005 — Customer Portal: Sales Orders¶

All four order sections share the same screen design, so learning one teaches you all four. They differ only in which orders they show.

The Four Sections¶

Section	Shows	You are waiting on
Draft Requests	Baskets you are still building	Yourself
RFQs	Requests sent to SAMTIA, and quotations received back	SAMTIA, then yourself
Orders	Confirmed business being fulfilled	SAMTIA
Archived	Cancelled requests, kept for reference	Nobody

flowchart LR
    W["Draft Requests"] -->|"Submit RFQ"| R["RFQs"]
    R -->|"Quotation accepted<br/>and PO uploaded"| O["Orders"]
    R -->|"Cancelled"| A["Archived"]
    O -->|"Cancelled"| A

The Sales Orders List Screen¶

Screen name: Draft Requests / RFQs / Orders / Archived Business purpose: Find and act on a piece of business. Who uses it: All Customer Portal users. Navigation path: Company Profile → choose the section on the left.

Orders List screen

Main information displayed¶

Column	What it tells you
Label	The name given to the draft request or order
Created By	Which colleague started it
Create Date	When it was started
Requested Delivery Date	When the goods are needed
State	Where it has reached — see 014
Schedule Status	Late, On Time or Upcoming, based on the requested delivery date
Items	How many product lines it contains

Search and filters¶

Tool	What it does
Search orders	Finds by name or label
Filters	Narrows by Created Date range and Requested Delivery Date range (From / To)
Column sorting	Click a column heading to sort
Paging	Move through long lists

Schedule Status is the fastest way to spot trouble: filter or sort on it to find everything running late.

Available actions per row¶

Button	When it appears	What it does
👁 View Details	Always	Opens the full order
📋 Copy	Always	Creates a new draft request containing the same products
🗑 Delete	Only while the record is still a Draft Request	Removes it permanently
📥 Archive	Only on RFQs and quotations in progress	Moves it out of the active list

Business rules¶

Delete only works on draft requests. Once submitted, business records are archived rather than deleted, so the history is preserved.
Only the creator can delete a draft request.
Copy is available on any record, at any stage — including completed orders.

The Sales Order Detail Screen¶

This is where the real work happens. It is the same screen for a draft request, an RFQ and a confirmed order — the available buttons change with the stage.

Screen name: Order Details Business purpose: Review and edit the contents, talk to your Account Manager, and move the order to its next stage. Who uses it: All Customer Portal users. Navigation path: Any orders list → 👁 View Details.

Order Details screen

Screen layout¶

flowchart TB
    H["Header — order label, state badge, action buttons"] --> S["Summary — dates, notes, Account Manager Note"]
    S --> L["Product lines table"]
    L --> P["Panels — Add Products · New Product Requests · Comments & Attachments"]

Summary information¶

Field	Meaning
Create Date	When it was started
Created By	Which colleague started it
Requested Delivery Date	When you need the goods — you can edit this
Order Schedule Status	Late / On Time / Upcoming
Notes	Your own note about the purpose of this order
Account Manager Note	A message from SAMTIA about this specific order
Return Reason	Shown when SAMTIA has returned the order to you, explaining why

The product lines table¶

Column	Meaning	Can you edit it?
Product	What is being bought	Remove the line only
Qty	How many	Yes, while the order is editable
Target Price	The price you are hoping for	Yes, while the order is editable
Original Price	List price before discount	No
Discount %	Discount applied by SAMTIA	No
Price After Discount	Your unit price	No
Untaxed Total	Line total before tax	No
Total	Line total including tax	No

The order total is shown beneath the table.

Editing is allowed while the order is a Draft Request, or after a quotation has been received. At other stages the order is with SAMTIA and the lines are locked.

Action buttons and when they appear¶

Button	Appears when	What it does
Edit	The order can be changed	Unlocks the label, dates and lines
Save	You are editing	Saves your changes
Reset	You are editing	Discards your changes
Copy	Always	Creates a new draft request from these products
Open Chat	Always	Starts or opens a conversation with your Account Manager
Share draft request / Hide draft request	On a draft request	Flags it for your Account Manager's attention, or removes the flag
Submit RFQ	On a draft request with at least one product	Sends it to SAMTIA for pricing
Update RFQ	On a submitted request	Reopens it so you can change it
Submit Updated RFQ	After changing a submitted request	Sends the revision to SAMTIA
Submit PO	On a received quotation	Opens the Purchase Order upload

Uploading your Purchase Order¶

When you accept a quotation, use Submit PO.

Step	What happens
1	The upload window opens — Click to upload
2	Choose your Purchase Order file. It must be a PDF — other file types are refused
3	Confirm. The order moves to PO Submitted and your Account Manager is notified

Comments and attachments¶

Each order carries its own discussion thread, separate from live chat.

Action	Notes
Post a comment	Visible to your colleagues and to your Account Manager
Edit your comment	You can revise what you wrote
Upload a file	Specifications, drawings, approvals — anything relevant
Delete a file	Only files you uploaded yourself

Use comments for anything that should stay attached to the record permanently. Use chat for quick back-and-forth.

Requesting a Product We Do Not Stock¶

If you cannot find something in the catalogue, ask for it directly on the order.

Where: Order Details → New Product Requests panel.

Field	What to enter
Product name	What you are looking for
Description	Specification, part number, anything that helps identify it
Quantity	How many you need
Reference URL	A link to the product elsewhere, if you have one

New Product Requests screen

What happens next¶

flowchart LR
    A["You submit<br/>the request"] --> B["Account Manager<br/>picks it up"]
    B --> C{"Can SAMTIA<br/>source it?"}
    C -->|Yes| D["Product added to<br/>your order automatically"]
    C -->|No| E["Marked as<br/>Not Found"]

You can edit or delete your own requests while they are still open. When a request is fulfilled, the product appears as a normal line on your order — you do not need to add it yourself.

Business rules¶

Requests belong to a specific order, so raise them on the draft request or RFQ they relate to.
A request cannot be changed once the order is finalised.
The reference URL is optional but genuinely speeds up sourcing — include it when you have one.

Tips¶

Watch for the Account Manager Note. It is the most common place a question or condition is recorded, and it is easy to scroll past.
A returned order is not a rejection. Check the Return Reason, make the change, and submit again.
Set the Requested Delivery Date honestly. It drives the Late / On Time / Upcoming flag your Account Manager uses to prioritise work.
Editing a received quotation marks it as changed but not resubmitted. Remember to submit it again, or your Account Manager will not know to look.