Sales Order FAQ

Sales Order Frequently Asked Questions

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1. How do you remove an item that has been delivered?

First, you have to un-deliver the part.

1. Open the Sales Order
2. Click the Product tab
3. Click the blue Product Manager button
4. Click the Details button next to the item you want to return and remove
   
5. On the This Item tab, click the red Return button above the location list
   
6. At the bottom of the window, choose a location to return the product to from the Return To dropdown – we recommend your staging area
7. Enter the quantity to be returned
8. Now, you’ll see a red Save Return button, which will open a popover window where you can enter the reason the product is being returned. This is a required field.
9. Click Continue
   

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Now, you will see that the product is in the staging area.

1. Click the blue Un-Allocate link
   
2. Again, you’ll need to tell iPoint where the product will be located, most likely your warehouse.
3. Enter the quantity to be transferred in the Transfer Qty field
4. Click the red Save Remove button
5. You will now be prompted to state what kind of removal this is.
   • Permanent will remove the item from the Product Manager and place it in a queue to be added to a purchase order. Clicking this link will cause the item to be greyed out and crossed through on the product list until it is properly removed with a change order.
   • Stock simply returns the product to your warehouse and leaves it on the Product Manager as requested. This is typically used if you are robbing the part from this job to be used on another job. The item is now listed on the Product Request Manager for your ordering staff to re-order or re-stage.
6. Back on the product manager screen, you will see the status of the part you adjusted.
   

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If this was a permanent removal, you will now need to add the item to the change order.

1. Open the Sales Order and click on the Change Orders tab
2. Make sure that there is a change order available. If you have more than one change order, make sure the Active change order is where you want to add the removed part
3. Click on the Added & Removed Parts tab
4. The parts you removed will be displayed on the right side of the window under Removed Parts
5. Click the green Add Removal to Change Order button next to the item you want to place on the change order.
6. If you accidentally permanently removed the part, click the red Restore Remove Qty button to put the part back on the Product Manager.
7. Now, you can go back to the Manage Change Order tab and complete the change order process.

2. How do you add or remove Sales Order Types?

The Sales Order Type field on the Sales Order Info (tab) is a self-populating list, accumulating types that are entered by various users.
To add a new Sales Order Type, manually type a new “type” in the Sales Order Type field. Once entered, it will be available for other sales staff to select in the future.

Removing a Sales Order Type is a bit more involved.

1. Open the Sales Order List
2. Using the Options button, filter the list to show only the individual type to be removed by selecting the Filter Type field.
3. Click Close & Filter
4. Open each sales order shown and remove the Sales Order Type reference by clicking in the field and pressing the delete key on your keyboard. Or you can also assign a different type.
5. Repeat this for all sales orders that have the type you want to remove.
6. Once the type has been removed from all sales orders, it will no longer be available in the SO Type list.

3. How can I track retention on Sales Order jobs?

Retainage (often called retention) is a percentage of the amount certified as due to the contractor on an interim invoice and is deducted from the amount due and retained by the client.

Primarily used for commercial contractors, the purpose of retainage is to ensure that the contractor properly completes the activities required of them under the contract.

The Retention invoicing calculation only functions on Progress Payment or Request for Payment invoices. It is not compatible with Line Item invoicing.

To enable retainage in iPoint:

1. Make sure there is a liability account in QuickBooks for retention. This is often an “Other Liability” account.
2. Verify that the account has been synced to iPoint in Settings > QuickBooks > Chart of Accounts. If not, sync the account.
3. Create an item in the items module. (Inventory Type: Other Charge – make sure QB account is Retention from step 2)
4. To enable retainage in iPoint go to Settings > Module Settings > Proposals > Accounting Tab. Check the Enable Retainage Tracking check box.
5. Set the retainage item below the checkbox as the item that will be used to track the retainage (from step 3)
   

The following changes will now take place.

