How the Business Central Sales Order Agent Speeds Sales
- Matt Keyes
- Dec 10, 2025
- 6 min read
A few months ago, I watched a salesperson spend fourteen minutes copying order details from an email into Microsoft Business Central — the kind of repetitive work the Business Central Sales Order Agent is designed to eliminate.
Fourteen minutes for a single quote. And in the middle of it, he accidentally entered the customer’s phone number in the Quantity field... which explains why the system thought someone needed 719 of their most expensive item.
That moment perfectly captures why this tool exists in the first place.
It’s also a great reminder that the goal of automation isn’t to replace people — it’s to prevent the tiny, avoidable errors that quietly slow teams down. Instead of relying on copy-and-paste acrobatics or hoping the right details make it into the system, the Sales Order Agent takes on the admin work so sales teams can stay focused on the conversation, not the data entry.
In this blog, I’ll dive into how Sales Agents help sales teams work faster, reduce admin overhead, and bring some much-needed sanity back to the quoting process.
What the Business Central Sales Order Agent is, and why Microsoft added it to Business Central
Microsoft’s new Sales Agents act as AI sales agents inside Microsoft Business Central.
Designed as assistants to handle the repetitive tasks that clog up sales cycles, they read customer emails, understand attachments, extract the key information, and generate proposed quotes or orders automatically.
Think of them as a bridge between unstructured communication and structured ERP data. And while the technology behind them is impressive, what matters most is how they help real people.
Good sales reps don’t win deals because they enter data quickly; they win because they listen, solve problems, and build relationships. Tools like the Business Central Sales Order Agent free them from the parts of the job that aren’t selling.
For a deeper look at how Copilot supports everyday workflows, see my earlier breakdown of Copilot’s strengths inside Business Central.
What is the Sales Order Agent in Dynamics 365 Business Central, and how does it work from email to quote/order?
This is where the magic happens. Here’s the typical flow:
A customer sends an email requesting pricing or a repeat order.
The AI sales agent reads the email (and attachments, if included).
It identifies the customer, matches relevant items, determines quantities, and pulls in current pricing.
It creates a draft quote or order directly in Microsoft Business Central; ready for the salesperson to review.
In other words: email chaos becomes ERP structure in mere seconds.
Microsoft’s official documentation walks through how it works behind the scenes.
Sales teams stay in control... nothing gets booked until a human approves it.
But the busywork is handled for them. And because the data flows through Business Central, accuracy remains high, and every team has a single source of truth.
How sales agents improve accuracy and customer experience
I’ve met sales reps who can decipher a customer’s order request faster than I can decipher my kids’ handwriting—but that doesn’t mean it’s a sustainable model.
The Business Central Sales Order Agent reduces the two biggest accuracy risks:
Manual retyping, which leads to “creative” quantities
Cut-and-paste errors, which lead to mismatched items, pricing mistakes, and unhappy customers
With AI interpreting the request and mapping it directly to Business Central data, you get consistency every time.
Best of all, customers get faster responses, fewer mistakes, and a smoother experience... because nothing kills momentum like sending a quote and immediately needing to send a corrected quote.
(And for the record, ordering 719 of anything is unusual—unless, of course, we’re talking coffee pods.)
How Sales Agents connect across the Microsoft ecosystem
What makes Sales Agents powerful isn’t just AI; it’s integration.
They work seamlessly with:
Outlook, so they can read emails and attachments
Teams, where they can surface insights or help you take action
Dynamics 365/ERP data, which ensures item, customer, and pricing info is always accurate.
This ecosystem approach means the AI sales agent supports how sales teams already work, without forcing them to jump between systems or bolt on third-party tools just to process orders.
For SMBs especially, this connected experience replaces the maze of spreadsheets and siloed CRMs that often hold teams back.
How do I enable and configure Sales Order Agent (mailbox setup, activation steps, permissions, and user access)?
Configuration is straightforward, and partners can help streamline it. Here’s the high-level overview:
You’ll need an Exchange mailbox (shared or individual) for Sales Order Agent to monitor.
Copilot and AI features must be enabled in Business Central.
Setup includes assigning permissions and activating the feature.
A job queue runs the processing behind the scenes.
NOTE: This is not a full technical guide. Consult with a partner to ensure the agent is configured properly and supporting your team the way it should.
Licensing and availability may also depend on your environment and region.
Why Sales Agents matter for growing businesses
Bottlenecks in sales aren’t caused by the sale; they’re caused by everything surrounding the sale.
When reps spend half their day entering data, chasing down missing details, or re-creating past orders, it slows the entire cycle.
The Business Central Sales Order Agent helps companies:
Respond to inquiries faster
Reduce administrative overhead
Improve customer satisfaction
Handle more volume without adding headcount
Bring consistency to quoting and ordering
And the timing is perfect. According to Forbes, AI-powered sales automation is becoming mainstream.
SMBs finally have access to enterprise-grade automation without enterprise-grade complexity.
Why isn’t Sales Order Agent processing customer emails—does it require a shared/Exchange mailbox, matching contacts, or specific job queue settings?
This one comes up a lot, so here’s a handy troubleshooting checklist:
Is the monitored inbox a Microsoft Exchange mailbox?
Does the customer email address match an existing contact in Business Central?
Is the Sales Order Agent feature turned on?
Do users have the correct permissions?
Is the job queue running?
If you’ve ever waited patiently for the agent to “magically” create a draft quote, only to discover the job queue was turned off, trust me... you’re not alone.
When should I use Sales Order Agent vs. third-party OCR/document-capture tools (e.g., Continia) for sales orders?
In short: it depends on the workflow. Use the Business Central Sales Order Agent when:
Most requests come through email
Customers send unstructured text
You want AI to interpret intent and details
You need quick, lightweight automation inside Business Central
Use OCR/document-capture tools when:
You receive a high volume of PDFs or printed documents
You need advanced scanning, extraction, or multi-level approval workflows
Many businesses use both: AI handles email-driven requests; OCR handles document-heavy ones.
For more insights on optimizing Business Central, check out my earlier breakdown of Copilot’s strengths inside Business Central.
The human advantage, and how AI supports sales teams without replacing them
Sales is still a human-driven discipline. The AI sales agent handles time-consuming tasks, but it’s people who:
Build trust
Read nuance
Ask the right questions
Navigate complex buying decisions
AI gives sales teams margin... space to think, listen, and solve real problems. And that’s the part of selling that will always matter most.
Conclusion
At its core, the Business Central Sales Order Agent clears the path so sales teams can focus on selling while avoiding the slowdowns that cost us time (and sometimes dignity).
Instead of pouring energy into data entry or fixing preventable mistakes, teams can rely on automation to keep the details straight and the process moving.
If your sales cycle slows to a crawl every time someone has to manually re-create an order, maybe it's time to let Sales Agents take on the heavy lifting.
Need help enabling or configuring Sales Order Agent? Reach out to us anytime: https://www.keypartnersolutions.com/contact-us/
About Matt Keyes
Matt Keyes is a visionary leader, founder, and CTO of Key Partner Solutions. With over two decades of experience in Microsoft Dynamics, he is passionate about driving digital transformation for businesses through innovative technology solutions.
His deep technical expertise, combined with a strategic approach to solving business challenges, makes him a sought-after thought leader in the industry.
Today, Matt is focused on empowering companies to unlock new levels of growth and efficiency through cutting-edge software development and consulting.
Connect with Matt on LinkedIn.
