Sales Orders

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Manage Sales Orders From Quote to Fulfillment With Connected Workflows Purpose-Built for Aviation

Aviation sales orders carry more than a customer commitment. They connect quoted inventory, vendor pricing, exchange details, freight terms, tax handling, documents, files, approvals, fulfillment, invoicing, and audit history across the business.

Vista-Suite Enterprise gives sales teams a connected workflow for creating, cloning, editing, tracking, printing, emailing, and converting sales orders while keeping related inventory, purchasing, shipping, receiving, and invoice activity close at hand.

Sales order management in Vista-Suite Enterprise

Sales Order Workflow and System Navigation

Vista-Suite Enterprise transactions are designed with a variety of features to streamline processing. The clone feature is more than a simple copy. With Vista-Suite Enterprise, you can clone a sales order by selecting one or more customers to create new sales orders for, including multiple new sales orders at once when needed.

Quickly select from a list of predefined clauses on the sales order header and individual items without searching through documents or relying on manual entry. Vista-Suite Enterprise provides an organized selection of clauses to support the flexibility required for different business scenarios. Sales teams can apply the correct terms without rewriting text or risking inconsistencies. This helps keep sales orders accurate and customized for the situation. Additionally, you can assign more than one clause as your default, manually apply more than one clause at a time, and edit your clauses before use.

Activate editing for all line items' input fields at once, reducing the need to select and save each line individually. This approach allows for faster data entry across lines and item fields by reducing repetitive actions and providing a smoother experience.

Aviation parts trading, brokering, and repair activity often require teams to fulfill orders with the specific inventory items quoted. Sales orders can reflect the specific line item records selected throughout the transaction stages.

Vista-Suite Enterprise allows you to select vendor pricing records as if they were a stock line to fulfill the requirements of a sales order transaction. This gives sales teams another practical way to support brokered orders when owned inventory is not the source of fulfillment.

Vista-Suite Enterprise provides consolidated views of files attached to the inventory associated with your orders. This reduces the need to find, select, open, and view files for each inventory record one at a time. This view is also available when emailing transactions, so you can choose which files should be attached to outbound emails.

International businesses transact in multiple currencies, and Vista-Suite Enterprise can support that. But we give you more than just a currency code table. With our integration to online real-time currency tracking services, you can update your exchange rates any time you desire with just a few clicks of the mouse. Currency codes, exchange rates, and rate effective dates are all held against the transactions, so updating your exchange rates won't interfere with your historical data.

Vista-Suite Enterprise includes tax code features for sales orders, customer quotes, and invoices, allowing you to specify different tax rates by transaction type for both part sales and charge type line items. You can create tax codes with as many as 18 different tax rates to support complex tax situations.

Exchange core charges, repair charges, and over-and-above repair charges often need to stay connected to the related part. Vista-Suite Enterprise lets you create charges for part master records, helping preserve visibility into those charges in transaction history. Vista-Suite Enterprise combines the concepts of non-stock transactions and charge transactions into one workflow.

All transactions provide special charge fields in the header for Freight and Miscellaneous costs that will bypass the tax calculations and appear in the totals of the transactions. These are in addition to the traditional line item charge capabilities and are a convenient feature for passing costs onto your customer.

Most inventory lot systems restrict you to selling inventory on a single line item only from a single lot. With Vista-Suite Enterprise Inventory Pools, you can mix and match regular, consigned, and non-consigned pool inventory on a single line item. This gives salespeople more flexibility when dealing with consignments or pools.

Sometimes, you need to adjust the suggested cost calculation of pools up or down manually. You may manage your consignments differently or need to add or subtract costs to accommodate special circumstances. Manual adjustments to the suggested cost calculation can be made and recorded in adjustment logs for audit support.

Distinguishing between a sale and a repair on a sales order is crucial for internal tracking. While this designation does not appear on the customer-facing sales order, it ensures accurate inventory and procurement management, since part sales involve direct shipments. At the same time, repairs may require tracking inbound components and coordinating service work. This classification also helps ensure the correct fulfillment process is followed.

Shipping details, INCO terms, and ECCN characteristics can all be part of the negotiated contract a sales order represents. Vista-Suite Enterprise keeps these details available in the sales order workflow so teams can manage fulfillment and export-related information in context.

