⚡ Electrical Supply Distribution

Electricians don’t order from catalogs. They text part numbers from the panel.

Ordana is AI order entry for electrical supply distributors. It reads a part number texted from under a switchboard, identifies the correct breaker from a WhatsApp photo, and takes the voice call from an electrician with both hands full — entering the completed order in your ERP immediately, at any hour.

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What changes

24/7

Order capture from job sites, evenings, and weekends

Hold times when every contractor calls during a construction push

85%+

Of routine orders processed without manual entry

Your account base

Order entry for every Electrical account type, on every channel

These accounts order from the field. A text from under a panel. A WhatsApp photo of a failed part. A voice call while hands are full. The order can arrive any way — Ordana processes it and enters it into your ERP.

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Electrical Contractors

Independent and small commercial electricians ordering from job sites throughout the day as work progresses. Part needs are determined by what they find — a failed breaker, a missing connector, an unexpected panel configuration. Orders arrive as texts, calls, and WhatsApp messages at any hour.

Channel: Phone + Text + WhatsApp ⋅ Frequency: Multiple daily ⋅ Urgency: High

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Commercial & Industrial Electricians

Larger electrical contractors handling commercial and industrial installations with higher volume and more complex specifications. They may have multiple crews on multiple sites calling the same distributor for parts throughout the day. Speed of fulfillment determines whether a job stays on schedule.

Channel: Phone + Email ⋅ Volume: High ⋅ Coordination: Multi-site

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Property Management & Maintenance

Building maintenance teams managing electrical systems across multiple properties. Regular orders for breakers, outlets, switches, and lighting alongside emergency calls when a circuit trips or a panel fails. One maintenance manager may cover 10 or 20 buildings.

Channel: Phone + Email ⋅ Mix: Planned + emergency ⋅ Sites: Multiple

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Home Builders & Developers

Residential construction companies ordering electrical rough-in materials by the project. Orders are planned and larger but change frequently as plans adjust mid-build. Field supers call from site to adjust quantities or add items missed in the original order.

Channel: Phone + Email ⋅ Orders: Project-based ⋅ Changes: Frequent

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Solar & EV Installation

Solar installers and EV charging equipment companies ordering panels, inverters, conduit, and disconnect hardware. Growing account type with strong reorder frequency as new projects are scoped and existing clients expand. Mix of standard materials and model-specific equipment parts.

Channel: Email + Phone ⋅ Growth: Fast ⋅ Mix: Standard + specialist

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Electrical Retail Stores

Independent electrical supply retailers ordering to replenish fast-moving stock — breakers, wire, outlets, switches, and connectors — and to special-order specific items for their own contractor customers. Regular replenishment orders plus ad hoc specials.

Channel: Phone + Email ⋅ Pattern: Replenishment + special order ⋅ Daily

The operational reality

Where order entry breaks down

Electricians order from the field with both hands full

An electrician under a panel cannot pause work to browse a catalog or log into a portal. They photograph the breaker label, send it on WhatsApp, and expect a part confirmation back within minutes. Or they call with a part number and need it confirmed while they are still on-site. The entire ordering interaction needs to happen on the electrician’s terms — fast, informal, and from whatever channel they reach for first.

Part matching across brands, amperage, and panel compatibility is complex

The right breaker depends on the panel manufacturer, the amperage, the pole configuration, and sometimes the specific panel series. A contractor who says “I need a 20-amp single-pole Square D breaker for a QO panel” is giving enough information, but translating that to the correct catalog SKU — and confirming it will fit — requires matching across multiple variables that the order desk would otherwise need to look up while the contractor waits.

Evening and weekend calls from active job sites are missed

Construction jobs run long. An electrician finishing rough-in at 6 PM realizes they need additional materials to complete the circuit. A weekend renovation reveals an unexpected panel configuration. These orders arrive outside business hours and go to voicemail — the contractor moves on to a competitor who picks up, or the job stalls until Monday morning.

Handwritten material lists and WhatsApp order photos create manual work

Many electricians still keep handwritten material takeoffs on paper and photograph them to send to their supplier. A WhatsApp message with a photo of a handwritten materials list represents an entire order — but processing it requires someone to read the photo, identify each item, look up the SKUs, and enter the order manually. At volume, this creates significant manual processing overhead for every order that arrives this way.

