TLDR: I need a sales order intake system that integrates with QuickBooks and supports the workflow of a custom, handmade product.
My business produces engraved masonry products like limestone signage / address markers, granite memorials, and fundraising brick.
Sales Order systems with QuickBooks integrations all seem to be warehouse oriented. A sales order is created, a warehouse worker is notified to pick “widget A” from “bin 2”, and prep for shipping. This does not work for me because all of my products require custom design, sizing, and shipping across a rotating cast of 10 employees.
My ideal sales order system would be more like a Trello Board.
- Customer emails me an order
- I write up a sales order in the Sales Order program and it is copied to QuickBooks
- The sales order becomes a “card” that can advance to stages 1) design 2) proofreading 3) production) 4) shipping 5) invoicing
- There would be an app that makes the card and stages accessible to those across my production workflow
- At each stage the card is assigned to the appropriate resource. The card can accept comments, attachments, assignments, etc.
- After the final invoicing stage, the card is archived
We ship via FedEx. Some kind of shipping label printing integration would be great too.
Right now the plan is to connect QuickBooks Online to Trello using Zapier so that a card is created every time an estimate is generated. This is OK but it still leaves manual work and room for human error. I also really don’t want QuickBooks Online to be my order intake system.
Any suggestions?
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Odoo might be the solution you’re looking for.
Sounds like you want something fairly custom for your workflow. We often do these types of assessments, comparing what’s on the market to what a custom build from open source components might look like. In your case, we’d likely look at an ERP like Odoo. The analysis would include subscription costs against any development estimates to help you make an informed decision. If this sounds interesting or would just like to discuss, feel free to DM.