I currently use a custom column field to set status of quotes for open, closed or successful, failed etc.
However, this is not desirable as the default view should be to view only open quotes and to click a drop down to view only closed/failed or successful quotes etc. yes I can do this by typing open or closed etc, but I cannot do closed quotes client name to give an example.
The secondary problem is that when you convert the quote to a sales order or sales invoice it does mark the original quote as successful. You have to remember to do that.
The status of quotes could be something like open, closed, successful, Lost Business.
I would consider this to be second highest priority after budgeting.
Your suggestion reflects your personal workflow. Others use the Sales Quotes module for entirely different things. For them, your status options would be completely inappropriate. Further, suppose a customer accepted part of your quote, so you copied to a sales order, planning to delete portions they decided not to buy. Why should the quote then be changed to successful status? Maybe they’ll buy the rest later, maybe not.
By the way, your suggestion has nothing to do with purchase orders.
When you convert Purchase Orders to Purchase Invoices, logically you want to close the Purchase order! So its very relevant. I will leave Lubos to decide how and if he wants to implement this suggestion as it has been asked by quite a different number of people, so its a feature that is in demand. I am sure that he can sort the program so that those who want the status functionality can enable it and those who do not want the status functionality don’t.
As for your example, I personally would accept the quote as successful as the whole point is to indicate that I won the business and not a competitor. The fact that the client did not buy all the items is not relevant to me - it is possible to design the status system so that people can change the status as desired.
Not necessarily. What if the supplier ships and invoices you for only part of the purchase order?
If if you won a minority share? Suppose you bid to paint both the exterior and interior public spaces of a new office building, as well as all leased offices. You win the interior public space work, but competitors get the bigger exterior job and all the offices. Do you call that winning the business instead of a competitor?
@lubos has also mentioned a workflow capability that would presumably let you link those transactions you use in the way you use them. That would probably resolve your desire.
Like I said, the program can be configured to allow you to change the default status of the quote/PO etc. Your examples are examples of the exceptions that are likely to occur rather than the normal procedure as such.
Putting aside whether you win/lose/close the quote - the point is people want to see only open quotes in the quotes tab, only open orders in the sales/purchase orders tab by default and to have the ability to automatically close a quote/order when converting to invoice status. This is pretty much standard in any accounting package I know.
I think the problem Lubos has is in deciding on what statuses the quotes etc should have when closed and I can understand his point, but in the end, the ultimate aim is to claim the damn thing so that you only see open orders/quotes when clicking on that tab.
Again, you suggest your preferences and workflow are standard. I can understand how you might like them. But your descriptions of what should be shown doesn’t match how I use the tabs. Nor would they have been the preferred approach for any of the companies I’ve led or helped manage before discovering Manager. Your suggestions would limit access to information. Manager’s philosophy is to maximize it to provide flexibility.
Not for everyone I’m afraid, unless you made them Inactive/Closed then wouldn’t see them.
The open quotes should be open at the top similar to due invoices in Invoice tab, the converted quotes should show (for me) under the open ones and be visible, (many times I search a keyword from a converted quote then I clone saving time) the closed quotes as above you should choose whether to be visible or not.
Yes @Tut and @itmoto your points are taken. I think its more a question of all roads leading to Rome and we just take a different route to get there! But again you are both missing the point. It is possible in programming to make it so that I can hide closed quotes, @itmoto can have closed quotes as showing but makred as closed in say a green flag or something and @Tut can have all quoets visible with no status and so on.
It’s not a case of have this config or have that config - you can program the program to filter the information as the user wants - because thats all you are doing - you are not changing the information - you are just filternig the display according to your preferences. I am not an expert at programming, but I know enough about programming to know its a trivial task to create filters and allow users to tick a box in settings for filtering the display view like a, b or c.
If you look at the forum over the last few years, this has been requested a number of times by various different people, so its not just me that wants to be able to filter the view to show only open quotes etc. As you say @Tut Manager’s philosophy is to maximise it to provide flexibility. By creating a filtering button in settings, you can enable/disable filtering of closed quotes/orders to only show open quotes or not as you choose. The same concept could apply for say some people might only want to see sales invoices for their current year (I don’t, but you could in theory do the same thing).
All you need is a button in settings and you can set filters for current year only, open quotes/orders only or whatever default view you want! Then everyone is happy as they can customise the program for their particular requirements. I find no value in having closed orders visible in the program - I am only interested in open quotes and open orders - naturally with the option to view closed quotes/orders when I need to.
But again I will highlight its possible to program the view to allow users to customise the view to suit their preferences - its not a case of its this or that and take it leave it.
You looking at filter either for all or individual receipts, invoice, unpaid invoice, quotes, purchases, unpaid purchases for overview purpose.
Lubos’ style main question. Remember that his vision of Manager to be flexible for all type of business, so to cater unique business owner’s workflow will be difficult in my opinion.
It can be done but is it worth it as in whole solution whether there is business owners has the same problem?
I like to see it implement if it’s not too burdened for Lubos.
