The buyer: which version if 2 fit, and to confirm a part from 70 up to the threshold
- Explain
- Says why: the fit score, the ERP source and its age
- Stop or fall back
- On a hard rule, like a safety part, or a fit under 70
- Hand over to
- Sales rep, with a 5 minute answer target
- Be undone
- By the buyer, for 10 minutes or until the van leaves
Fulfilment agentFor the merchant
- Act
- Holds stock, books the van, writes the order. In the pilot, a sales rep books the van
- Ask
- Never asks. It works only on decided orders
- Explain
- Tells the buyer first when the van runs late
- Stop or fall back
- ERP not reachable: a sales rep checks stock by phone
- Hand over to
- Sales rep
- Be undone
- By the buyer, for 10 minutes or until the van leaves, then a return
Review agentFor the merchant admin
- Act
- Never touches a live order
- Ask
- The merchant admin, with the evidence for a change
- Explain
- Shows undo, return and override rates per category
- Stop or fall back
- Never changes a safety category, whatever the numbers say
- Hand over to
- Merchant admin
- Be undone
- By the merchant admin, who rejects any change
A person can undo or overrule every agent. No agent approves a spend, changes a rule or decides a safety part.
Try the threshold
Fit scores stay fixed. Only the threshold moves. Drag it past 90 and the water pump moves from ordered to asked.
Acts. Hollen scores 90, above the threshold of 85. The agent orders it. The buyer can undo.
Each part keeps its fit score. Only the merchant’s threshold moves. At or above it, the agent orders. From 70 up to it, the agent asks the buyer first. Under 70, a sales rep decides. The real setting is per category, in the prototype.
How the agent decides
- Hard rules firstSafety part, credit hold, no contract price, no fit data, old data or ERP down. A person decides.
- Fit score, 0 to 100An exact OE part scores 100. A part not listed for the VIN never acts alone.
- The merchant’s threshold85 to start, set per category. At or above it, the agent orders with undo.
- Then preferenceEarliest delivery, lowest return rate and brands bought before only rank parts that already fit.
Assumption 85 is a starting point. The threshold replay sets each category’s own before go-live. A category orders alone only at 90% rep agreement. Every month a person reviews it.
What always holds
Whatever fails, a person takes over, and both sides keep control.
If something fails
The buyer always
- Can undo for 10 minutes, or until the van leaves
- Can ask for a person at any step
- Sees the ERP source and age of every number
- Has its own agent, and every agent says what it is
The merchant always
- Changes the threshold, nobody and nothing else
- Sells only at its contract prices, read live from its ERP
- Pauses any category in 1 click
- Sees a full log, with every override
Privacy
- The car owner’s name and contact never leave the workshop. Each side’s agent uses only what the order needs. Returns update brand scores only as totals, never per buyer. No buyer ever sees another buyer’s orders.
- On WhatsApp’s Cloud API, Meta processes the messages for the business. So the order and its history live in the merchant’s ERP and webshop. Meta
- A caller must hear up front that the call is recorded, why, and who receives it. So the agent says it in its first line on a call. EDPB guide for small businesses
- A licence plate or a VIN can identify a person. So the agent uses them only to find the car, and keeps them with the order. For the replay, each plate or VIN is first matched to its car model, then pseudonymised. EDPB guidelines on connected vehicles
The buyer’s and the merchant’s journey