Trading & distribution
From enquiry to invoice: a workflow for trading businesses
Keep customer requirements, quotations, orders and invoices connected as a sale moves through your team.
By EngageNet Team · 2 min read
Capture the requirement before quoting
Record the customer, requested products, quantities and any delivery requirements. Confirm the billing and shipping details with the customer before preparing documents. A complete enquiry helps avoid repeated calls just to recover missing information, especially when more than one person helps with the sale.
Prepare a quotation your customer can review
Check product descriptions, quantities, prices, discounts and applicable taxes. Explain the offer clearly, including any business terms you normally use. Review the generated quotation document before sharing it. If the customer asks for changes, keep the agreed version clear to everyone working on the opportunity.
Move confirmed business into an order
Once the customer confirms, move the quotation into the existing order workflow. Recheck quantities and addresses rather than assuming an earlier draft is still correct. Assign responsibility for the next step so that a confirmed sale does not remain in a follow-up list without an order being prepared.
Coordinate purchases and dispatch
If you need to buy from a supplier, maintain the vendor and purchase documents alongside the sales process. Review order and dispatch status as work progresses. Product-ledger entries can help you review recorded document movements; they should not be treated as proof of physical stock available in a warehouse.
Invoice and record collection
Prepare the invoice from the agreed business details and review it before sending. When payment arrives, record it against the appropriate customer and invoice using the available payment workflow. Review the outstanding balance after recording the collection, including any partial payments.
Keep the handover visible in EngageNet
EngageNet brings leads, quotations, orders, invoices, vendor purchases and collections into one application. Company admins can review company records; salespeople see assigned financial records subject to their permissions. Use a short handover note whenever responsibility changes so the next person knows what has been agreed.