Totally agree. If the quotes sent have a status column, it is easier to followup on clients or leeds after it has been sent. Also, if the Orders had a status column after it has been invoiced, its easier to know which order is still in process and which has to be invoiced.
Although a am relatively new to Manager but not new to any Sales process in both retail and wholesale from small to large business I would like to affirm that Filters are a must for at least the Sales Quote Module. Not to remove but to Hide.
Dalacors points are very valid although this was thrashed out a while ago. There seems to be great resistance to a simple filter. All major CRM and Quoting Programs are Built on this functionality. Manager is becoming a One Program for all environments but with out this functionality, Uses are being limited to the Power the Program can provide. An Additional Coloum to tag a Quote or more preferably a Drop Down Filter applied to the Quote Value coloum is all that is required to distinguish between Active, Inactive, and then us the Tag for marking Won and Lost Quotes.
For instance I am showing currently Sales Quote value of $151,489.70. Based on the current methodology they are all active and still to be followed up and converted. In this same list Half are not ever going to be converted same have been won and some lost. I need to keep all Quote as history for the instances where I deiced to Clone an exiting Quote or Know what I quoted to this same Client last time. Any part of a Quote sold means you have secured a client. The aim here is to work with this client to sell more to them so whether it is selling one item or ten with in a Quote you have converted an Enquire to a Customer.
Basic Sales Practise treats the Quote Process as a Funnel, the more I put in at the top of the funnel I can then calculate, knowing the market I am selling to, what percentage conversion rate I will achieve for the next period/month ( Budgeting Sales projection) coming though the narrow end of the funnel.
Manger is an Accounting Software but with these features you have now taken on the likes of Goldmine, Act, Maximiser, Epicor etc.
I still want Status of Quotes, Sales Orders and purchases Orders Idea to be implemented. However, I would like to modify my original request and make the functionality work as such.
I would like the status functionality to work in the exact same way that it works for Sales and Purchase Invoices. This would make quotes, orders and invoices all work consistently in the same way.
Completed - Green, Active - Orange - overdue - Red (exactly like invoices) with current (orange and red) showing above completed (green).
I would also like when you convert a quote to an order or an invoice that the quote is marked as completed and goes green in exactly the same way an invoice goes green when it’s paid.
Same for converting an order to an invoice!
Perhaps closing a quote where you did not win the contract could just be another colour.
My original suggestion of hiding closed quotes etc is irrelevant as the reason I wanted it hidden was based on the current design flaw of quotes showing in order of date. However if quotes are moved to the concept of current and overdue showing at top in orange and red and completed in green showing underneath like invoices, then there is no need to hide closed quotes.
When an invoice turns green because its paid, it is effectively completed and no further action is required. The same process needs to apply to quotes and orders in that people want to know which quotes and orders to action.
(Please there is no relationship between the two tables, everything is random)
The Progress bar will track the progress of the quantities of items delivered to customers in the sales workflow and received from suppliers in the purchases workflow. The progress bar would show the Net Quantities of items delivered divided by the total number of all items on the order (including untracked/non-inventory items)
The Invoiced Bar tracks the amount of quantity of Inventory/Non-inventory items that have been invoiced. The Invoiced Bar would show the Net quantity of invoiced items compared to the total number of all items on the linked order. (including untracked/non-inventory items)
Delivery Progress computation example
Note, the “Net” here means the calculation considers adjustments made with credit or debit notes.
The system currently does not ask for a Delivery date for both Purchase and Sales orders and also Validity period for both Sales and Purchases Quotes. I suggest they are added to enable the system to determine when quotes are invalid and when orders have gone past due dates.
Quotes should automatically be closed when they are converted or referenced on an invoice or order
Status of orders (purchase and Sales orders) should automatically change to closed after Delivery is 100%. The User should also be able to mark an order as closed.
Status on sales and purchases need to work through ledger. This means if customer makes an order, then it can be served by multiple sales invoices and delivery notes (order is fulfilled once sales order is fully invoiced and goods delivered if applicable). @Abeiku is on the right track.
I’m thinking this through.
If we establish sales quote as a starting point, then sales quote can be either Lost or Won. If it’s won, then it should be attached to sales order.
Sales order is the blueprint for the workflow. We want to reach 100% status for invoiced and 100% status for delivered (if applicable). So sales invoice or delivery note would allow to select sales order which they are fulfilling.
Also, sales order could represent a project or job. This way, you could assign arbitrary expenses to sales order and track how much was spent on the job and then see whether the order was profitable or not. Some costs would be allocated automatically, for example cost of goods sold.
This would work for product-based businesses but also for service-based businesses.
The same can work for purchasing side where Purchase Order is starting point and it’s fulfilled once fully invoiced and goods delivered (if applicable).
consider Sales Order as Project Name and enabling the order no across all the tab like Tracking Code and linking this to all reports will fulfil the idea for project or job card
there should be an option to link the sales order for cost allocation is great addition to the system and will close 3 to 5 topic in the ideas
