How to Create and Process Sales Orders in CrmLeaf
All editions. Core feature - no add-on required. Inventory deduction on dispatch requires the Purchase add-on module.
Availability: All editions. Core feature - no add-on required. Inventory deduction on dispatch requires the Purchase add-on module.
Overview
A sales order records what a customer has agreed to buy, then carries that commitment through payment, invoicing and fulfilment. Orders sit between the products catalogue and invoicing: you build the order from products, take payment, generate the invoice, and track status until the goods are delivered and the order is completed.
How It Works
You collect products in a cart, convert the cart into an order, then move the order through its lifecycle. The exact sequence of invoice, payment and dispatch depends on the dispatch workflow preset your Administrator has selected for the account.
Build cart → Create order → Take payment → Generate invoice → Dispatch → Complete
- Order status moves through
pending → processing → shipped/dispatched → delivered → completed, or the order iscancelled. - Payment can be taken offline or online through Stripe on the order's public page.
- An invoice can be generated from the order, carrying its line items into billing.
- A dispatch record is created automatically at the step defined by the account's preset, and eligible staff are notified.
- The order can be produced as a PDF, and named tax rates apply per line item.
Who Can Use This Feature?
User
- Build a cart from the catalogue and create the order.
- Record an offline payment, or send the customer the order page to pay online.
- Generate the invoice from the order and download the order PDF.
- Update the order status as the order progresses.
Access depends on the modules and role assigned by your Administrator. Configuring the dispatch sequence is an Administrator task.
Prerequisites
- The products you need exist in the Products catalogue and the customer exists as a client record.
- Invoice settings, including the dispatch workflow preset, have been configured by an Administrator.
- A payment method is available: an offline method, or Stripe configured as a payment gateway.
For Users
Step 1: Build the cart
Add each product the customer is buying to the cart with the required quantity, then review the cart before converting it.
Step 2: Create the order
Convert the cart into an order. Select the client, confirm the currency, check each line item and its tax rate, then select Save. The order starts at pending.
Step 3: Take payment
Record an offline payment against the order, or share the order's public page so the customer can pay by card through Stripe. The payment is stored centrally and linked to the order.
Step 4: Generate the invoice
Generate the invoice from the order so the line items are not re-entered. Where your account uses the default dispatch-first preset, the invoice is generated from the dispatch instead.
Step 5: Track status to completion
Set processing while the order is prepared, shipped/dispatched once it leaves, delivered on arrival, and completed when nothing is outstanding. Use cancelled if it will not be fulfilled. Select Download for the order PDF.
Field and Option Reference
| Field / Option | Description | Required |
|---|---|---|
| Client | The customer the order belongs to. | Yes |
| Currency | Currency the order is priced in. | Yes |
| Line items | Products with quantity and tax rate. | Yes |
| Status | pending, processing, shipped/dispatched, delivered, completed or cancelled. | Yes |
Expected Result
The order is saved with its line items at pending. Payments recorded against it are linked to the order, an invoice can be generated from it, and a dispatch record is created at the step set by your account's dispatch workflow preset.
Service Organisation Context
Sales orders are most relevant to businesses that sell and fulfil goods, where the order, its dispatch and its stock movement all matter. A service organisation reselling equipment, licences or subscriptions alongside its own work may use orders for that part of the business. For delivered service work, most firms bill through estimates, contracts, completed milestones or billable time and expenses instead, so the project rather than the order is the record that carries the engagement.
Important Notes
- Menu names and their position can differ between product editions and can be customised for your account, so your sidebar may not match these paths exactly. Use Search or your Quick Access items if you cannot find a screen.
- The order in which invoice, payment and dispatch are required is set once for the whole account on Invoice Settings. If a step is blocked, check which preset is active.
- Stripe is the online gateway supported on the order payment page.
- With the Purchase module enabled, confirming or shipping the linked dispatch deducts warehouse stock and cancelling restores it. Confirm the module is in your plan.
Common Scenarios
Example: pay before ship. The account uses the invoice-and-payment-first preset. The order is created and invoiced, and only when the payment is recorded does a dispatch appear for the warehouse team to pick.
Troubleshooting
| Issue | Possible Cause | Resolution |
|---|---|---|
| No invoice can be generated from the order. | The active preset requires the dispatch to exist first. | Check the preset on Invoice Settings and complete the earlier step. |
| No dispatch record appears. | The preset creates the dispatch on payment or on invoice instead. | Complete the required step; the dispatch is created automatically. |
| The customer cannot pay online. | Stripe is not configured for the account. | Ask an Administrator to configure the gateway, or record the payment offline. |
| Order totals are wrong. | A line item has no tax rate, or the wrong currency was selected. | Correct the line tax rates and the currency, then save again. |
Frequently Asked Questions
Can one order produce more than one dispatch?
Yes. Dispatch numbers are sequenced per order as {order}-D{n}.
Does cancelling an order cancel the invoice?
No. They are separate records; cancel the invoice separately if it should not be collected.
Can I create an order without a cart?
The documented route is to build the cart from the catalogue and convert it into the order.
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