From the Sales Order > Billing (tab) > Billing Options button

• A field used to designate the % to be used for retainage
• A button labeled Invoice Retainage will allow you to create an invoice for all retainage amount held to date

• Below the invoice portal on the left side, the retainage balances will be displayed.
• When creating a progress invoice or a Request for Payment (RFP), the invoices will automatically add an additional line that reduces the balance of the invoice by the retainage percent.
• That total is tracked and displayed as shown in the image above.
• To collect the retainage, select the button labeled Invoice Retainage, and you will end up with a new invoice for the amount of the entire Retainage balance withheld to date.

4. Can you show me how to simplify the Delivery Invoice process?

Create All Delivery Invoices

Create, sync, and apply RFP credits to delivery invoices in no time. No need to do each step for each individual Sales Order – you can check this off your list in just a few steps.

1. Create All Delivery Invoices

From the Sales Order list > Options > Create Delivery Invoices For All Delivered Items. This lets you create delivery invoices for all Sales Orders that have delivered goods on them.

Note: This runs on the server, so you can click and then go about your day and do other things

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Auto Apply RFP Credits

2. Auto-Apply RFP Credits

You may want to turn on a setting to auto-apply RFP credits to the delivery invoice on sync, so you don’t have to do that manually. Do this in Settings > Module Settings > Proposals > Accounting > Auto Apply Available Credits to delivery Invoice on Sync

Note: If you already have this setting turned on, disregard and continue to step 3.

Sync All Invoices

3. Sync All Delivery Invoices to QuickBooks

After the invoices are created, you can go to the Accounting module > Delivery Invoice list > Options > click to sync all invoices to QuickBooks.

Note: If using QuickBooks Desktop, this will run on your computer, so that machine will be locked up until the sync is completed. If using QuickBooks Online, the sync will take place server-side, so you can go about your day.

5. How do I delete a Sales Order?

The first step in deleting a sales order is to revert it to a proposal. Once you have reverted the sales order to a proposal, then you can delete it. Complete the following steps to delete a sales order.

Step 1. Revert the sales order to a proposal

1. Delete any change orders
2. Delete any invoices
3. Return any staged/delivered product back to stock
4. Delete any associated project(s)
5. Unlink the sales order from any other sales orders
   1. Sales Orders > Options button
   2. Click in the Link With Another Sales Order field
   3. Hit the Delete or Back key to unlink the two sales orders
6. Revert the sales order to a proposal:
   1. Click the Options button
   2. Click the Revert to Proposal button

Revert a Sales Order to a Proposal

Delete a Proposal

Step 2. Delete the proposal

1. Click the Options button
2. Go to the Advanced Tab
3. Click the Delete This Proposal button

Note: iPoint always recommends archiving proposals rather than deleting them. Archiving allows you to reference that proposal in the future. Deleting is permanent—as in hasta la vista, sayonara—all revisions are deleted, and there is no undo. So, make sure when you blow up that proposal, you really, really mean it.
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6. Can I link Sales Orders together?

Yes, you can! A great example of when you might use linked sales orders is when you’re working with a builder. Say the builder does a base package, and a particular homeowner has requested upgrades to the base package. Two sales orders are created so that the builder and the homeowner can be billed separately. Linking the two sales orders together means that only one project is created, the product will be ordered together, and all of the work is done at the same time.

You can link as many sales orders together as you want! You just need to pick one Sales Order to be the master (where the project lives) and then link 3, 5, 1500, infinite other sales orders to that one! Amazing right?