Vista-Suite Enterprise provides flexibility in specifying alternate parts. Users can select alternates from a predefined list of linked part numbers or choose from the master parts catalog to support more options when creating sales orders. Multiple alternate lines can be added, including linked and unlinked parts.

Include a mix of line items having different transaction types such as outright sale, cost-plus exchange, flat-rate exchange, rental, brokered repair, bench check, overhaul, modification, and inspections, all within a single sales order. This flexibility reduces the need for separate sales orders for different transaction types.

Exchange sales orders can include the core return by date, replacement charge, exchange note, and a list of different part numbers as acceptable core options. Exchange line items can be detailed as cost plus or flat rate and show applicable core costs.

Vista-Suite Enterprise supports brokered sales by allowing you to create purchase orders directly from the sales order. When you get the sales order back from the buyer, you can use that to create a purchase order for sourcing materials.

Supporting the business process is critical in aviation ERP and MRO software. With Vista-Suite Enterprise, you can transition orders from one workflow to another. The sales order is no exception. You can convert a sales order into an invoice with the sales order header and item details carried over. Inventory records can also be allocated if they are still available.

Vista-Suite Enterprise includes an audit log system that provides visibility into the date, time, and details of record changes for header and item activities. The audit log system also shows related activity, such as attaching files or creating a note, through secondary audit logs. Primary and secondary audit logs give you a clearer view of what is happening in your transactions.

Productivity and Automation

A row of signal icons accompanies each sales order line item, reducing the time needed to determine whether it is allocated, linked to a shipping or receiving record, or invoiced.

Tracking sales team transactions and sales agents can be tricky. With Vista-Suite Enterprise, the system can assign salespeople or agents to sales order transactions based on the user profile, customer account, part number, or inventory selected during sales order creation. Salesperson and agent tracking helps keep commission and ownership details connected to the transaction.

Each top-level transaction or record has its own unique URL. That means you can share the link directly to transactions with co-workers, and reports can include embedded hyperlinks so users can open transactions directly. The same hyperlink approach can also support email notifications.

Access related transactions directly from an order or individual line item to improve visibility across connected workflows. This feature allows users to navigate between linked orders, such as sales orders, purchase orders, quotes, invoices, repairs, work orders, shipping, and receiving, without searching manually. Users can track order progress, verify dependencies, and make informed decisions with a clearer view of associated transactions.

Vista-Suite Enterprise browse grids offer quick visibility to child records. For example, when searching sales orders, you do not have to open the sales order to view line items. Click the sub-browse to review the line items from the list view.

Many transactions inside Vista-Suite Enterprise have what we call the "Shazam" feature. This tool lets you select a part-type line item and copy it to a charge-type line item with one click. It references the original line item using the item numbers, so it is clear what the charge is related to. This feature is useful for users who need to create extra charges for exchanges, repairs, or price adjustments.

File attachments are critical, and with Vista-Suite Enterprise, you can attach files to many types of records, including sales orders. When emailing a sales order and attaching a file to an outbound email from your local computer, Vista-Suite Enterprise can save those attachments to the sales order header files area.

Aviation is a document-heavy industry, and transactions frequently require printing multiple types of documents. With Vista-Suite Enterprise, you can select the documents you wish to print and have them attached to your outgoing email. This can reduce the time required to produce documents for your transactions.

When choosing to print or generate a sales order from the available templates, there is an option to save the sales order PDF directly to the transaction's files. This supports a reliable record of what was sent to the customer at a specific time. While the system can regenerate sales orders on demand and provide an audit trail of actions, this feature adds flexibility to various sales workflows.

Vista-Suite Enterprise includes shortcuts to everyday tasks throughout the system. Printing is a good example. Look up the order from the main browse, and you can print default documents without opening the transaction. Action menus offer several features depending on where you are in the system.

Printing (generating) a sales order from the templates available provides access to email messaging capabilities, and the sales order PDF is automatically attached. Other files from the order, stock, company, and main library are also available as attachment sources.

With Vista-Suite Enterprise, you can upload and store files like technical manuals, documents, photos, and videos. Company media can be organized into a central file library for easier access. When attaching files to a sales order, choose files from the main file library, company files, linked order files, inventory files, and files from your computer.

