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Introducing Agent Workforce - The Next Generation Of Autonomous Agents For Procurement

December 3, 2024
6 min read
Author:
Kevin Musprett
Head of Growth at Kavida.ai
Author:
Kevin Musprett
Head of Growth at Kavida.ai

From the Industrial Revolution to the factories we have today, major innovations have continuously reshaped industries. From scientific management to assembly lines and lean practices to robotics, these advancements have revolutionized efficiency, streamlined workflows, and transformed industries. Today, Automations and AI are driving the next wave of transformation, offering unprecedented opportunities to optimize processes and create value.

Introducing Kavida’s Agent Force—a procurement-focused automation center that brings autonomous agents into the mix. Imagine procurement teams and members equipped with their own custom-built agents that can handle everything from supplier management to shipment tracking, all through simple natural language commands. Agent Force isn’t just an automation platform; it’s an innovation engine for procurement, designed for the complexities and unique needs of the supply chain.

Understanding AI Agents

AI agents are programs designed to carry out specific tasks autonomously by understanding their environment, making decisions, and taking actions based on the data they receive. Unlike traditional scripts or workflows, AI agents are capable of learning and adapting, making them highly effective in dynamic environments. They are used across various industries to perform a wide range of functions, such as customer service, data analysis, and even complex decision-making processes. In procurement, AI agents can bring significant value by automating repetitive tasks, managing risk, and providing valuable insights to enhance strategic decision-making.

What Are Autonomous Procurement Agents?

Autonomous agents are digital assistants designed to understand, act, and adapt—tailored specifically for procurement needs. Built to alleviate manual tasks, these agents autonomously manage actions that would otherwise require hours of human intervention. The best part? Kavida’s Agent Force allows teams to create these agents using natural language, making it easier for even non-technical stakeholders to develop robust automations. It’s like having a tireless procurement assistant that works 24/7, adapting to both operational and strategic needs.

How Do Autonomous Agents Work?

Kavida’s Agent Force leverages the latest advancements in natural language processing to let procurement teams create powerful, no-code automations. Here’s how it works:

  1. Define Your Goals: Start by specifying exactly what you need—whether it’s managing supplier data or tracking shipment updates. Clearly defining your goals helps the agent understand its purpose.

  2. Describe Actions in Your Own Words: Instead of writing complex code, you simply describe what you want the agent to do using natural language. For instance, you might say, “Monitor supplier delivery performance and notify me of any delays.” The simplicity of this process means you can quickly create automations without technical expertise.

  3. Seamless Integration: Kavida’s agents work across your existing systems, including ERPs, supplier platforms, and shipment tracking services. They leverage these integrations to perform tasks efficiently and without interruption.

  4. Continuous Monitoring and Adaptation: These agents don’t just execute tasks; they continuously monitor processes, adapt to changes, and learn from data. This means that once an agent is set up, it actively works to ensure the highest levels of efficiency—without needing constant oversight.

5 Powerful Examples of What Kavida’s Autonomous Agents Can Do

  1. Supplier Risk Alerts: Agents autonomously monitor supplier performance metrics and alert procurement when potential risks are detected—like shipment delays, financial instability, or compliance issues.

  2. Automated Document Collection: Automatically gather essential shipping or compliance documents from suppliers, streamlining processes that typically involve back-and-forth emails.

  3. Shipment Tracking & Exception Management: Track shipment statuses across the entire supply chain, and notify procurement if disruptions occur—ensuring your team can act swiftly.

  4. ERP Real-Time Querying: Execute queries directly within ERP systems to retrieve relevant procurement data instantly, helping stakeholders make data-backed decisions quickly.

  5. RFQ Process Automation: Automatically generate and send out requests for quotations (RFQs) to pre-approved suppliers, compile responses, and analyze bids to ensure optimal procurement choices.

Empowering Every Employee with an Autonomous Assistant

Kavida’s Agent Force takes automation one step further by equipping each procurement professional with their own intelligent assistant. Kavida’s agents are built to handle procurement-specific workflows, making it easier for employees to leverage AI for everyday operations—whether it’s quickly retrieving data, generating insightful reports, or escalating supplier issues. With Agent Force, every procurement team member becomes capable of sophisticated problem-solving without leaning heavily on IT or technical support.

Equipping IT to Lead the AI Transformation in Procurement

Chief Information Officers and IT professionals are at the forefront of AI transformation. To empower every IT team to lead at scale, we’re introducing the Kavida Control Center—designed to help IT confidently adopt and accelerate the business value of Kavida’s Agent Force and autonomous agents.

  • Empowering IT with the Kavida Control Center: The Kavida Control Center is designed to enable IT teams to confidently adopt and scale the business value of Kavida’s Agent Force and autonomous agents. It ensures the secure and intelligent handling of enterprise data while respecting organizational policies and controls, putting IT professionals at the forefront of AI transformation.

  • Advanced Management Features at No Additional Cost: Starting in early 2025, Agent Force customers will benefit from advanced management features at no extra charge. These include built-in content governance reports and controls to prevent data oversharing. IT teams will gain the ability to oversee access and usage of autonomous agents, manage who can deploy them, and monitor agent status and lifecycle.

  • Automation and Personalized Insights: The Control Center simplifies IT operations by automating time-consuming tasks and providing personalized insights to improve system management. It also empowers IT teams with tools to answer administrative questions efficiently, enhancing their ability to lead digital transformation initiatives.

  • Comprehensive Measurement and Reporting Tools: IT and business leaders can track adoption trends and ROI from Agent Force and autonomous agents with robust measurement and reporting capabilities available in early 2025. Kavida Insights, included at no additional cost, offers out-of-the-box tools for adoption and impact analysis, customizable reporting for deeper insights, and the Kavida Business Impact Report. Currently in preview, this report evaluates the effectiveness of Agent Force against key procurement, finance, and supply chain metrics.
The Ultimate Guide to Procuring Generative AI for Your Manufacturing Company
Author:
Kevin Musprett
Head of Growth at Kavida.ai

Kevin drives GTM at Kavida, an AI agent used by manufacturing purchasing teams so they never miss a critical order from suppliers. Kevin dedicates himself to building and scaling kavida.ai to become the PO management platform of choice for an addressable market of over 15 million users.