Supplier Matching
Before Brikly can match individual line items to ingredients, it needs to know which supplier the invoice came from. The system identifies suppliers automatically and links invoices to the correct supplier record in your account.
How suppliers are identified
When an invoice is processed, the AI extracts the supplier name from the document header, letterhead, or footer. Brikly then compares that name against the suppliers already in your system using:
- Exact name matching - a direct comparison with your existing supplier records.
- Fuzzy matching - accounting for minor variations in spelling, abbreviations, and formatting.
- Name normalisation - handling common business suffixes and their variations.
Auto-confirmation for known suppliers
If the extracted supplier name closely matches an existing supplier in your account, Brikly links the invoice automatically. This is the most common scenario once you have processed a few invoices - the supplier is recognised instantly and no action is required from you.
Confirming a suggested supplier
When the system finds a likely match but is not fully confident, it presents a suggestion for you to confirm:
- The suggested supplier name is displayed alongside the extracted name.
- Review the suggestion.
- Click Confirm to accept, or Change to select a different supplier.
Check the supplier's previous invoices if you are unsure whether a suggestion is correct. The invoice history on the supplier record shows all past documents linked to that supplier.
Creating a new supplier from an invoice
If the invoice is from a supplier you have not added to Brikly yet:
- Click Create New Supplier on the supplier matching screen.
- Brikly pre-fills the supplier name from the extracted data.
- Add any additional details (contact information, account number, default VAT treatment).
- Save - the invoice is automatically linked to the new supplier.
This means you do not need to set up suppliers in advance. Your supplier list builds naturally as you process invoices.
Name normalisation
Supplier names on invoices are not always consistent. The same company might appear as:
| Variation | Normalised to |
|---|---|
| Acme Foods Ltd | Acme Foods |
| Acme Foods Limited | Acme Foods |
| Acme Foods Ltd. | Acme Foods |
| ACME FOODS LTD | Acme Foods |
| acme foods | Acme Foods |
Brikly strips common suffixes (Ltd, Limited, Inc, PLC, LLP, & Co) and normalises capitalisation before comparing. This prevents duplicate supplier records caused by minor formatting differences.
If you notice the same supplier has been created more than once (e.g. "Brakes" and "Brakes Group Ltd"), you can merge them from the supplier management screen. Future invoices will then match to the single merged record.
How supplier matching improves over time
Like ingredient matching, supplier identification becomes more reliable with use:
- The first invoice from a new supplier requires manual confirmation or creation.
- Subsequent invoices from the same supplier are matched automatically.
- If a supplier changes their invoice format or branding, you may need to confirm the match once - after that, the new format is remembered.
Best practices
- Keep supplier names clean - use a consistent, readable name for each supplier (e.g. "Brakes" rather than "BRAKES GROUP LIMITED").
- Merge duplicates promptly - if two records exist for the same supplier, merge them to keep your data tidy and improve future matching.
- Add key details - filling in a supplier's account number or VAT number helps with identification and record-keeping.