Customer purchase orders

📍 Where can I find this module?
Main Menu > Sales

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Introduction #

The Customer Orders module allows you to manage purchase orders placed by your customers. It can be accessed via Main Menu > Sales > Customer Orders.

The purchase order formalizes the commitment to purchase. It is typically issued after a quote has been accepted and serves as the basis for invoicing delivery.

There you'll find features for:

• Record and track your customers' orders
• Convert an order into invoice, a packing slip, or a purchase order
• Manage invoicing based on an order
• Finalize an order to lock it in permanently

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1. Create a sales order #

Access #

1. Access the Customer Orders module via Main Menu > Sales > Customer Orders
2. Click the " Add Customer Order" button

Information to provide #

General information:

• Subject: Order title (required)
• Customer account: the customer placing the order
• Contact: the client's point of contact
• Quote: the original quote, if the order follows a sales proposal
• Customer order number: the order reference provided by the customer
• Assigned to: the sales representative or the order manager

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 admin panel. For more information, see Configuring Taxes.

Good to know: If the order is created by converting a quote, all product lines and customer information are automatically carried over.

Addresses #

The command includes two addresses:

• invoicing address: taken from the customer account
• Shipping address: taken from the customer account; can be changed if the shipping location is different

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2. Order Lifecycle #

Every customer order goes through several stages:

Good to know: The order status is independent of the status of the invoice . You can track the progress of the delivery and the invoicing .

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3. Convert an order #

Toward an invoice #

Once record , you can generate an invoice. The conversion automatically pulls in the product lines, amounts, and customer information.

Toward a supplier order #

If the ordered items need to be procured, you can generate purchase orders. The system creates a purchase order for each supplier based on the selected lines.

Toward a delivery note #

From the order, you can create one or more shipping labels to arrange for the shipment of the products.

Good to know: You can process partial orders. For example, you can invoice part of the order or ship it in multiple shipments.

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4. Invoicing #

The customer order module includes a invoicing feature that automatically generates invoices at regular intervals. This feature is particularly well-suited for subscriptions, maintenance contracts, leases, or any service billed on a recurring basis.

To enable this feature, open the settings and fill out the Invoicing section (frequency, period, due date, dynamic invoice subject, automatic addition of usage data, etc.). Kafinea then automatically generates the invoices and provides a dashboard for tracking them.

Note: Detailed information on how this feature works (settings, subject variables, date preferences, automatic catch-up, and stopping recurring invoices) is described in the article invoicing .”

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5. Complete an order #

The " Finalize " action permanently locks the order. Once finalized:

• The document can no longer be edited, with the exception of the bylaws and recurrence information
• The order will appear on the customer portal (extranet) if it has been activated

Important: This action cannot be undone. Please make sure all the information is correct before proceeding.

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6. Interactions with other modules #

Once record customer order record , the relationship tabs allow you to view:

• Quote: the original quote that generated this order
• Invoices: invoices generated from this order
• Supplier orders: related purchase orders
• Shipping orders: related shipments
• Documents: related files (signed purchase orders, etc.)
• Activities: calls, meetings, and tasks related to this order

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7. Available actions #

Send by email #

Once record order, you can send the purchase order directly via email. The PDF is automatically generated and attached to the message.

Export to PDF #

You can download the order as a PDF at any time to print or save it.

Duplicate #

Use the Duplicate feature to quickly create a new order from an existing one.

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8. Special Cases #

Order placed based on 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 shipping documents from a single order to manage shipments in multiple batches. Each shipping document can cover a subset of the order lines.

Invoicing #

Similarly, you can generate multiple invoices from a single order. This allows you to invoice as items are delivered or according to a payment schedule agreed upon with the customer.

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9. Frequently Asked Questions #

How can I find all of a customer's orders? #

From record Customer Account record , go to the Customer Orders tab to view the complete list.

Can an order be modified after it invoicing #

If the order has not been finalized, it can still be modified. However, invoices that have already been generated will not be affected by any changes made to the order.

Can customers view their orders online? #

If the customer portal (extranet) is enabled, customers can view their completed orders in their online account.

How do I stop invoicing ? #

Open the relevant command and uncheck the "Enable Recurrence" option, or change the " End Date " to stop automatic generation.

Good to know: Even after the order has been finalized, you can still modify the recurring settings (activation, frequency, dates, preferences). This allows you to adjust invoicing without having to create a new order.

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10. Glossary #

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Related references 🔗 #

• Customer quotations
• How to generate a invoice
• How to generate a delivery note
• The products
• Tax Settings