Purchase orders
Draft orders for what is low, send them to suppliers, and receive deliveries in full or in part.
A purchase order is a list of items you're buying from one supplier. Orders are numbered PO-1001 onwards. You'll find them under the items on the Inventory page.
How an order moves
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Draft | Being prepared. You can still change its items |
| Ordered | Sent to the supplier. Only the supplier and note can change now |
| Partly received | Some of it came; the rest is still to come |
| Received | Everything came |
| Cancelled | Nothing came, and nothing more is coming |
| Closed short | Part came, and nothing more is coming |
ChatBeds doesn't send orders to suppliers for you. Send it your usual way (phone, email, WhatsApp), then mark it ordered.
Ordering what is low
The quickest way. ChatBeds orders each low item back up to its par level, minus anything already on an open order. It makes one draft per supplier.
On Inventory, click Order what is low. The note tells you which drafts were made, for example "Drafted: PO-1004, PO-1005."
Run it again later and it only adds what is still missing, to the draft it already made for that supplier. If nothing needs ordering, ChatBeds says so.
Making an order by hand
- On Inventory, click New order.
- Fill in the Supplier.
- Pick an item and the quantity. Click Add a line for more.
- Click Save draft.
Sending it
When you've sent the order to the supplier, click Mark ordered on it. From then on, its items can't change.
Receiving a delivery
- Click Receive on the order.
- For each item, enter how many came. The form shows how many are still to come.
- Click Add to stock.
When a delivery is received:
- the stock goes up, with a Received line in each item's history;
- the price on the order becomes the item's Cost each;
- the delivery is recorded as a supplies expense, at the order's prices. See Expenses;
- receiving a draft marks it ordered too.
Cancelling or closing short
If nothing more is coming, click Cancel order. On an order that's partly received, the button says Close short: it keeps what arrived and closes the rest.
What's coming
The Coming column on the items list shows what is ordered and what is in a draft, with the order numbers. stock towels in WhatsApp shows the same.
Orders in WhatsApp
| Send | You get |
|---|---|
orders | Open purchase orders |
PO-1004 | One order and its lines |
po auto | Drafts for what is low |
received PO-1004 | Records the delivery |
These are for the owner, GM, front desk manager, housekeeping supervisor and maintenance lead.
Who can do what on the dashboard
| Task | Who |
|---|---|
| See orders | Anyone signed in |
| Order what is low, New order, change a draft, Receive | Roles that can record stock: Owner, Admin, Housekeeping, Maintenance |
| Mark ordered, Cancel order, Close short | Owner or Admin |
Still need help?