When a customer asks for an item you do not have in the shop, a special case, a spare part or a refurbished smartphone, customer orders in Fixh IT let you record the request, take the deposit and follow the order through to delivery. No notes on scraps of paper, no forgotten calls: every order has its status, expected arrival date and a running total of what is still to be collected.
Why it matters for a repair shop
Items on order are sure sales, but only if nothing gets lost along the way: the supplier order must be placed, the deposit recorded, the customer notified when the goods arrive. If you handle it verbally or in a notebook, sooner or later a customer is left without an answer or a deposit does not match the till. With a guided flow in the software you always know what is to order, what is on its way and what is ready to hand over.
In practice
Every order goes through the statuses To order, Ordered, Arrived and Delivered, or Cancelled. You choose the customer, add items by searching the warehouse or as free lines, with quantity, price including VAT, optional cost and supplier, and set the expected date and the required deposit. Deposit and balance are always collected at the POS, so they end up on the receipt and in the cash journal. At delivery the balance deducts the items from stock.
With Order from supplier you select several orders and add the warehouse-linked items to a draft purchase order; when the order is received in the warehouse, the customer orders automatically move to "Arrived". The customer can be notified by email or with a ready-made WhatsApp message and has a personal link to see the status of their order. You can print the PDF receipt, open an order straight from a repair with "Order part" and find them all in the customer profile.
Quick guide
- Open Documents > Customer orders and create a new order.
- Choose the customer and add the items, from the warehouse or as free lines.
- Enter expected arrival date and required deposit, then save.
- Collect the deposit at the POS with "Collect deposit".
- Order from the supplier or mark the order as ordered.
- When the goods arrive, mark it as arrived and notify the customer.
- At delivery use "Deliver and collect balance".
Real use cases
A customer wants a refurbished iPhone in a colour you do not have: you record the order with a €50 deposit, add it to the supplier order and on receipt the customer gets a WhatsApp message with the status link.
During a repair a rare part is needed: from the record you use "Order part" and the order stays linked to the repair.
On Monday you filter "Late" orders and call the suppliers who have not delivered yet.
Tips and best practices
Always link items to the warehouse when possible: they go into the supplier order and are deducted at delivery. Set a realistic expected date, so the late filter is reliable and smart alerts remind you of the day's arrivals. Ask for a deposit on special items: it reduces abandoned orders.
Common mistakes to avoid
Do not take deposits outside the POS: the order would not know how much has already been paid. Do not mark as delivered an order with a balance still to collect. If you cancel an order that has already been paid, remember that the refund is made at the POS by reversing the receipt.
Frequently asked questions
Can the customer check the status on their own? Yes, with the order's personal link they see items, total, amount paid, remaining balance and expected date.
Can I order items I do not have in stock? Yes, with free lines; to include them in a supplier order it is better to link them to a catalogue product.
How do I notify the customer? With an email or a pre-filled WhatsApp message, from the "Notify customer" button.
Can I print a receipt? Yes, every order has a PDF receipt to print or hand over.
