Using SmartPO for Purchase Order Management

Managing inventory and purchase orders is vital for any business, and DecoNetwork’s SmartPO Integration feature in Business Hub makes it easier than ever. SmartPO integrates with a number of supported suppliers in DecoNetwork, automating key tasks like stock checks, supplier communication, and order tracking. This feature offers real-time inventory and pricing updates, and automatic order placement. In this guide, we'll explore how to use SmartPO Integration for creating and updating purchase orders, and improving order management in your DecoNetwork system.

Prerequisites

• You must have administrator access to use this feature

To use SmartPO integration in purchase orders:

1. Log into your DecoNetwork Website.
2. Enable SmartPO Integration for the suppliers you work with.
   1. Browse to Admin > Products > Supplier Account Details.

      The list of available suppliers is displayed.

      

      In the “SmartPO Integration” column, “Not Setup” indicates that the supplier supports SmartPO integration, but it is not set up.

      The “Supplier Inventory Levels” column indicates whether the supplier supports inventory level checks.

      • "Not Available" means that inventory level checking is not supported.
      • "Not Setup" means that inventory level checking is supported, but is not set up.
      • "In Use" means that inventory level checking is supported and is in use.
3. Follow the steps in the article, Enable SmartPO Integration for Purchase Orders, to activate the SmartPO Integration feature for your preferred suppliers.
4. Create or open an existing purchase order.
   1. Browse to Business Hub > Purchase Orders.
      
   2. Open an existing purchase order or create a new one.

      You can create an automatic consolidated purchase order or a manual purchase order.

      A consolidated purchase order is a purchase order that is automatically generated to procure the stock needed to fulfill sales orders placed by your customers. For instructions refer to the article, Create automatically consolidated purchase order by supplier.

      A manual purchase order is a purchase order that is manually created to replenish stock without being tied to specific sales orders. For instructions, refer to the article, Manually create purchase order.

5. If you are creating a manual PO order, select a supplier from the Supplier dropdown list.
   

   If the supplier supports SmartPO Integration and it is enabled and correctly set up, a "Use SmartPO Integration" checkbox will appear in the purchase order form. It will be ticked by default.

   
6. Update the QTY to Order for an existing line item or add a new product and specify the Qty to Order.
   

   The system automatically performs a stock check each time line new line item quantities are specified. If the stock levels for any item are insufficient, several actions will occur:

   1. SmartPO Integration Option: The "Use SmartPO Integration" checkbox will be automatically deselected.
   2. Prompt Notification: A prompt will be displayed at the top of the page, advising you to either deselect out-of-stock items or adjust the SmartPO options to enable SmartPO Integration.
      
   3. Warning Indicators: A warning label will appear beside any line items that are out of stock.
      

   Please note that if you change the selected warehouse, the system will perform another stock check to ensure accuracy based on the new warehouse inventory.

7. Adjust quantities, add or remove products, or change suppliers if needed. Tick the Use SmartPO Integration again to reactivate SmartPO Integration and specify a quantity that can be fulfilled.
8. Click on Save Purchase Order.
   
9. Click Send Purchase Order to send the purchase order to the supplier.
   

   The Send Purchase Order action will not be available if the supplier account details have not been set up and there is no email address associated with the supplier.

   Go to Products > Supplier Account Details > Edit Supplier to set up the supplier account details.

10. Select SmartPO Direct Send to send purchase order directly to the supplier's ordering system.
    

    The SmartPO Direct Send option will not be available if SmartPO Integration is not supported or if it is not enabled.

11. Click send.

    With SmartPO Integration set up, a Supplier Tracking number is returned from the SmartPO system after the purchase order has been successfully sent. To view the Supplier Tracking number, open the purchase order and download the Purchase Order PDF.