With the need for businesses all over the world to now have to work remotely due to COVID-19, can Intuit PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE come up with a valid sales order processing?????  Setting up secure VPN connections / Remote Desktop solutions for all of our employees to be able to simply view out quickbooks desktop DB is kind of ridiculous this day in age. No, creating estimates is not a valid work around in the place of a sales order processing function. My accounting department refuses to go that route.  There are also other basic functions that QBO is lacking that they are willing to deal with, but not the lack of SOP.

Basic business function: Estimate  -> Sales Order -> Inventory allocation -> Purchase order -> Invoice or some for of that. Sales orders is required by so many companies it is not funny. MAKE IT A PRIORITY or loose business from companies that need this basic accounting function.

I am so happy to see so many folks want this as much as I do.  I can't believe QB even offers the advice to use an estimate for a sales order.....

T

Hello there, @condron.

To add the sales order is beneficial to you and your business. Features like this can also help other customers who have the same need as yours.

We’re continuously working to improve the product’s features to enhance the QBO experience. I’m sending the sales order functionality on your behalf for consideration in future updates.

You can consider using a third-party application to help create a sales order. The Apps Center is a portal where you’ll find apps that are compatible with QBO. To easily find one, simply visit this link and then enter a keyword in the search field: https://apps.intuit.com/app/apps/home.

To stay up to date with the most recent features about the product, you can check out the QuickBooks Blog.

Reach out to me if you have any other concerns. I’m always ready to assist further. Have a good one.

The Sales Order saga with QBO has been going on for 2+ years. Suggesting using Estimates may work for a very limited set of cases but doesn't for most of us. Few reasons why:

- how do you distinguish Sales orders from Estimates now?

- Estimates don't affect your inventory while Sales orders should

It's quite ironic that we, the users, need to convince the development team to introduce a feature that exists in the desktop version.  All we're asking is "do the same in QBO".

Hi there, @romanr.

I agree that it’s very helpful to have this feature available in QuickBooks Online as well. At this time, there isn’t a specific time frame as to when this feature is available.

But let me share this information on how estimates work in QBO. 

An estimate is a quote you provide a customer for products and services. Once an estimate is saved in QuickBooks, that estimate can be turned into an invoice if the customer decides to accept your quote. 

Using an inventory item on an Estimate doesn't affect your inventory count since these are non-posting transactions. Your inventory count is affected once the Estimate is converted into an Invoice or Sales Receipt.

Please know that your voice is more important to us. We take our customer's feedback as an opportunity so we could know about which area of the product we need to improve. Rest assured, our Product Developers are working for this feature to be included in the future.

You can visit our blog site, as mentioned by my colleague @Rasa-LilaM to stay updated.

Also, in case you need more information about managing your QuickBooks account, you can check this link: Help articles.

I’m always around if you have any other concerns.

Use estimates. Check this https://quickbooks.intuit.com/learn-support/en-us/estimate-costs/set-up-and-use-estimates/00/186122

I am getting tired of QB suggesting Estimates to trick quickbooks into behaving like a sales order due to their lack of foresight.   That was a very important part  of my process previously.  They easily transformed for PO's etc.

I will wait until you Add it back in, or an alternative company can provide what is needed with an easy data swap over.

Tony

@Rasa-LilaM 

It seems QB team doesn't want to have the sales order function any time soon judging from your response

Your logic/ team's logic is this. You can use estimates! You convert estimates to invoice. Let me explain why this logic is flawed.

First, let's walk through how production type business use Quick Books Desktop Premier.

1. Customer request for quote on producing a product via email.

2. The business enters quote into QB and send the quote to customer.

3. Customer sends Purchase Order via email.

4. The business enters sales order with PO number, delivery date, and attached Purchase Order.

5. Production checks its backlog through Open Sales Order report. Production can prioritize which one to work on first based on delivery date on the report

6. Customer requests status update on the specific PO among many other ongoing purchase orders from different customers.

7.business easily tracks the order by entering PO number from Sales Order entry and give update to the customer

8.Part is delivered. Create an invoice from sales order and attach proof of delivery.