Kanban boards provide a visual way to manage sales order stages and business process flows. Vista-Suite Enterprise applies this concept to transactions, giving you an interactive board for moving transactions through different statuses. The boards can auto-refresh, filter, and provide drag-and-drop capabilities.

A convenient core cost calculator within a sales order provides quick calculations of various costing methods for allocated exchange stock lines. Available calculation options: Apply the total stock cost to the sales order cost, forcing a zero-dollar core return value. Apply the original stock cost to the sales order, applying the repair value to the returning core value. Apply the repair cost to the sales order cost, applying the original cost of the inventory item before the last repair was done. Apply a fixed percentage of the price to the sales order, applying a fixed percentage of the sell price to the sales order cost.

With the proper user permissions, you can override cost calculations or consignment commission calculations for inventory pool transactions. This supports one-off situations that may require more or less cost to be removed from the pool.

User Experience and Customization

User-defined fields (UDFs) are available throughout Vista-Suite Enterprise. You can create UDFs to track data elements, from notes to selection lists, currency, numbers, or dates. UDFs are presented in a spreadsheet-like fashion to support data entry, and the fields can be pulled into reports for analysis. Colored tabs identify UDF values being filled in partially, entirely, or not at all.

The ability to rearrange and hide columns makes the line item grids fully customizable. Each user can adjust the visible information to their preferences for optimal productivity. This same feature is utilized across the system wherever data tables are present.

Transaction numbering is critical. Numbering can be used to separate transactions for different departments, products or services, and other valuable purposes. If you have a data migration, you may also want migrated data to show original transaction numbers. Vista-Suite Enterprise number logs let you define multiple number logs for transactions. With prefix and postfix options, numbering schemas can be simple or complex, depending on your needs.

User-defined line item category codes can help you segregate line items inside your reports and dashboards so you can quickly report on groups of transactions.

Pinned notes let you create system-wide pins or categories where notes can be created. Each pinned note is date and time stamped and shows the creator of the note. You can also attach files to a note, lock a note, search, filter on notes, and run reports on different pin categories. Some companies use Vista-Suite Enterprise pinned notes to support CRM-style account activity tracking.

Transactions in Vista-Suite Enterprise include an external notes feature that lets you input separate notes meant for the customer. This gives teams a dedicated area for external communication on transactions while keeping internal notes separate.

Document customization in Vista-Suite Enterprise offers the flexibility to design and edit your own materials. Although the data structure and design tools are made with both beginners and advanced users in mind, our team can design and build custom documents as an additional service.

Sales Order List View

Signals indicate if the sales order contains hazmat materials, allocated items, shipped items, invoiced items, or is linked to a receiving or shipping event. Among the customizable columns displayed is the overall sales order disposition, allowing for quick awareness of progress without the need to open the record.

Sales Order List View Expanded

The expanded portion reveals sales order line items and at-a-glance signals that indicate if an item is a hazardous material, allocated, shipped, invoiced, or linked to a receiving or shipping event. Among the customizable columns displayed is the item disposition, allowing for quick awareness of progress without the need to open the record.

Sales Order Kanban Layout

Kanban layouts provide a visual workflow for managing sales orders, making it easier to track each order's status and reduce the chance of work getting missed.

Sales Order Transaction Header

Structured header information and tabbed access to additional sales order details help keep the sales order workflow organized.

Standard Reports Include:

