Who this is for. Everyone. The terms defined here are used throughout the guide.
These are the terms the rest of this guide assumes. They are listed in the order they build on each other rather than alphabetically, because the chain between them is what makes the product predictable. For the full alphabetical list, use the Glossary.
Terms, in dependency order
Table 1. Core vocabulary.
Term |
What it means |
Why it matters to you |
|---|---|---|
SmartFlow skill |
The configured automation that ties one mailbox to one system of record and runs the AP Helpdesk workflow. |
Everything the agent does belongs to a running instance of a skill. Stop the instance and the automation stops. |
AI Agent |
The automated worker that monitors the mailbox, classifies senders, detects intent, and acts within the limits the skill was configured with. |
It is what produces the replies and the tasks you see. |
Sender classification |
How the agent decides who sent a message, from the contact records and domain matching. |
It sets what the agent is permitted to do in reply. It is an authorization boundary, not a label. |
Business intent |
What the message is asking for, such as Request for Payment Status or Invoice Submission. |
It decides which outcome applies. |
Outcome |
What the agent does once it knows the sender and the intent. |
Configured per intent, so the same message can be answered on one tenant and raised for review on another. |
Task |
A unit of work the agent could not finish on its own. |
Your queue is made of these. |
Collaborative mode |
A workflow in which a person reviews, edits, and approves the agent’s work before it goes out. |
It decides whether you see finished work or work waiting on a decision. |
Duplicate detection |
A check against documents already submitted, using the file hash together with document number, date, and amount. |
It is what stops the same invoice reaching your ERP twice. |
Sender types
Sender classification is the first gate a message passes, so it is worth knowing the categories by name. They run from most trusted to least, and System sits outside that order because it marks mail the agent should not answer at all.
Table 2. Sender types.
Sender type |
Who it is |
|---|---|
Enrolled sender |
A contact on a supplier record for which agent email processing is enabled. |
Unenrolled sender |
A contact on a supplier record for which agent email processing is not enabled. |
Internal sender |
A configured employee contact for which agent email processing is enabled. |
Internal cohort sender |
A contact not found on supplier records, whose email domain matches the connected mailbox or a configured employee contact. |
External cohort sender |
A contact not found on supplier records, whose non-public email domain matches that of one or more supplier contacts. |
Unknown sender |
A contact not found on supplier records, with no domain association to supplier contacts, employee contacts, or the connected mailbox. |
System sender |
An automated source listed for your tenant by address, domain, or subdomain, such as a bounce notice, a portal notification, a statement run, or a mailer daemon. Mail classified as System is kept out of the reply path, and out of the queue unless system sender tasks are switched on. |
Relaxed matching can be configured so that a domain match alone qualifies a sender for automation. See Vendors.
How they chain
Read the chain in one direction and most of the product’s behavior becomes predictable:
The skill decides which mailbox and which records exist, then the sender type decides what the agent may do, then the business intent decides which outcome applies, then collaborative mode decides whether that outcome goes out on its own, and whatever is left becomes a task.
When something unexpected happens, walk the chain from the top rather than from the symptom. A reply that was not sent is more often stopped by the sender type or by collaborative mode than by the outcome that drafted it.
Commonly conflated terms
Table 3. Commonly conflated terms.
These look similar |
But |
|---|---|
Business intent and outcome |
The intent is what the sender asked for and the agent detects it. The outcome is what happens next and you configure it. |
Enrolled and internal senders |
Enrolled describes a supplier contact. Internal describes an employee contact. Both can be processed automatically, but they resolve against different record sets. |
Unenrolled and unknown senders |
An unenrolled sender is on a supplier record and is recognized. An unknown sender is not on any record, and the agent replies without supplier detail. |