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Managing Sales Orders

This article will help you understand the working of Sales Orders and its dependency on Invoices and Delivery Notes.

Rashmi Kashyap

7 Jul, 2025 - Updated 5 days ago

Feature Availability

Vtiger Editions: One Growth | One Professional |One Enterprise

Introduction to Sales Orders

The Sales Order is a document sent to the customers that confirms the sale of products or services. When the customer accepts the document, the seller is obligated to deliver the specified goods on the stipulated date and at the agreed-upon price.
A Sales Order comprises the following elements: Sales Order number, Purchase Order, Recurring Invoice, Billing and Shipping Addresses, Products or Services, Prices, taxes, and other relevant details.

When the customer agrees to the quote, they will send a Purchase Order (PO) that contains all the details related to the deal. The seller generates the Sales Order (SO) and sends it to the customer for further processing.

Key Features:

Quote to Sales Order Conversion: Seamlessly convert an approved Quote into a Sales Order with a single click, carrying over all relevant details.
Line Item Management: Add products, services, quantities, prices, discounts, and taxes to each order using the intuitive line item editor.
Module Integration: Linked with Quotes, Invoices, Products, Contacts, Organizations, and Purchase Orders for end-to-end visibility.
Tax and Discount Configurations: Select between group-level and item-level taxes or discounts to align with local and international pricing regulations.
Delivery and Payment Terms: Specify shipping methods, due dates, payment terms, and carrier information.
Send Orders via Email or PDF: Share Sales Orders directly with customers via email or download them as PDFs using templates.
Workflow Automation: Automate order creation, approvals, and status updates using workflows or blueprints.

List View in Sales Orders

List View sorts and lists all SOs based on the last modified SO.

Columns in List View

The columns that are visible by default in the List View are :

Subject- Displays the name of the SO.
Organization Name- Displays the name of the organization to which the SO is created.
Quote Name-Displays the name of the quote to which the SO is related.
Total-Displays the amount mentioned in the quote.
Assigned To- Displays the user to whom the SO is assigned.

List actions

You can perform various quick actions, such as Edit, Delete, Email, and Follow, on SO records in the List View.
To learn more about List View actions in Vtiger CRM, click here.

Ways of viewing Sales Orders’ records

Summary View

Summary View is the view that appears when you click a particular record from the List View. The Summary View displays a collection of all the key information of the record.

The Summary View can be divided into four sections. Each section has a particular functionality.

Summary View Actions

Follow: You can follow any SO record to get updates on all the activities performed on that record.
You can add tag names to the record to easily identify it.
Print: You can print the SO or save it as a PDF for future reference.
Duplicate: You can duplicate the current record and have all the details reflected in a new record.
Delete: You can delete a record by clicking this button.

SO document

The generated Sales Order will be displayed here.

Do button

When you click on the do button on the top right-hand corner of the Summary View, you will see the following:
Reach out now-You can get in touch with the contact via Email, call, or SMS at the moment.
Reach out later- You can schedule an email, event, or task with the contact.
Add or Create- You can add or create other modules related to the SO.
Share- You can share the SO as a link or as an attachment.

Widgets

One View - All modules related to the SO are displayed here.
Tasks - All the tasks related to the SO are displayed here. You can also add a new task from here by clicking the + button.
Events - All events related to the SO are displayed here. You can also add a new event from here by clicking the + button.
Activity - All the activities made on the SO are displayed here. Here you can add comments related to the SO.
Analytics - You can view all metrics related to the SO in various visual representations, including charts and mini-lists. You can also create new ones here.
Documents - You can create a new document or add an existing document to the SO. All the related document details are displayed here.
Sales Ops - You can create a new delivery note or add an existing one to the SO. All the related delivery note details are displayed here.
Settings - You can change the template of the SO here.

Grid View

Grid View is a table-like layout that shows data in rows and columns, similar to a spreadsheet. It allows you to view and edit multiple records simultaneously on the same page. You can edit specific field details in a record, just like editing a cell in a spreadsheet. The view resembles the List View but allows for additional actions, such as editing, rearranging columns, and bulk updates.