How it works

AI order entry in action: real scenarios

⚡ Electrical contractor ⋅ WhatsApp ⋅ 4:47 PM job site

A WhatsApp message arrives: a photo of a Square D breaker with “need 3 of these and 2 of the 30amp version” written below it.

Ordana Chat reads the message, identifies the breaker from the panel label visible in the photo, matches both SKUs in the catalog — the exact breaker and the 30A version in the same series — and replies with a confirmation of both items and availability. The electrician confirms and the order is in the ERP before they finish packing up the job site.

Handled by

Ordana Chat

⚡ Commercial electrician ⋅ Voice call ⋅ 7:15 AM

“Hey it’s Dave from Premier Electric. I need a 200-amp main breaker for a Siemens PL series panel, two 20-amp GFCI outlets, a box of 12-gauge wire, and a box of wire nuts. I’m picking up in about an hour.”

Ordana Voice identifies Dave’s account, looks up the Siemens PL-series 200A main breaker, adds the GFCI outlets, wire, and wire nuts with Dave’s account pricing, and creates the order in the ERP. Dave gets a confirmation text with the order total. When he arrives an hour later the counter has everything pulled.

Handled by

Ordana Voice

🏛️ Property maintenance ⋅ Email ⋅ Monday morning

An email with a photo of a handwritten list: breakers for three buildings, outlet replacements for Building B, and a note about LED panel lights for the parking lot.

Ordana Desk reads the email and the attached photo, extracts each line item, matches breakers by amperage and brand to the catalog, identifies the outlet type, and asks one clarifying question about the LED panel light specification before creating three separate purchase orders for the three buildings.

Handled by

Ordana Desk

Your automation toolkit

Four AI agents for electrical supply order entry

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Ordana Voice — AI voice agent for inbound order calls

Answers every inbound call immediately, takes the order in natural conversation, matches parts and products against your catalog, and writes the completed sales order into your ERP. No hold times. No voicemail. 24 hours a day.

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Ordana Desk — email and document order processing

Reads incoming order emails, PDFs, and photos of handwritten orders. Resolves part descriptions and numbers against your catalog and creates completed sales orders in your ERP without manual entry.

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Ordana Chat — WhatsApp, text, and chat order entry

Handles orders arriving by SMS, WhatsApp, and messaging apps — including part numbers texted from job sites and photos of failed components. Processes orders in the same messaging channel your accounts already use.

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Ordana Predict — predictive carts and AOV lift

Analyzes each account’s order history to predict what they’ll need next. Surfaces items accounts consistently order together and catches omissions before orders close.

Common questions

Frequently asked questions

Can Ordana process WhatsApp photos of panels or handwritten parts lists?

Yes. Ordana Chat handles orders arriving by WhatsApp and other messaging channels. When a contractor sends a photo of a breaker, a panel label, or a handwritten materials list, Ordana reads the image, identifies the components, matches them against your catalog, and confirms the order in the same conversation. For items that need clarification — multiple possible matches, unclear specifications — it asks a targeted question rather than guessing.

Can Ordana identify electrical parts from model numbers, brand names, and equipment descriptions rather than SKUs?

Yes. When a contractor references a part by brand and specification rather than a catalog number, Ordana matches that description to the correct SKU in your catalog. Breaker series, amperage, pole configuration, and panel compatibility are all used to find the right part. When a description could match multiple items, it confirms the specific part before completing the order.

How does Ordana handle after-hours calls from electricians working late or on weekends?

Ordana Voice operates continuously. A call at 7 PM or 8 AM Saturday is handled identically to a call during business hours — the contractor places the order, receives confirmation, and the sales order is in your ERP immediately. After-hours capture is consistently the fastest near-term benefit for electrical supply distributors, because calls that previously went to voicemail and were lost are now answered and converted.

Electricians don’t order from catalogs. They text part numbers from the panel.

Order entry for every Electrical account type, on every channel

Where order entry breaks down

AI order entry in action: real scenarios

Four AI agents for electrical supply order entry

Frequently asked questions

Order entry automation for other distribution industries