Quotes & order processing

From quote to invoice without re-keying.

The order lifecycle that sits between the till and the trade counter: quotes, tenders, deposits, special orders, collections and automatic invoicing. This is where "can it handle orders that are not simple cash sales?" gets answered.

Quote to order in one step Back-to-back purchasing Invoices email themselves
Order pipelineLive
QUO-2210Northern Builders, tender sent to Toolbank Quote
ORD-4825Deposit taken, special order raised on Draper Awaiting supplier
ORD-4823Paid by link, allocated from stock Picking
ORD-4821Collected in store, balance paid Complete
ORD-4819Invoice emailed, posted to Xero Invoiced
Reminder: 2 orders awaiting customer
Pay-by-link paid
  1. Quote Till, Internal Sales or back office
  2. Tender Pricing request to suppliers
  3. Pay Deposit, split tender or pay-by-link
  4. Purchase Back-to-back POs by supplier
  5. Fulfil Pick, despatch or collect
  6. Invoice Emailed, posted to Xero
One order, start to finish

Every step happens in TABS.

1

Quote

Create it at the till, in Internal Sales or in the back office. Name it, set validity dates and conditions, add non-database lines, and print or email it as a quote or pro-forma. "My Quotes" and an archive searchable by value keep the pipeline visible.

QUO-2210: Northern BuildersValid 14 days
38 lines, customer part numbers shownContract pricing applied, 2 non-database lines£2,140.60
Emailed as pro-formaConditions: delivery 5 working daysSent
2

Tender request

Email a request for pricing to your suppliers directly from the quote, so the margin is known before the customer says yes.

Tender: QUO-2210Sent
Toolbank12 lines, pricing requestedReplied
Draper Tools6 lines, pricing requestedWaiting
3

Customer pays

Deposits and part payments, split tender across two methods, awaiting-payment orders and "pay balance" on collection. With the optional pay-by-link module, send a card payment link by email or SMS and the order proceeds when it is paid.

PaymentPay-by-link: optional
Deposit taken at counter£500 card, balance on collectionPaid
Pay-by-link sent by SMSCustomer paid online, order releasedPaid
4

Quote to order, purchase orders raised

Converting the quote raises the purchase orders grouped by supplier at the same time, with stock-level checks. Special orders can be anything, catalogue item or not, with the real cost synced back to the sale. Direct-delivery POs ship straight to the customer.

ORD-4825 from QUO-2210Converted
PO-2231 Toolbank9 lines not in stock, back-to-backSent via hub
PO-2232 Draper, direct deliveryDelivered straight to customer siteSent
27 lines from stockAllocated, picking note printedAllocated
5

Fulfil

The order status pipeline (awaiting stock, customer, payment, supplier, picking, despatch) has configurable reminder thresholds per status. Collections and click & collect show paid, not paid or deferred with a confirmation and receipt. Repairs can be booked with structured advice notes: model, fault, serial number and warranty (optional module).

Order pipelineLive
Awaiting supplier: 4Reminder after 5 days2 overdue
Awaiting collection: 75 paid, 2 balance dueReady
Repair RPR-118Makita DHP486, serial 4471-22, in warrantyBooked
6

Invoice

Invoices email themselves on completion, configurable per source: account, counter, website, Amazon or eBay. A certificate of conformity goes out with the despatch note where required, and the invoice posts to Xero or Sage.

INV-8841Emailed
Sent to accounts@northernbuilders.co.ukRule: account orders invoice on completionDone
Posted to XeroContact matched, due 30 daysPosted
QUO-2210: Northern BuildersValid 14 days
38 lines, customer part numbers shownContract pricing applied, 2 non-database lines£2,140.60
Emailed as pro-formaConditions: delivery 5 working daysSent
Tender: QUO-2210Sent
Toolbank12 lines, pricing requestedReplied
Draper Tools6 lines, pricing requestedWaiting
PaymentPay-by-link: optional
Deposit taken at counter£500 card, balance on collectionPaid
Pay-by-link sent by SMSCustomer paid online, order releasedPaid
ORD-4825 from QUO-2210Converted
PO-2231 Toolbank9 lines not in stock, back-to-backSent via hub
PO-2232 Draper, direct deliveryDelivered straight to customer siteSent
27 lines from stockAllocated, picking note printedAllocated
Order pipelineLive
Awaiting supplier: 4Reminder after 5 days2 overdue
Awaiting collection: 75 paid, 2 balance dueReady
Repair RPR-118Makita DHP486, serial 4471-22, in warrantyBooked
INV-8841Emailed
Sent to accounts@northernbuilders.co.ukRule: account orders invoice on completionDone
Posted to XeroContact matched, due 30 daysPosted
Good to know

Order processing questions, answered

Can I create quotes at the till as well as in the back office?

Yes. Quotes can be created at the till, in Internal Sales or in the back office. Name them, set validity dates and conditions, add non-database lines, and print or email them as a quote or a pro-forma. A "My Quotes" filter and a searchable archive keep them organised.

What happens when a quote is accepted?

Converting a quote to an order is one step. At the same time TABS can raise the purchase orders grouped by supplier, with stock-level checks so you only buy what you do not already have.

Can I sell something I do not stock?

Yes. A special order can be anything: an item from the supplier catalogue or a non-database line typed at the counter. TABS raises the purchase order, tracks it, and syncs the real cost back to the sale. Direct-delivery purchase orders send the goods straight from the supplier to the customer.

How are deposits and part payments handled?

Take a deposit, split payment across two methods, hold an order as awaiting payment, and take the balance on collection. Collections show paid, not paid or deferred status with a collection confirmation and receipt.

Can customers pay online for a quote?

Yes, with the optional pay-by-link module. Generate a card payment link for a quote, send it by email or SMS, and the order proceeds when the customer pays.

Bring an order that is not a simple cash sale. We will run it end to end.

Book a demo with the people who build TABS. We will show the parts that matter to your business, not a canned tour.

Book a demo

See TABS on data like yours.

See a quote become an order, a purchase order and an invoice, live.

Based in the NorthManchester, UK. Support is in-house, not outsourced.

A real person replies. No mailing lists, no hard sell.