Key Terminology

Field name	Description
Subject	Mandatory field Displays the title of the SO.
Contact Name	Displays the name of the contact from the organization related to the SO.
Organization Name	Displays the organization to which the SO is associated.
Status	Mandatory field It is a drop-down that shows the present state of the SO. New: The SO is created. Approved: The SO is reviewed by the sales manager before it is sent to the customer. Cancelled: The SO is cancelled by the customer. Fully delivered: All the items mentioned in the SO have been delivered to the customer.
Assigned to	Mandatory field Displays the user or the group to whom the SO is assigned.
Billing Address	Mandatory field It is the address where bills are sent and connected to a credit or debit card. Hence, the billing address should default to the related Deal's company address. You can enter the billing address manually or by clicking the Select an option drop-down and selecting one of these options: Copy from Organization Copy from Related To Same as Shipping Address
Shipping Address	Mandatory field It is the address where the customer would like the SO to be delivered. By default, the shipping address will be the same as the billing address. You can enter the shipping address manually or by clicking the Select an option drop-down and selecting one of these options: Copy from Organization Copy from Related To Same as Shipping Address
Item Name	Mandatory field The name of the product or service that has to be delivered to the customer.
Quantity	Mandatory field The count of the products or services that are promised to the customer.

How to Create a Sales Order

Listed below are the ways to create an SO.

From Sales Orders’ List View

You can use the +Add Sales Order button to create a new SO. You can find it in the top right corner in the Sales Orders’ List View.
Follow the steps below to create an SO:

Log in to the CRM.
Go to the Main Menu.
Go to the Inventory tab.
Select the Sales Orders module.
Click the +Add Sales Order button.
Fill in all the necessary details.
Click Save.
From Deals

You can create an SO through a deal by clicking the 'Do' button.
Follow these steps to add an SO from the do button in deals:

Log in to the CRM.
Go to the Main Menu.
Select the Deals module.
Open any particular deal.
In the Summary View, click the Do button on the right-hand side top corner of the screen.
Click the Add or Create button.
Click on Sales Orders.
Enter all the details and click Save.

This newly created SO would be linked to the deal.

Sales Order Configuration

You can configure Taxes, Tax regions, Shipping Charges (if any), and Terms and Conditions from the Settings > Inventory Management section. These actions are limited to the Admin role.

Refer to the Tax management article to learn how to set up Taxes and other Settings.

Tax regions: Taxes can be set based on a region. Regions are set up in the Tax Settings screen.
Currency: It is the same as the currency defined in the Deal. The SO Line item currency is the same as the record-level currency.
Tax mode:
- Group Taxes: If there are multiple products/services in the inventory, group taxes help in populating tax rates according to specific tax calculations.
- Individual Taxes: You can enable this option while creating an SO. You can apply taxes for individual items in an SO by clicking the Configure button in the SO.
- Note: The default Tax mode is set based on the option set in the Tax Management page by the administrator. This can be overridden on an SO level from the SO Configuration pop-up.
Price Books: Price Books allow you to define different prices for Products and Services. The prices of the items can vary anytime depending on the customers and their needs.
When a Price Book is selected or changed, the system updates the unit prices of all line items based on the selected Price Book. To know more about Price Books, click here.
Discounts
- Group Discounts: Similar to Group Taxes, Group Discounts are applied to Products (or) Services on the SO level.
- Individual Discounts: Unlike group discounts, Vtiger CRM offers the option to apply Discounts on an individual item based on its List Price.
Shipping Charges: Shipping Charges are the additional amount charged by the company’s sales team for shipping the product to the customer.
Adjustments: This option allows rounding off the total amount to the next value or the previous value based on the decimal number.

Note: You can customize and add or remove fields by going to the Module Layouts and Fields under Settings.

Adding Line Item Records

You can add new Line Item records like a new product/service or a new section in the existing SO by editing the Item Details block.

