What Smart Recognition does
"Northwind Office Supplies Ltd", "NORTHWIND OFFICE SUPPLIES", "Northwind Off. Sup." are one supplier written three ways. Something has to work out they are the same row in your list.
- Why everything downstream depends on getting this right
- Why it learns rather than following a fixed rule
- Where you will see it, and what each state means
- The one thing it cannot do
01 · Why
Why does this matter?
Everything downstream depends on knowing which supplier and which product a document is about. If the name on the invoice doesn't tie back to a row in your supplier list, nothing can be matched, checked or sent to your ERP.
Typing that link in by hand on every document is the job Merchaint is meant to remove.
Why does it learn instead of just matching?
Because a fixed rule can't cover how many ways people write the same name. Instead, the first time you correct one, that spelling is saved against that supplier. The next document with the same spelling resolves on its own.
That's why correcting one is worth doing properly — you're teaching it, not just fixing a field. See Fix and teach Smart Recognition.
02 · What it means for you
Where you'll see it
On any column set up as a Lookup. Usually supplier, customer, product, or account. See Set up a Smart Recognition column.
What the states mean
| State | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Matched | It found the row and is confident | Nothing |
| Suggested | It has a guess but isn't sure | Confirm or change it |
| Needs a choice | Several rows could be right | Pick the right one |
| No match | Nothing in the list matched | Pick the right row, or add it to the list |
What it can't do
It only matches rows that already exist. If a supplier isn't in your supplier list, Smart Recognition can't invent it — unless an admin has switched that on, which is off by default and for good reason.
03 · FAQ
What is this?
The bit of Merchaint that turns messy text into a real link to a row in one of your lists.
What does it do?
Reads the text, finds the right row, remembers your corrections.
Common questions
It gets better as you correct it. The first few documents from a new supplier need more help than the tenth.
It can, especially with similar names. That's why unsure matches are flagged instead of saved quietly.
It fixes that record and teaches it that spelling. Documents already processed aren't revisited.