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Frequently asked Purchasing Manager questions
How does Purchasing Manager work?
The Quill.com Purchasing Manager is an online tool that utilizes a purchasing hierarchy to manage and approve orders. Each person in the purchasing hierarchy can be given specific rules and dollar minimums or maximums by the Administrator.
Three specific purchasing roles have been built into the Quill.com Purchasing Manager:
- Requestors
- Approvers
- Administrators
With Purchasing Manager, the Administrator oversees the maintenance of the entire account. The Requestors can order for different departments or offices within the company. Those orders can then be submitted for approval through an automatic email to the Approver.
How can Purchasing Manager save you time, money, and give you better control of your organization's purchases?
Purchasing Manager allows you to set up your own ordering rules and maximum order limits so that you can meet the unique supply needs of your organization.
It allows you to quickly and easily coordinate orders from different locations and departments to simplify company-wide ordering.
Purchasing Manager helps to ensure that the right people are ordering the right supplies and reduces unapproved supply expenditures.
It also provides an instant snapshot of your entire company's past ordering activity and maintains a comprehensive list of online supply orders.
What is the Requestor role?
A Requestor can:
- Place orders
- Choose shipping addresses created by the Administrator (cannot change, edit, or add addresses)
- Add notes to an order for the Approver to see
- Order company-wide lists and personal lists
- Create, edit, and delete personal favorite lists
What is the Approver role?
An Approver can do everything a Requestor can do, plus:
- Approve or deny orders or line items
- Add items to an order
- View order history of all users assigned to them
- Add PO numbers and comments before approving or denying an order
- View user's details (purchase permissions, authorized shipping addresses, etc) for users assigned to them
What is the Administrator role?
An Administrator can do everything an Approver can do, plus:
- Create and assign users to approvers and delivery addresses
- Create, edit, and delete all shipping addresses
- Create, edit, and delete all company information
- Set all ordering restrictions and amounts
- Make any changes needed at the account level
- Create, edit, and delete company-wide lists
Can an Administrator role be assigned to another person, allowing for multiple Administrators?
Yes. Under Manage Users, search for the User's profile that needs to be updated. Select Modify and then the User's profile will display. Update the Role field to Administrator. Updates to all users, including the role of Administrator, can be done by all Administrators.
How is an approval hierarchy set up?
The creation of an Administrator is the first step of the hierarchy. Then set up users who will be Approvers of orders. Finally, the Requestors (those who place orders only) will be created and any of the previously created Approvers can be assigned to them.
Can multiple Approvers be assigned?
Yes. A multi-level approval process can easily be created through Approval Groups.
What happens if an Approver wants to deny an item but approve an order?
The Approver can remove the item from the cart. An approval email to the requestor will be sent stating that the order was modified.
What happens after an Approver accepts or declines an order?
If the order is accepted, the Approver will be taken back to the pending approval list. If the order is declined, a pop-up will request the reason for declining the order. Once a reason is added, the Approver will be taken back to the pending approval list.
How does an Approver change an item quantity before approving?
When reviewing the order, the Approver can edit the quantity of any item. Select the Edit This Order button, update the quantity of the item(s), then click the Update Cart button.
What happens if an Approver doesn't receive an email alert when there is an order to approve?
If the email address is correct, check the spam or junk email folder. If the email is not there, set up Quill.com as a trusted sender with info@quill.com.
How does a Requestor know if an order has been approved?
Selecting the Requests Status button will result in a list of the Requestor's orders, which displays the status of Pending, Approved, or Declined.
How is a Requestor created?
To create a Requestor, the Administrator should select Manage Users and then click the Requestor button. The Create New Requestor page will then display.
How are comments included on an order by a Requestor?
On the Review Order screen during the checkout process there is a field for optional internal comments. This space can be used for sending comments to the Approver.
How is an address added or changed?
Only Administrators can create, edit, or delete shipping addresses in the Manage Users section. Approvers and Requestors must contact the Administrator to add or change a shipping address.
What is an Approval Group?
Order requests that require approval will be routed through an Approval Group. An Approval Group can consist of one member or (to make it seamless when an approver is not available) multiple members. When an Administrator creates an Approver, they either add them to an existing Approval Group or create a new Approval Group. Once the Administrator creates an Approval Group, they can assign Requestors to the group. An Approver can be assigned to multiple Approval Groups.
How is a new Approval Group created?
When a new Approval Group is needed, click Manage Rules, then click on the Approval Groups tab. Select Create New Approval Group and then enter the name in Group Name field, add a description (if needed) and click Create. Once created, the group will appear and Approvers can be added.
How is an Approver or Administrator added to an existing Approval Group?
To add an Approver or Administrator to an existing Approval Group, click Manage Rules and then click the Approval Groups tab. Select Search Approval Groups or select one of the Approval Groups listed below the search. Once a group has been selected, click Add Users to Group. Now a member search can be done or members can be selected from the names listed below the search. Select a name(s) and click Add Users.
How are Approvers managed in an Approval Group?
Approval Group members are managed through the Manage Rules and Groups section under the Approval Groups tab.
How can an Administrator view members of an Approval Group?
To view members of an Approval Group, click Manage Rules and then the Approval Groups tab. Select an Approval Group then click the View/Remove Members button.
What happens to an Administrator or Approver when their role is changed to Requestor?
When the role of an Approver or Administrator is changed to Requestor, they will be automatically removed from all Approval groups to which they belong.
How is a member removed from an Approval Group?
To remove a member from an Approval Group, click Manage Rules and then the Approval Groups tab. Select Search Approval Groups or select one of the Approval Groups listed below the search. Once a group has been selected, click View/Remove Members. Now a member search can be done or members can be selected from the names listed below the search. Select a name(s) and click Remove Member(s).
What happens when an Approver or Administrator with pending orders is deleted from an Approval Group?
When deleting an Administrator or Approver who has orders pending approval, if no other Approver exists in that Approval Group, a message will display stating there is only one Administrator or Approver in the group so the user cannot be deleted. Once another member is added to the Approval Group, the Administrator or Approver can be deleted. The newly added Approver will then see any pending orders.
What information is needed to set up a Purchasing Manager hierarchy?
- Name
- Phone
- Billing and Shipping Addresses
- Number of Employees
- Business Description
Is a Bill To address required?
Yes, a Bill To address is required when initially setting up an account.
How is a company Favorites List created?
The Administrator can create a Favorites List by filling up the Shopping Cart with the items wanted on the list and then clicking on Save As List. Next fill out List Name and List Description on the Create New List screen, select the Company List option, and click Save. All company-created lists can be viewed by everyone in the hierarchy.
Reference Guides
Download reference guides to better understand Purchasing Manager.
Approve, View and Search My Requests
Manage Rules and Approval Groups