How to Link Sales Orders

Using the same scenario outlined above, we’ll show you how to link one sales order to another:

1. Create a proposal for the builder
   1. Convert it to a sales order (this will be the primary sales order)
   2. Create a project
2. Create a proposal for the homeowner
   1. Convert it to a sales order (this will be the secondary sales order)
3. Link the two sales orders:
   
   Link One Sales Order to Another
   1. In the homeowner (secondary) sales order, click the Options button at the top of the screen
   2. In the Link with Another Sales Order dropdown list, choose the primary sales order created for the builder
4. You will now see “Linked to SO: [Reference #]” at the top of the sales order
   1. The primary SO (the original builder SO) will say: “Has Linked Sales Orders” in that same place
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Notation Showing this SO is now linked to a Primary Sales Order	Notation showing primary SO has linked (Secondary) Sales Orders

One Project to Rule Them All

The two linked sales orders will use one project. The project must be created from the primary sales order. If you try to create a project from the secondary sales order, you will get an alert box prompting you to create the project from the primary sales order.

Linked Sales Orders Use the Same Project

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The Product

All products from every sales order will be shown on the Product Manager, no matter which sales order you start out on.

Linked Sales Orders Take You to Same Product in Product Manager

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To see which sales order a particular product belongs to, click on the item, and you will see the sales order name at the top of the screen.

Product Mgr Showing Which SO the Selected Item Belongs To

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Filter by Sales Order

You can filter by sales order to see just the product from a particular sales order:

1. In the Product Manager, click the Options button
2. Go to the Filters tab
3. Choose a sales order from the Sales Order dropdown list
4. Click the Filter Products button

Filter By Sales Order

To clear the filter:

1. Open the Options popover menu
2. Click the Clear All Filters button
   

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Easily Switch Between Linked Sales Orders

You can quickly switch back and forth between linked sales orders:

1. Go to the Reports tab
2. In the Linked Sales Orders section, click the View button next to the linked sales order you would like to open

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View the secondary Sales Order from the primary Sales Order	View the primary Sales Order from the secondary Sales Order

Wrapping it All Up

Linking sales orders can be super advantageous because:

• The builder and the homeowner are billed separately.
• All of the product is ordered together.
• All of the work is managed under the same project and is done at the same time.

7. I have a big job for both a builder and their customer. How do I enter that into iPoint?

Scenario: A builder has hired you to install the low voltage for a new home they are building. They have been working with the new homeowner to specify equipment and build options. The infrastructure on the proposal you’ve provided will be paid for by the builder, but the equipment is going to be billed to the homeowner. So now you need to create two sales orders since one is builder paid and one is homeowner paid. How does that work?

Answer:

1. Create a proposal for the entire job and present it to the builder and customer.
   • Print a Proposal
2. Once the proposal is accepted, create a revision and store it in Documents. Store one in the builder’s documents and another copy in the homeowner’s documents (in CRM).
   • Create a Revision
   • Store the Original Proposal in CRM
3. Now, open the revision of the proposal and click the Select link next to each line that is a BUILDER part and add them to a new builder proposal
   • Create a new proposal from selected
4. Open the original proposal, select all BUILDER parts and delete them
   • Use Bulk Options to delete the selected items
5. Change the Customer Name ( Bill To ) on the original proposal to the name of the Homeowner
6. You now have two proposals (the Builder proposal and the Homeowner proposal)
7. Convert both proposals to a sales order
8. Link the Sales Orders together
9. Process RFP & Delivery invoices as normal – each sales order’s invoices will be billed to the appropriate customer (builder or homeowner)
10. Use a single project to manage all parts and tasks.

8. How can I remove an item on a Change Order but keep the associated labor?

Items that have associated labor will get removed with that item on change orders. So how do you separate the two if you want to charge your customer for the labor but no longer want to charge for the item? And you don’t want the Change Order to read a new labor line when presented to the customer?

Customer Facing Change Order Report

Follow these steps:

1. Create a Change Order and remove the item with the associated labor.
2. Add in a labor line item with the labor amount you want – this should be the labor amount that was associated with the original item, so it matches.
3. Make that labor line item an accessory under the original item you are removing by clicking the blue dot next to the line item in designer > move the line item under a different line by moving up or down, so it is nested under the item > make accessory.
   
4. Make the labor line accessory hidden by clicking on the labor line item in the designer and checking the “hidden” box under the details tab. This will allow the labor amount to be included in the change order but will not show up as a line item on the report when presented to the customer.
   
