📍 Where can you find this module?
Main menu > Sales
Introduction #
The Customer orders module lets you manage purchase orders issued by your customers. It is accessible via Main menu > Sales > Customer orders.
The customer order formalizes the purchase commitment. It generally comes after a quote has been accepted and forms the basis for Invoicing and delivery.
Here you will find features to:
- Record and track your customers’ orders
- Convert an order into an invoice, a delivery note, or a supplier order
- Manage recurring Invoicing from an order
- Finalize an order to lock it permanently
1. Create a customer order #
Access #
- Access the Customer orders module via Main menu > Sales > Customer orders
- Click the Add Customer Order button
Information to enter #
General information:
- Subject: order title (required)
- Customer account: the customer placing the order
- Contact: the customer-side contact person
- Quote: the original quote, if the order follows a sales proposal
- Customer order no.: the order reference provided by the customer
- Assigned to: the sales representative or the person responsible for the order
Product/service lines:
- Add one or more products or services from the catalog
- For each line, enter the quantity, unit price, and any discount
- Applicable taxes are calculated automatically
Note: Taxes and tax regions are configured in the administration panel. To learn more, see Tax configuration.
Good to know: if the order is created by converting a quote, all product lines and customer information are automatically carried over.
Addresses #
The order includes two addresses:
- Billing address: taken from the customer account
- Delivery address: taken from the customer account, editable if the delivery location differs
2. Order lifecycle #
Each customer order goes through different stages:
| Stage | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Created | The order has just been recorded |
| Approved | The order has been validated internally |
| Delivered | The products or services have been delivered to the customer |
| Cancelled | The order has been cancelled |
Good to know: the order status is independent of the status of the associated invoice. You can track delivery progress and Invoicing separately.
3. Convert an order #
To an invoice #
From the order record, you can generate an invoice. The conversion automatically carries over the product lines, amounts, and customer information.
To a supplier order #
If the ordered products need to be sourced, you can generate supplier orders. The system creates one order per supplier from the selected lines.
To a delivery note #
From the order, you can create one or more delivery notes to organize product shipment.
Good to know: you can perform partial conversions. For example, invoice part of the order or deliver in multiple shipments.
4. Recurring Invoicing #
The customer order includes a recurring Invoicing mechanism that automatically generates invoices at regular intervals. This mechanism is particularly suited to subscriptions, maintenance contracts, rentals, or any service billed periodically.
To enable it, open the order and fill in the Recurring Invoicing block (frequency, period, due date, dynamic invoice subject, automatic addition of usage, etc.). Kafinea then generates invoices automatically and provides a tracking dashboard.
Note: Detailed operation (settings, subject variables, date preferences, automatic catch-up, stopping recurrence) is described in the article Recurring Invoicing.
5. Finalize an order #
The Finalize action permanently locks the order. Once finalized:
- The document can no longer be modified, except for statuses and recurrence information
- The order becomes visible on the customer portal (extranet) if it is enabled
Important: finalization is irreversible. Make sure all information is correct before proceeding.
6. Relationships with other modules #
From the record of a customer order, the relationship tabs allow you to view:
- Quotes: the original quote that generated this order
- Invoices: the invoices generated from this order
- Supplier orders: related procurement orders
- Delivery notes: associated deliveries
- Documents: associated files (signed purchase orders, etc.)
- Activities: calls, meetings, and tasks related to this order
7. Available actions #
Send by email #
From the order record, you can send the purchase order directly by email. The PDF is automatically generated and attached to the message.
Export to PDF #
You can download the order in PDF format at any time to print or archive it.
Duplicate #
Use the Duplicate function to quickly create a new order from an existing one.
8. Special cases #
Order created from a quote #
When an order is created by converting a quote, the link between the two documents is preserved. You can view the original quote from the relationships tab.
Partial delivery #
You can create multiple delivery notes from the same order to manage shipments in multiple batches. Each delivery note can cover part of the lines.
Partial Invoicing #
Similarly, you can generate multiple invoices from an order. This allows you to invoice as deliveries are made or according to a schedule agreed with the customer.
9. Frequently asked questions #
How can you find all of a customer’s orders? #
From the Customer account record, go to the Customer orders tab to display the full list.
Can an order be modified after Invoicing? #
If the order is not finalized, it remains editable. However, invoices already generated will not be affected by changes made to the order.
Can the customer view their orders online? #
If the customer portal (extranet) is enabled, finalized orders are accessible to the customer from their online space.
How do you stop recurring Invoicing? #
Open the relevant order and disable the Enable recurrence option, or change the End date to stop automatic generation.
Good to know: even after the order is finalised, recurrence settings remain editable (activation, frequency, dates, preferences). This makes it possible to adjust recurring invoicing without having to create a new order.
10. Glossary #
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Customer order | Document formalizing a customer’s purchase commitment |
| Recurring Invoicing | Mechanism for automatically generating invoices at regular intervals, with advanced management of dates, dynamic subjects, and usage |
| Finalize | Permanently lock a document to prevent any subsequent modification |
| Delivery note | Document certifying the shipment or handover of products to the customer |
| Conversion | Action of creating a new document (invoice, supplier order) from an existing document |