Solid Know How™

Answer: Knowing in advance what inventory is needed for a route sales person to complete their route is a major advantage when it comes to deciding what and how much inventory to load onto their truck. Using Customer Orders to gauge what’s needed not only reduces spoilage from unneeded products, increases revenue by having enough product to fulfill the orders, but also creates a commitment to the customer of purchasing what was requested (even though Customer Orders can be modified or cancelled if need be). For information on how to enable a Mobile Unit Record to create Customer Orders, please refer to the Solid Route Accounting business system information below.

To create a Customer Order in Solid Sales Pro:

1. Navigate from the ‘Main Menu’ in Solid Sales Pro to [Sales / Create Transaction] to arrive at the ‘1100 Create Transaction’ screen. Just like creating an invoice, select the desired customer with the [Select Customer] button.
   
   
2. Once the customer has been selected, from the ‘1100 Create Transaction’ screen, select [Set Bill Options] and change the ‘Bill Type’ field to ‘O-Order’. Make any other bill option adjustments as well, and use [OK] to return to the ‘1100 Create Transaction’ screen.
   
   
3. Just like any other transaction, use [Add & Remove Items] to compile this Customer Order and then [Save & Print] it.

Once a Customer Order has been saved, it can still be Modified or Finalized before synching it back to the main Solid Route Accounting software component, as detailed in Solid Know How Article#234: How to Modify, Cancel or Finalize Customer Orders.

Enterprise Edition Users:
To enable a Mobile Unit Record to be able to create Customer Orders:

1. In Solid Business Central, navigate to [Datafile / Cost Center / Mobile] and display the handheld computer’s Mobile Unit Record.
   
   
2. Use [F2 – Edit] to make changes to this record, and in its ‘Mobile Options’ ensure that ‘PreSell’ is set to ‘Y-Yes’. Save any changes with [CTRL+END] and then sync its handheld computer to take effect.
   
   

Customer Orders with Solid Business Central
Solid Route Accounting – Enterprise Edition uses have an added advantage in that Customer Orders can also be created, reviewed, cancelled or finalized within Solid Business Central.

To create a Customer Order in Solid Business Central:

1. Navigate to [Sales], and select [Sales] once again if a second menu level opens, to be taken to the ‘Sales’ screen.
   
   
2. Select the customer to create the order for, and then set the ‘Type’ field to ‘O - Order Entry’.
   NOTE: If using Delivery Confirmation, set the ‘CC’ field to the Mobile Unit’s number that will be delivering this order.
   
   
3. Fill out the rest of the information as needed and add items to the order just the same as creating a regular sales transaction. When saved with [CTRL+END], it will be saved as a Customer Order.

Customer Orders saved in Solid Business Central or received from handheld computers can still be Modified, Finalized or Cancelled within Solid Business Central by following the steps in Solid Know How Article#234: How to Modify, Cancel or Finalize Customer Orders.

Customer Orders can also be assigned to a Mobile Unit to be finalized at the time of product delivery by way of the optionally licensed feature called ‘Delivery Confirmation’. For more information, please read Solid Know How Article#235: Delivery Confirmation.

for QuickBooks,
Microsoft Dynamics GP Edition,
Dynamic 3i Edition,
FACTS Edition,
Eyewear Genetics Edition,
Integration Edition Users:
NOTE: For these business systems, the ability to create Customer Orders is called ‘Pre Sale’ and is an optionally licensed feature. For further information, please contact a Solid Innovation Product Specialist who will be happy to further assist you.

To enable a Mobile Unit Record to be able to create Customer Orders:

1. In Solid Mobile Central, navigate to [Mobile / Properties] and select the desired Mobile Unit Record to modify from the list of records along the top of the screen.
   
   
2. Then place a checkmark in the ‘Pre Sale’ field, and use the [Apply] button to save this change. Once this Mobile Unit is synched, it will now be able to create Customer Orders.
   
   

NOTE: If using Solid Route Accounting for QuickBooks, Customer Orders will enter the QuickBooks Company File as 'Estimates'.