   Hidden Accessory

9. Non-billable Change Orders with RFP

One of the available options in Settings > Module Settings > Proposals > Sales Orders is to Allow Non-Billable Change Orders. This is a great way to track costs on a job that you do not want to pass along to your customers.

HOWEVER, this feature will wreak havoc on delivery invoices you create for the Request For Payment (RFP) billing method. Let’s take a look at what the problem is, and then we’ll look at solutions.

Let’s sell a Fancy Widget to your customer on a Sales Order. The Fancy Widget has a $100 cost and a $200 sale price.

So, you generate a $200 Request for Payment to your customer. So far, so good, right?

But wouldn’t you know it, the distributor is out of Fancy Widgets. So you decide to upgrade the customer to a Better Whatzit. The Better Whatzit has a cost of $150 and a sale price of $300.

The problem is, you don’t want to charge your customer for the additional $100, so you decide to create a Non-billable change order so that you reflect the accurate cost.

The change order removes the Fancy Widget and sells the Better Whatzit, but because you set this as a non-billable change order, the price of the return is set to $0 as well as the price of the sale.

Now, when it comes time to create a delivery invoice, the only thing that is delivered is the $0 Better Whatzit. You never deliver the $200 charge for the original Fancy Widget. So your delivery invoices will be $200 short of the original RFP. Your Sales Order will be out-of-balance!

Solutions

You actually have two separate methods of creating non-billable change orders for your jobs. It is just a bit more of a manual process.

1. Create a normal Change Order, leaving the prices alone. Then, you’ll need to manually add an adjustment line for each Change Order so that the balance is $0. This adjustment line should have parts and labor on it to adjust each section accordingly. This is the best solution as it keeps track of your adjustments, and you can report on those in QuickBooks to see how much you went over/under on your jobs. Just run a report for your adjustment “item.”
2. OPTIONALLY, you could continue using non-billable Change Orders. You’ll just need to enter a manual adjustment on your invoices to make sure the deliveries match the RFP total.
   

10. RFP vs Delivery Invoice variance

At the end of a job, the RFP balance and the Delivery Invoice balance should match.

However, there are times when the two balances do not match, and this is generally due to including actual time or parts directly onto delivery invoices rather than going through the formal change order process.

The best practice is to make sure that the RFP and Delivery Invoice match at the end of the job. If they don’t, here is how to make them match.

Option 1: Customer is charged/credited for variances

• Create a Change Order in the Change Order module to reflect the modifications created on the delivery invoice.

Option 2: Customer is NOT charged/credit for variances

• Create a change order, like in step one, adding or removing the parts and labor that are the difference – This will capture appropriate cost AND calculate commission appropriately.
• Create an offsetting entry on the Change Order using one of four offsets. These offsets are items you create in the Items module.
  • LABOR OVER – used to offset an overage of labor. Set this up as a Labor Item in Items Module
  • LABOR UNDER – used to offset an underage of labor. Set this up as a Labor Item in Items Module
  • PARTS OVER – used to offset an overage of parts. Set this up as a Non-Inventory Item in Items Module
  • PARTS UNDER – used to offset an underage of parts. Set this up as a Non-Inventory Item in Items Module
• The total of the offsetting entries should make the total change order a ZERO BALANCE.
• Remember, we can’t create a negative RFP invoice

Item Setup – we use four separate items so that we can track four different accounts in QuickBooks. Each item will reflect the appropriate General Ledger accounts in QuickBooks. This enables you to report separate overage and underage amounts for parts and labor on their financials.

Alternate

Some companies prefer to have one account to track all overage and underage from both parts and labor. In this case, you only need two Over/Under items, one for parts and one for labor.

• We separate out labor and parts because they are tracked differently in iPoint transactions. So you want to be sure to offset a labor overage with a labor offset item and a parts underage with a parts offset item.