Canals launches AI platform for wholesale distributors
Canals has launched a platform for wholesale distributors that extends its AI software across accounts receivable, purchase order tracking and customer inquiry handling.
The Miami-based software provider said the system brings together tools for sales, customer service, accounting, purchasing and receiving. It also includes chatbot and voice order entry functions, alongside workflow automation for back-office and customer-facing tasks.
Wholesale distributors often manage large volumes of orders, supplier updates, billing queries and product questions across multiple systems. As a result, staff often have to enter data manually, check records and chase information between departments, slowing responses and increasing the risk of errors.
One part of the platform focuses on purchase order-to-receipt tracking. The software reads purchase order acknowledgements, advance ship notices and packing slips, then updates enterprise resource planning records with shipment dates and quantities. Canals said some purchasing and receiving teams had recorded time savings of up to 80%.
Another feature covers accounts receivable. According to Canals, the tool matches payments to invoices, applies confirmed matches and flags short pays or other mismatches with suggested reasons. Early users had reached match accuracy of up to 99%, it said.
Customer service is another focus. The inquiry handling function generates draft responses to questions about order status, products, billing and account issues by pulling information from ERP systems and other sources. The company said this is intended to reduce the manual work involved in searching records and drafting replies.
The launch also includes an "Ask Canals" chatbot for questions about products, availability, specifications and policies. A separate live voice feature transcribes spoken orders and converts them into structured line items in real time for use at trade counters, on calls, in the field and when processing voicemail messages.
Distribution Focus
Canals is positioning the expanded platform around wholesale distribution, where margins can be tight and service speed can influence repeat business. Distributors often rely on long-standing staff knowledge and fragmented software systems to manage supplier communication, fulfilment and account administration.
The broader aim, Canals said, is to automate repetitive tasks that sit between teams rather than limit AI to a single department. That includes processes linking purchasing updates with customer order information, or matching incoming payments with outstanding invoices while customer-facing staff handle account questions.
Michael Delgado, co-founder and chief executive officer of Canals, described the release as part of a wider change in how distributors run day-to-day operations.
"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," Delgado said.
He said the company sees scope for automation across several departments.
"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," Delgado said.
More than 100 distributors already use Canals' software, according to the company. It did not disclose pricing for the new platform or identify customers using the latest functions, but described the release as an expansion of its existing product set rather than a standalone product for a different market.
The rollout reflects a broader push among software suppliers to apply AI tools to routine administrative work in sectors that have historically relied on manual entry and staff experience. In distribution, those tasks can include checking shipment documents, answering order and billing queries, and converting verbal instructions into system-ready records.
For distributors, the practical test will be whether such tools can reduce manual processing without creating new errors in core records such as invoice matching, inventory updates and order entry. Canals said its latest additions are designed to give teams faster access to accurate information across the business while reducing time spent on repetitive workflows.