Follow the steps mentioned below to add Line item records:

How to add a new Product or Service
Follow the steps below to add a product/service:

Log in to the CRM.
Go to the Main Menu.
Go to the Inventory tab.
Select the Sales Orders module
Select and open the record to which you want to add line items. The Summary View opens.
Click Edit. The Edit page opens.
Go to the Line Items section.
Enter or select the following information to add the Line Items:
1. Add Product or Service row: Click to add the product or service to the Deal record.
2. More: Click More next to the line item number.
  1. Add Product Row: Add a new product line next to an existing line item.
  2. Add Service Row: Add a new service line next to an existing line item.
  3. Add Section: Add a new section to group related line items
Click Save.

Note: The More option becomes visible only when more than one line item is added.

How to add a new Section
Follow the steps below to add a section:

Log in to the CRM.
Go to the Main Menu.
Go to the Inventory tab.
Select the Sales Orders module.
Select any particular SO.
Click Edit.
Go to the Item Details block.
Enter or select the following information to add Sections:
1. Add section: Click to add a new Section.
  1. More: Click More next to the line item number.
  2. Add Section: Click to add a new section to group related line items.
Click Save.

Note: The More option becomes visible only when more than one line item is added.

Status dependencies between SO and DN

The status of SO will be changed from ‘New’ to ‘Delivery Initiated’, when the DN is in ‘Open’ state.
Look out for the Outstanding field! For example, if there is an SO for ten items and you create a DN for six of those items, the value of the outstanding field will be set to four in both the SO and the DN.
If the status of a DN is ‘Delivered’, then the status of the SO will be
1. ‘Partially delivered’ - if the outstanding field value is more than zero.
2. ‘Fully delivered’ - if the outstanding field value is zero.
The status of the SO will be set to ‘New’ if the DN is ‘Cancelled’.

To know more about Delivery Notes, click here.

Product Linking by Name

You can create Inventory records using just the Product Name in line items:

If you create an Inventory record with a Product Name for a line item that already exists, the API links that product to the Inventory record without requiring the Product ID.
If the Product Name you provide in the Line Item block does not exist, the CRM will automatically create a new product with the given name and link it to the Inventory record.
The CRM allows you to link multiple line items to existing products based on the Product Name (without needing Product IDs).

Key Benefits:

Eliminates the need to retrieve or manage Product IDs.
Speeds up record creation and simplifies product management.
Ideal when Product Names are available but IDs are not.

Actions Possible on a Sales Order

You can perform the following actions on the SO:

Share a Sales Order

You can share an SO with a customer by sending a link to the SO or by attaching the SO itself.
As link

Follow these steps to share the SO as a link:

Log in to the CRM.
Go to the Main Menu.
Select the Sales Orders module.
Open any Sales Order record.
Click the Do button in the Summary View.
Select Share.
Click Share as link.
A mail compose window opens with the SO link.
Enter the recipient's details and click Send.

As attachment

Follow these steps to share the SO as an attachment:

Log in to the CRM.
Go to the Main Menu.
Select the Sales Orders module.
Open any Sales Order record.
Click the Do button in the Summary View.
Select Share.
Click Share as attachment.

A mail compose window opens with the SO attachment.
Enter the recipient's details and click Send.

Generate related documents: Add a Document.

Use Vtiger’s Documents module to solve the problems of organizing and sharing! It acts as a repository for all the documents that you create or those shared with you by your customers or sales team.
Follow these steps to add a document:

Log in to the CRM.
Go to the Main Menu.
Select the Sales Orders module.
Open any Sales Order record.
Click the Do button in the Summary View.
Click the Add or Create button.
Select Documents.
Here, you see two options on your screen:
1. Select Documents: To add an existing document, select this option.
Hover over a record in the list of all existing documents to display the radio buttons.
Click the radio button on the left side of the record to select the record.
Click Add Selected located below the list.
Create Documents: To add a new document, select this option.
Fill in all the necessary details.
Click Save.

The linked document will be visible in the Documents widget of the Summary View for the SO record.

Generate an Invoice

An Invoice or bill is a non-negotiable, itemized statement issued for the products or services rendered to a customer.
Follow these steps to generate an Invoice:

Log in to the CRM.
Go to the Main Menu.
Select the Sales Orders module.
Open any Sales Order record.
Click the Do button in the Summary View.
Click Add or Create.
Select Invoices.
Enter all the necessary details and click Save.

