One of the features that our customers love about SalesPad for Dynamics GP is the workflow. This video does a great job of giving an overview of SalesPad Workflow, Sales Monitor and Document Splitting functionality.
Video Transcription:
“In this short video, I’ll show how SalesPad Workflow allows users to set up a process flow for each of the document types that they’re using in their business. This process flow is defined by the user, by document type, where they lay out the steps that each document type moves through in their business. In addition to being able to lay out the process steps that each document moves through, users can layer on Workflow rules that evaluate various rules conditions, as the document moves. For example, they can evaluate the customer’s credit, the customer’s aging, the total margin on the sales document. SalesPad has about 35 different rule conditions that can be applied at each step in the business process.
The first thing we do to setup Workflow in SalesPad is to go to the Workflow setup window. For purposes of this demo, I’m actually going to work with the distribution order and you can see for this document type, which is configured in Dynamic GP, I’ve setup some simple process steps. It’ll start as a pending order, I’ll hit the release button and if everything is good with the order, everything is in stock, there are no backorders, the customer’s credit is good, it will move into a ready to pick queue. If, for example, the order has poor credit or there is something wrong with the customer’s aging, it will move into an AR review queue. So in the upper part of this window, we’re configuring the process steps for the document and whether we want to evaluate rules at each step in the process, so where it starts, what the button is that moves it, and where it moves to next.
In the lower part of this window, we’re actually setting up the Workflow rules to get evaluated. So in this case, I’m evaluating whether the customer is a new customer, whether their customer class is set to new, or whether they’re over their credit limit or whether they’re on hold. And you can see, you can have different rules apply and they all have different priority orders. When you actually create a document in SalesPad and release it, if it’s set to evaluate the rules, it’ll evaluate these rules and it can move the document to a different Workflow queue or batch, other than the one it’s intended to go to. And it can actually apply a process hold. These process holds are configured in Dynamics GP and then can be used as part of the Workflow process in SalesPad.
Another element of our Workflow is the sales monitor. So in a minute, I’ll actually create a sales document and we’ll watch it move through the process, but for now, the sales monitor allows us, again focusing on the distribution order, it allows us to see each of the Workflow queues configured for this document type. It shows me a count of the total number of documents sitting in each queue or each batch in the process, and if I want, if I have proper security, it will show me the total dollars represented at each step along the way. If I want to see detail, for example, if I click margin review, these would be documents that have a margin hold. And you can see on the far right hand side of the screen on the hold column, some of these documents simply have a margin hold, some have a backorder hold and a margin hold, um, and, so, I’ve placed an order, I’ve released the order, the rule has determined that the margin for the order is below, whatever, threshold I’ve specified and it’s moved into this queue.
The sales monitor is a very handy place for users to see what’s happening across their whole business, broken down by document type. So for example, if I want to see what returns are in process, I click the return tab, I can see the three or four stages in my return process, pending return, waiting receipt, I can see documents, at a summary level and I can see the detail and actually open up these documents and take the appropriate action.
So based on this, distribution order type and this Workflow, I’d like to create an order and we’ll watch it move through the process. So we’ll start with a very simple order for Aaron Fitz Electrical. In SalesPad, you actually originate the order from the customer card, and so I’ll go pick the distribution order type. I’ll simply put a couple of line items on this, so we’ll say HD40, I need 12 of those, HD50, I’ll use a dozen of those and you’ll notice the button shows in the upper right. I’ll release this order. When I save it, it evaluates the Workflow rules and there were no margin issues, no credit issues, no backorders and so you can see this document is now moved to the ready to pick queue. If we go into sales monitor, we’ll find it in that Workflow queue.
Let me use another example now where I put an order in for Holstein Enterprises and we’ll open up this customer card and we’ll place a distribution order again. And in this case, we’ll see some rules come into play as we create and release this order. We’ll also see a function of SalesPad called order splitting, which allows the user to break an order into different orders, depending upon certain conditions. So I’m going to add a new line item to this order and we’ll add an item that we know is in stock, so 12 of the HD40 and we can see that we have 11,039 of those available. And we’ll add an item that I know is not in stock. And so in this case, the A100, immediately I see the exclamation point. I can see that I have zero of these available. And when I release this order, I have a function turned on called order splitting, so I hit release and when I save it, it actually offers to split this order into two separate orders. So our Workflow allows splits based on backorders, based on shipping, from different warehouse locations, using different shipping methods on different, line items, if I’m drop shipping items or if I’m using a different shipping address on various line items. So I have the choice as the user to choose not to split this order; maybe the customer wants their order shipped complete. Or I can choose to go ahead and split it and in which case it becomes two distinct documents. Workflow is evaluated independently and you can see the first document, 6225.1, is over the credit limit, so a credit hold has been applied and it’s moved into the AR review queue and the second document that contains the backordered item gets both a backorder hold and a credit hold. Both documents are moving into the AR review queue because that rule supersedes the backorder rule, but they’ll travel independently through the business system.”
If you would like to use SalesPad Workflow, Sales Monitor and Document Splitting functionality contact CAL Business Solutions, a top SalesPad partner for Dynamics GP sales@calszone.com or 860-485-0910 x4.
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By CAL Business Solutions, Connecticut Microsoft Dynamics GP with SalesPad Partner
