Automatic approval for store approvers
Managers and other approvers do not wait for their own sign-off. Their orders move to Approved on submission.
The problem
Approval by message is hard to see and hard to prove
In many store networks, an order starts as a message. A manager sends a list by WhatsApp, an email arrives with a spreadsheet attached, or a phone call sets the quantities. The approval is usually a reply in the same thread, or a verbal yes. Head office then re-keys the list into its own system, and nobody is quite sure whether the quantities were the ones that were approved.
The problems compound with every store. Two people can approve the same order, an order can be changed after the approval without anyone noticing, and when a delivery is short, it is hard to see which version of the order was actually agreed. A purchase order approval workflow fixes this by keeping one order, with one set of statuses, that everyone works from.
How it works
From draft to delivery, one status at a time
Every order follows the same path. Each step has a status, so the people involved can see what is happening without asking. The full lifecycle is Draft, Pending approval, Approved, Accepted, Processing, In transit and Delivered, with Cancelled as the exit for an order that will not go ahead.
Build a draft
Stores order from the single product catalogue that head office publishes, with categories, SKUs, net prices, any discount, units of measure and stock flags. A new order starts as a private draft. It can be saved and finished later, and no one else sees it until it is submitted.
Submit for approval
When the order is ready, the store submits it. Staff with approval rights in that store auto-approve their own orders, so those go straight through to Approved. Orders from everyone else go to Pending approval, where an approver in the same store reviews them. Head office only sees an order once the store has approved it.
Approve or review
Approved orders are ready for head office. Orders in Pending approval are held until they are approved. A rejected order is cancelled, and that status is shown to the store.
Accept or request changes
Head office reviews the approved order and either accepts it or requests changes. A request for changes sends the order back to draft, so the store can amend it and submit it again.
Process and track delivery
Head office triages and fulfils accepted orders, moving them through Processing, In transit and Delivered. Each change is visible to the store in real time, and invoice references can be attached to the order so the paperwork sits with the order it belongs to.
Features
What the approval workflow gives each side
A queue for everyone else
Orders from staff without approval rights land in Pending approval, where they stay visible to the person who placed them and the store’s approvers until an approver acts on them. Nothing is lost in a chat thread.
Changes without starting over
Head office can send an order back to draft with a request for changes. The store amends the order and submits it again.
Reports for head office
Head office can run order reports filtered by store, status and date. That makes it easy to see which stores are ordering, what is waiting for approval, and what has been cancelled.
Who it is for
Head offices with their own stores or franchisees
The workflow suits a business that sets the product range centrally and whose stores or franchisees order from it. A franchisor that wants franchisees to order stock, supplies or packaging from an approved list is the typical case, as is a retail group with a head office that fulfils for its own branches. Each business gets its own branded workspace with its logo and colours, so the stores see a familiar name rather than a generic tool.
Stores and head office work from the web dashboard, and there is an iOS and Android mobile app alongside it. The interface is available in English and Greek.
Next steps
Where to go from here
If you are comparing this with your current process, the comparison with WhatsApp, email and spreadsheet ordering sets out where a structured workflow helps and where a simple chat is still fine. To see how the wider ordering system fits together, read about franchise ordering software. You can also start at the ordr.broker home page.
Frequently asked questions
Can a store order go through without an approval step?
Yes, for staff who hold approval rights in their store. Their own orders are approved automatically and move on without a second person. Staff without approval rights submit their orders for review, and those orders wait in Pending approval until they are approved.
What happens when head office asks for changes to an order?
The order goes back to draft so the store can amend it and submit it again.
What happens to an order that is rejected?
A rejected order is cancelled, and the order carries the Cancelled status from that point on.
Can a store see where its order is?
Yes. Stores see every status change in real time, from Accepted and Processing through In transit to Delivered, without having to call or message head office to ask.
Who decides who can approve orders?
Roles decide who can order, approve and manage. Each person can hold a business-level role at head office and store-level memberships in the stores they work with, so approval rights can be given to a store manager without giving them access to other stores.