Generate a Purchase Order

A Purchase order (PO), is the first official offer issued by a customer to the company’s sales team indicating types, quantities, and agreed prices for products or services.
Follow these steps to generate a PO:

Log in to the CRM.
Go to the Main Menu.
Select the Sales Orders module.
Open any Sales Order record.
Click the Do button in the Summary View.
Click Add or Create.
Select Purchase Orders.
Enter all the necessary details and click Save.

Generate a Delivery Note
Delivery Notes (DN) are a document accompanying a shipment of goods that lists the description and quantity of the goods delivered.
Follow these steps to generate a DN:

Log in to the CRM.
Go to the Main Menu.
Select the Sales Orders module.
Open any Sales Order record.
Click the Do button in the Summary View.
Click Add or Create.
Select Delivery Notes.
Enter all the necessary details and click Save.

The newly created DN will be available in the Sales Ops widget of the Summary view in the SO record.

Generate a Subscription

Follow these steps to generate a subscription:

Log in to the CRM.
Go to the Main Menu.
Select the Sales Orders module.
Open any SO record.
Click the Do button in the Summary View.
Click Add or Create.
Select Subscriptions.
Enter all the necessary details and click Save.

The newly created subscription will be available in the Sales Ops widget of the Summary view in the SO record.

Export

Follow these steps to export an SO:

Log in to the CRM.
Go to the Main Menu.
Select the Sales Orders module.
In the List View, hover over any SO record to display the radio button on the left side.
Click the radio button.
Click the Export button.
Select any one of the following options:
1. Export Selected Records - This option exports only the selected record.
2. Export data in the current page - This option exports the records on the current page.
3. Export All Data - This option exports all data from all pages of the SO module.

The exported record will be saved on your local system.
Print

Follow these steps to print an SO:

Log in to the CRM.
Go to the Main Menu.
Select the Sales Orders module.
Open any SO record.
Click the More button.
Click the Print button.
You can perform any of the following options:
1. Edit & Export- You can edit the SO and export it to your local system.
2. Email with PDF- You can email the SO record as a PDF to the contact.
3. Print- You can print the SO and keep a hard copy.
4. Save as PDF - You can save the SO as a PDF file on your local system.

Note: You can also print a record directly from the List View. To learn more about List View, click here.

How to change the template of the Sales Order

There are two ways to change the template of an SO.

Follow these steps to change the template of a SO from the Print Sales Order screen:

This is a temporary change only until the SO is printed.

Log in to the CRM.
Go to the Main Menu.
Select the Sales Orders module.
Open any SO.
Click the More button.
Click the Print button.
Select the template you want from the list of all templates.
You can perform any of the following options:
1. Edit & Export- You can edit the SO and export it to your local system.
2. Email with PDF- You can email the SO record as a PDF to the contact.
3. Print- You can print the SO and keep a hard copy.
4. Save as PDF - You can save the SO as a PDF file on your local system.

Follow these steps to change the template of the Sales Order from the Settings widget:

This is a permanent change and will be applied to the SO immediately.

Log in to the CRM.
Go to the Main Menu.
Select the Sales Orders module.
Open any SO.
Go to the Settings Widget.
Click the Template applied drop-down.
Select the template of your choice.

The template will be applied to the SO instantly.

Updates on Quantity in Demand value

Quantity in Demand is a value that describes the number of products that customers request. The value of the Quantity in Demand is dependent on the sales orders and changes based on the conditions listed below:

The quantity in demand increases when a sales order is created.
The quantity in demand decreases when a sales order is delivered or canceled.
The quantity in demand also decreases when a sales order is converted to an invoice.

One View in Sales Orders

The One View widget is a one-stop destination for viewing all the important modules related to SO.
One view widget in the SO module will show the following details:

Related Contact details -Parent contact details
Related Organization details - Parent company Acme details are shown in this widget
Related Deal data - Parent Deal from which this SO is created
Related Invoice- Related Invoice details generated from this SO
Related PO- Related PO details generated from this SO

To learn more about One View in Vtiger CRM, click here.