9. business runs booked sales order report by dollar amount and distinguishes it from delivered sales report by dollar amount to understand its operation better.

Please advise me how you deal with processes 4,5,6,7 and 9 effectively with current QBO without introducing Sales Order function.

Good luck

The main reason user demands Sales Order is to have the ability to visualize open sales order easily. The key is having delivery dates and customer PO number as a traceability.

Other benefits are: 

1. you can run booked sales by dollar amount and can distinguish it from delivered sales by Dollar amount to better understand the operation of your business

2. You can do partial delivery without losing the track of the order.

Hello there, eric34,

We appreciate your insight on this matter. I'll surely send all of this to our product developers.

If ever you have other feedback, don't hesitate to post here in the Community.

To know the most recent features in QuickBooks, you can check out the QuickBooks Blog.

I'll be around if you have other concerns.

Thanks!

We need the ability to visualize open order through Sales Order. This would help managing production schedule, making better financial decisions by foreseeing cashflaw issues and responding to order status updates to customer.

Many small manufacturers rely on QB software and they need this functionality. If you add this functionality, I am sure QBO will be loved by majority of your targeted customers (small businesses) and thus will  win more business.

I absolutely affirm the need for even a basic Sales Order system. We have a client that uses Sales Orders to track production in their small factory. We're trying to limp along with Estimates, but these lack key features like reports showing all open Line Items on the estimates. (Yes, I know there is a workaround to view line items by looking at a Sales By Product/Service Detail report and filtering for non-posting. But that brings up every line item they've ever had, whether the estimate is closed or not).

Please fast-track Sales Orders as well as basic reports like Open Sales Orders and Open Sales Order Line Items!

Hello, @William Hoover.

I can definitely understand why this would be handy, though. Having the built-in functionality to create sales orders would make your accounting process seamless. In the meantime, you can visit the Quickbooks Online App center. You can check for a supported third-party application that offers sales order management and integrate it with QuickBooks. 

Also, I'll make sure to pass along your request to the Product Development Team for consideration in future updates. QuickBooks Online is constantly changing and evolving based largely on the suggestions and requests of users, like yourself.

Swing by here if you have other questions.

Hi there.  I also need to use the Sales Order option, which is not available, to track incoming orders and backorders.  I have just tried using the Estimate option (Changed the name to Estimate / Sales Order) and then invoicing from there. I now need to be able to print a report on these open quotes showing the backorders / items not yet invoiced and outstanding.  I cannot find / customise a report for this - perhaps you can assist?

Hi there, Ilana.

I can assist you on how to run a report that shows what you need.

I suggest running the Estimates by Customer report. And, customize it from there to show what is the estimate that you've already linked or added to an invoice. Please note, you're able to see this under the Estimate Status.

Here's how: 

1. Click the Reports at the left panel.
2. Go to the search icon and type the report mentioned above.
3. Select the Report period drop-down arrow and choose specific dates.
4. Click the Customize button.
5. From Rows/Columns, you can choose customer to show in the report.
6. In the Filter drop-down list, put a checkmark in the Transaction Type and Estimate Status boxes.
7. Choose Non-posting under Transaction Type to show all the data about an estimate. Select the specific estimate status that you want to show on the report.
8. Customize the other option that you wish to see in the report.
9. Hit the Run report button.

Currently, the option to show backorders will not show on the report mentioned above. However, I suggest exporting the report to an excel and customize it from there. This way, you're able to add a column for backorders.

For items that not yet invoiced and show outstanding, you can pull up Inventory Valuation Detail and customize this report. From there, you're able to see Qty on hand, asset value and, the Fifo cost. You can refer to this article to see more information on how to customize your report to show the specific data: Customize reports in QuickBooks Online.

Please check this article to see a table that contains different available reports in QuickBooks Online: Reports included in your QuickBooks Online subscription.

