Order approvals
Orders wait for the right person before they reach you
Your customers set who can order what. Orders and quotes over a buyer’s limit wait for approval at the customer, so what reaches you is already signed off.
Approval rules your customers already use
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By spend limit
Orders over a buyer’s limit go to someone who can approve them.
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By role
Some roles can order freely, while others always need a sign-off.
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By branch
Branch orders can need approval before they’re billed to head office.
How it fits together
Approvals happen at the customer, before the order reaches you. Only signed-off orders go into your ERP.
What starts an approval
Checked when the buyer places it
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An order From the cart, a reorder or a schedule
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An accepted quote Held to the same rules as orders
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The buyer’s role and branch From users and roles
Approval rules
- Compares the order with the customer’s rules
- Sends it to the right approver, level by level
- Reminds approvers who haven’t acted
- Records who approved what, and when
What happens next
Nothing reaches you unapproved
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Approved Sent straight into your ERP
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Declined Back to the buyer with a reason
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Changed The approver edits it, then approves
How it works
A branch buyer places an order over their limit. Here’s what happens before it reaches you.
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1
The head user sets the rules
The customer’s head user sets rules by spend, role or branch, and who approves each one. Several levels can apply, so a large order might need a manager and then finance.
- Rules by order total, role, branch or product category
- Several levels of approval where needed
- The same rules for orders and quotes
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2
The order waits for sign-off
When a buyer places an order that matches a rule, it’s held at the customer and the approver gets an email. They approve, decline or change it from their phone, without logging in to anything else.
- Approvers see the whole order and who placed it
- Approve, decline with a reason, or edit and approve
- Reminders if it sits too long
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3
You get an order that’s already approved
Once the last approver signs off, the order goes into your ERP like any other. Your team never chases a customer’s internal approvals, and the record shows who approved it.
- Approved orders sent straight into your ERP
- The approval trail kept with the order
- Buyers see where their order is up to
Approvals without the chasing
- Several levels of approval where needed
- The same rules for orders and quotes
- Approved orders sent straight into your ERP
- A record of who approved what, and when
Set up the people first
Approvals build on users and roles: head users, buyers and accounts-payable users at each customer.
Order approvals questions
What can trigger an approval?
A spend limit, the buyer’s role or the branch they order for. Rules can have several levels.
Do approvals work for quotes too?
Yes. The same approval rules can apply to orders and quotes.
When does the order reach our ERP?
Once it’s approved. Orders waiting for approval stay with the customer until someone signs them off.
Can we see who approved an order?
Yes. Every approval is recorded against the order.
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