From quote to invoice: the document flow
How quotes, sales orders, jobs, invoices and dispatch connect — and which step actually moves stock.
Where it is
- Sales → Quotes
- Sales → Orders — The Orders desk
- Sales → Invoices
- Inventory → Dispatch — Where goods are picked and sent
Settings for this
- Settings → Modules & flow — What an accepted quote turns into
- Settings → Orders — Whether accepted quotes turn into orders by themselves
The usual flow is Quote → Sales order (and/or workshop job) → Invoice → Dispatch → Payment.
| Step | What it is | Stock |
|---|---|---|
| Quote | The priced offer. | Nothing happens |
| Sales order | The confirmed order. Holds the deposit, backorders and the link to any job. | Held (allocated) for the customer, still on the shelf |
| Workshop job | The fitting or repair. A Service & Repair quote's job has a sales order behind it. | Parts held on the order |
| Invoice | The bill. Approving it issues it (and sends it to Xero if connected). | Still nothing moves |
| Dispatch | Goods picked and sent from the Dispatch board, collected at the counter, or a job handed over. | Stock leaves now |
| Payment | Recorded on the invoice, or paid online from a pay link. | — |
Which way an accepted quote goes is set in Settings → Modules & flow; see Which way a sale goes.
Shortcuts
- Quote → invoice directly, for simple sales (the Invoice flow, or Create Invoice on the quote).
- Start at the invoice for a phone sale.
- Counter sales on the Showroom POS: invoice, payment and stock in one step.
Every document links back to where it came from, so you can trace an invoice line to the quote and order behind it. Every open order, wherever it came from, is on the Orders desk.