Open Sales Orders: A record of pending sales orders that have been placed but not yet fulfilled or shipped.
Sales Order Activity: A report tracking the status and progress of sales orders from initiation to fulfillment.
Sales Order In Stock: A report showing sales orders that can be fulfilled based on available inventory.
Open Core by Customer: A report listing unreturned or outstanding core components from customers under exchange or repair programs.
Pack Slip: A document included with shipments detailing the contents of the package for verification upon receipt.
Pick Ticket: An internal document instructing warehouse staff on which items to retrieve for order fulfillment.
Proforma Invoice: A preliminary invoice provided before shipment, outlining expected costs and terms for customs or pre-payment purposes.
Invoice Document: A formal billing statement detailing parts or services provided, including costs, payment terms, and transaction details.
ASA Form 2020 (Landscape and Portrait Orientation): Standardized forms issued by the Aviation Suppliers Association (ASA) to document parts transactions and support traceability and quality assurance practices.
C of C Form (Certificate of Conformance): A document certifying that a part meets specified requirements and was manufactured in accordance with industry standards.
Estimate of Cost: A preliminary pricing breakdown for maintenance, repairs, or part replacements, often used for customer approval before proceeding.
Order Acknowledgement: A confirmation document sent to the buyer verifying receipt and acceptance of their order.
Sales Order Receiving Log: A log tracking received sales orders, often used for reconciliation and inventory updates.
Sales by Consignment Code: A report summarizing sales of consigned inventory, where ownership remains with the supplier until sold.
Sales Order Delivery Date: A report or field indicating the scheduled or actual delivery date of sales orders.
Sales Order Detail: A detailed breakdown of sales orders, including item descriptions, quantities, prices, and fulfillment status.
Sales Order Items List Exportable: A sales order report formatted for export, typically for data analysis or integration with other systems.
Sales Order Status: A sales order report formatted for export, typically for data analysis or integration with other systems.

Samples:

Open Sales Orders

A record of all pending sales orders that have been placed but not yet fulfilled or shipped.

Sales Order Activity

A report tracking the status and progress of sales orders from initiation to fulfillment.

Sales Order In Stock

A report showing sales orders that can be fulfilled based on available inventory.

Open Core by Customer

A report listing unreturned or outstanding core components from customers under exchange or repair programs.

Pack Slip

A document included with shipments detailing the contents of the package for verification upon receipt.

Pick Ticket

An internal document instructing warehouse staff on which items to retrieve for order fulfillment.

Proforma Invoice

A preliminary invoice provided before shipment, outlining expected costs and terms for customs or pre-payment purposes.

Invoice Document

A formal billing statement detailing parts or services provided, including costs, payment terms, and transaction details.

Software development moves fast, and features evolve over time. While we strive to keep this and other pages accurate, some information may not reflect the most recent changes. For the most current details, we recommend scheduling a live demo at ambryhill.com/demo.

Back to Core Features List

Sales Orders

Manage Sales Orders From Quote to Fulfillment With Connected Workflows Purpose-Built for Aviation

Sales Order Workflow and System Navigation

Clone Entire Sales Orders Or Line Items

Header And Item Clauses

Edit Several Items At Once

Sell Specific Inventory Records Quoted

Treat Vendor Pricing Just Like Inventory

Consolidated View Of Inventory Files

Supports Multi-Currency

Support For Tax Codes

Supports Charges For Part Numbers, And Not Just Charge Codes

Separate Charge Fields For Cost Passthrough

Mix and Match Regular Stock, Consigned Stock, and Pool Stock On The Line Items

Support Manual Cost Adjustments

Identify Sales Orders As Repair Or Sales Type Sales Orders

Include Freight Information, INCO Terms, And ECN Details

Specify Alternate Parts For Line Items

Supports Multiple Transaction Types

Include Important Exchange Transaction Details

Create A Purchase Order From A Sales Order

Create An Invoice Directly From The Sales Order

Header And Detail Audit Logs

Productivity and Automation

Signals Indicate The State Of Each Line Item

Automatically Assign Salespeople Or Agents

Transactions Have Unique URLs For Easy Sharing With Co-Workers

View Linked Orders At The Item And Order Level

Embedded Sub-Browses For Easy Visibility Of Items

Shazam A Line Item

Attach Files

Print Multiple Documents With A Single Click

Save Printed Sales Orders To Sales Order Files Automatically

Print And Email Right From The Main Browse

Integrated Emailing Capabilities

Attach Files To Outgoing Emails From Multiple Sources

Kanban Boards To Manage Sales Order Stages And Business Process Flows

Sales Order Core Cost Calculator

On Demand Cost & Commission Calculation Overrides On Transactions

User Experience and Customization

User-Defined Fields For Headers And Items

Customizable Browse Grids For Line Items

Customizable Numbering System With Unlimited Number Logs

Categorize Line Items With Category Codes

Internal Pinned Notes

External Notes

Customize Sales Order Documents To Fit Your Needs