Don't hesitate to ask if you have other questions related to QuickBooks. I'm always here to help.

Hi Christie Ann, I have tried this but no job.  I need to print a list of the items outstanding / backorder by product or customer, both these option do not get this for me.

Thanks for getting back to us, Ilana.

While the backorder option isn't available in QBO, you'll want to pull up the Estimate & Progress Invoicing Summary by Customer report. It includes estimates by customer, invoiced amounts, and remaining amounts to the invoice.

To pull up the report:

1. Select Reports from the left navigation bar.
2. Go to the Standard tab, then location Sales and customers.
3. Click Estimate & Progress Invoicing Summary by Customer to open it.
4. Filter the Report period to see the exact transaction.
   
5. You'll then see the progress of the estimate.

After that, you have the option to click the Save customization button to memorize the customized settings. This way,  you do not have to go through the customization process again.

Check out the Customize reports in QuickBooks Online page to learn more on how to get the data you need.

Let me know if there's anything else you need. Just tag my name and I'll get back to you.

Hi there

I do not have this option on my list.

HI there

I tried the create and estimate option and invoice as stock is available - but you cannot track back orders like this. I have found SOS Inventory which integrates well with QBO - what do you think.  You have to turn off tracking on QBO - is this ok and will you be able to track on both platforms then?

Hello there, Ilana.

Thanks for keeping an eye on this thread. I'm glad that you've found the SOS inventory in QuickBooks Online.

When using a third-party app to track inventory in QBO, we still need to turn on the inventory feature so we can accurately map them in your book. Some features may be turned like enabling the shipping, entering discount, and sales in the time of using the SOS inventory.

To turn them on, we can go to the settings. Let me show you where to do it:

1. Log in to your QBO account.
2. Go to the Gear icon.
3. Select Accounting and Settings under Your Customer.
4. Click Sales on the left side. In the Sales Form Content, check the box next to Discounts.
5. Click Save. Then, sync SOS inventory to QBO. You can then use the discounts in all sales forms.
6. Still, within the Sales Form Content, check the box next to Shipping.
7. Hit Save. Then, sync SOS inventory to QBO. Afterward, we will have a shipping field in all sales forms.

For more information and instruction, you can reach out to SOS inventory support from time to time. It's our separate online forum where someone will take charge of providing you a thorough explanation and insights about mapping concerns as well as how it works in QBO.

In the other scenario, if the inventory tracking in QuickBooks Online is sufficient for our needs.  It's okay not to use the SOS Inventory.

If you have other questions in your mind, please get back to me as soon as possible. We are all right here to help you figure them out. Keep safe, and be well!

Hi there.

Instead of incorporating another add on package like sos, is there not an option of another Quick Books Package we can convert to to enable sales orders, back order tracking etc?

Thank you for joining this thread, Ilana.

Allow me to provide some information regarding enabling sales orders in QuickBooks Online. You might want to look for a third-party application that allows you to create sales orders since there isn't a package or option to enable this feature in QuickBooks Online.

Please visit our Apps page through your QuickBooks Online account. Here's how:

1. Log in to your QuickBooks Online account.
2. From the left pane, click on Apps.
3. Search for apps in the search box.

QuickBooks displays the list of applications available that matches the description you entered. Once you find the right app, click on it to open.

You can also visit this link for a better view: https://apps.intuit.com/. From there, you can find different apps that are compatible and designed to work with QuickBooks Online.

As a workaround, you can create estimates. This will be a non-posting transaction that can be turned into an invoice at a later time. When the customer gets the invoice, this can act as the sales order.

I'm only a post away if I can be of additional assistance. Wishing you a wonderful rest of the week.

So you are expecting my company to pay an additional fee to a third party for an important feature that QB online negligently omitted?

I have been searching on a fairly regular basis to find a 3rd party app that even comes close to providing a work around for a standard Sales Order Processing module. Can you advise a list that you feel work????  I don't see one.  Come on Intuit. SALES ORDER PROCESSING is a MUST!