The Purchasing Workflow
Purchasing in FlexotiumPOS follows a structured flow: Purchase Order → Supplier Delivery → Goods Received Note (GRN) → Invoice → Approval. Each step creates a traceable record that feeds into inventory, accounts payable, and audit logs.
Creating a Purchase Order
- Go to Purchasing → Purchase Orders → New PO
- Select the supplier from your supplier list
- Add line items: search for products by name or SKU, enter the quantity ordered and agreed unit cost
- Review the order total and check it matches your negotiated price
- Add any delivery notes for the supplier (e.g. "Deliver to rear entrance, Mon–Fri only")
- Click Save as Draft to hold, or Send to Supplier to email it directly from FlexotiumPOS
- The PO status changes to Sent and is assigned a PO number
If the AI forecasting system suggested this reorder, you can convert the suggestion to a draft PO from AI → Forecasting → Stock Forecast with one click — saving you from re-entering the line items manually.
Receiving Goods (GRN)
When a delivery arrives:
- Find the PO under Purchasing → Purchase Orders and click Receive Goods
- Enter the actual quantities received for each line item (they may differ from the ordered quantity)
- Note any discrepancies in the Receiving Notes field
- Click Confirm Receipt
- FlexotiumPOS automatically increases the inventory quantities for received items
- The PO status changes to Partially Received or Fully Received
If you received more or less than ordered, the system flags the variance and adds it to the Review Queue for your attention.
Capturing an Invoice with OCR
OCR (Optical Character Recognition) lets you capture a supplier invoice by photo or PDF upload — the AI extracts all the data automatically.
Step 1: Upload the Invoice
Go to Purchasing → Invoices → New Invoice → Scan/Upload. You can:
- Take a photo using the mobile app (most accurate in good lighting)
- Upload a PDF — drag and drop or click to browse
- Email-to-inbox — forward the invoice PDF to your unique inbox address shown in Settings
Mobile photo tips: Hold your phone parallel to the invoice (not at an angle), ensure even lighting with no shadows across the text, and capture the entire page including all four corners. A sharp photo reduces OCR errors by up to 70%.
Step 2: Review OCR Extraction
The AI extracts:
- Supplier name
- Invoice number
- Invoice date and due date
- Line items (description, quantity, unit price, total)
- Subtotal, tax amount, and grand total
Each extracted field shows a confidence indicator. High confidence fields are pre-filled and ready; Low confidence fields are highlighted in amber for your review.
Step 3: Correct Any Errors
Click any field to edit it. The original invoice image is shown alongside so you can cross-reference directly. Use the zoom control to read small print on complex invoices.
Step 4: Link to a Purchase Order
If this invoice relates to an existing PO, click Link to PO and select the matching purchase order. FlexotiumPOS will automatically validate that the invoice amounts match the GRN quantities and flag any discrepancies.
Step 5: Submit for Approval
Click Submit for Approval. The invoice enters the approval workflow and appears in the accountant's review queue.
Supplier Management
Manage your suppliers at Purchasing → Suppliers. Each supplier profile stores:
- Contact details and payment terms
- Delivery lead time (used by the AI for reorder timing)
- Order history and reliability score
- Default currency
Keep lead times accurate — the AI forecasting engine uses them to calculate the latest safe reorder date.
Next Steps
Your submitted invoices go into the Review Queue. The next lesson covers how to process the queue efficiently.