Orders Overview

Orders are the core of TimberCloud — they represent customer requests moving through your business from initial quote to delivery. This section covers everything you need to know about managing orders in TimberCloud.

How Orders Work

TimberCloud provides a flexible order management system that supports both Quote Mode and Order Mode, allowing you to customize the customer experience to match your business model.

Note: On the Free plan, payments are turned off and your storefront is inquiry/quote-only — customers submit requests instead of paying, and you can collect up to 50 inquiries per month. Connecting Stripe and taking payment at checkout requires a paid plan (Commerce or higher). See The Free Plan and Subscriptions & Plans.

Order Sources

Orders can be created from multiple sources:

Both customer-facing channels — the Embeddable Storefront and the hosted Website — sell from the same catalog and feed orders into the same dashboard. Use the embeddable storefront to drop a catalog/cart onto a site you already run, or the hosted website to give your business a full standalone presence. The hosted website is a Commerce+ feature.

Quote vs Order Mode

Your company's Selling Mode (set in Settings → Orders → Storefront) determines how orders are initially created:

Quote Mode

• Orders start as Quotes requiring approval
• Customer submits a request, you review and approve pricing
• Quote converts to Order when customer accepts
• Ideal for custom products with variable pricing

Order Mode

• Orders are created directly with Ordered status
• Payment is collected at checkout (requires Stripe connected on a paid plan)
• Best for standardized products with fixed pricing
• Immediate production workflow

Note: Free-plan companies are always in inquiry/quote mode — Direct Order checkout isn't available until you upgrade and connect Stripe.

Order Lifecycle

Every order follows a defined lifecycle through various statuses:

Quote → Ordered → In Production → Inspection → Shipped → Delivered
                                            ↘
                                          Canceled

Status Definitions

When all of an order's tracking numbers report delivered, the order automatically advances to Delivered. See Tracking for how delivery confirmation works.

Important Dates

TimberCloud automatically tracks key dates throughout the order lifecycle:

• Date Entered — When the order was first created
• Date Ordered — When the quote converted to an order
• Due Date — Calculated from lead times (if enabled)
• Date In Production — When production started
• Date Completed — When production finished
• Date Shipped — When the order was shipped
• Date Delivered — When delivery was confirmed

Key Features

Real-Time Updates

Orders are updated in real-time across all connected clients:

• Admin Panel receives instant notifications when customers place orders
• Embeddable Storefront and hosted Website show customers their order status changes
• Socket connections ensure everyone sees the same data

Automatic Notifications

When order events occur, notifications are sent automatically:

• In-App Notifications — Bell icon alerts in the admin panel
• Email Notifications — Configurable per user and event type
• SMS Notifications — Text alerts for critical updates

Learn more in Notifications.

Invoice Generation

Invoices are automatically generated at key points:

• Quote Invoice — Created when a quote is submitted
• Order Acknowledgement — Created when quote converts to order
• New Version — Created when prices change

Order Add-ons

Beyond per-line-item options, you can attach add-ons to an entire order — a delivery surcharge, crating, a rush fee, and so on — once per order instead of per item. Order-wide add-ons can be standard catalog add-ons (filtered by the order's products and categories) or custom one-offs, and they render on cut sheets, invoices, and packing slips. The default scope (per-product vs. order-wide) is set in Settings → Products → Add-ons.

Learn more in Order Add-ons.

Inventory Deduction

When an order moves to Ordered status:

• Inventory is automatically deducted from the fulfillment location
• Location-specific stock levels are updated in real-time
• Low stock alerts are triggered if thresholds are met

Lead Time Calculation

If enabled in Order Settings:

• Due dates are calculated from product lead times
• Business days (excluding weekends) are used
• Lead times can be concurrent (longest wins) or cumulative (added together)

Quick Links

Storefront Orders

When customers order through your Embeddable Storefront or hosted Website:

1. Cart Building — Customer adds products, configures options
2. Checkout — Billing/shipping info, delivery selection
3. Carrier Rate Selection — If Carrier Services are enabled on your plan, the customer can shop live rates and select one
4. Order Add-ons — Any order-wide add-ons (delivery surcharge, crating, etc.) are applied
5. Order Creation — Quote or Order based on your selling mode
6. Notification — Company receives an instant notification
7. Confirmation — Customer sees the order in their portal

The storefront automatically:

• Inherits the customer's discount and tax rate
• Assigns their sales rep to the order
• Applies payment terms from their profile
• Calculates shipping based on delivery options
• Saves carrier rate data for booking (if Carrier Services selected)

Note: Live Carrier Services rate selection at checkout is plan-gated. It's included on Build, Production, and Enterprise; on Commerce it requires the Carrier & Freight Services add-on ($99/mo). Without it, customers still check out — they just don't shop live carrier rates. See Shipping and Subscriptions & Plans.

Admin Panel Orders

When creating orders from the Admin Panel:

1. Click "Create Order" from the top navigation
2. Select Customer — Loads their defaults (discount, tax, terms)
3. Add Products — Configure each item with line items
4. Add Order Add-ons — Apply any order-wide charges, if needed
5. Set Details — PO number, notes, attachments
6. Save — Creates as Quote or Order per your workflow

Best Practices

For Quote Mode Businesses

1. Review quotes promptly — customers expect quick responses
2. Use notes to communicate with customers about their request
3. Attach reference images or documents to orders
4. Set realistic lead times based on current production capacity

For Order Mode Businesses

1. Ensure all products have accurate pricing before enabling
2. Configure inventory thresholds to prevent overselling
3. Make sure Carrier Services are enabled on your plan if you want live shipping rates at checkout
4. Test the checkout flow regularly with test orders

General Tips

1. Keep stations aligned with your physical production workflow
2. Use the order events timeline to track who did what and when
3. Configure notification preferences for your team
4. Review the dashboard regularly for production planning

Next Steps

• Create Your First Order
• Configure Order Settings
• Set Up Notifications
• Embed the Storefront
• Build Your Website