QUICK OVERVIEW
What to take away from the article
- The price is determined according to the verified customer account and applicable rules.
- Repeat order must re-verify current price and availability.
- A B2B portal needs a business process, not just a login button.
When does a customer portal make sense?
The portal is suitable where similar orders, individual prices and status questions are repeated. A typical example is the regular purchase of packaging, company textiles or advertising materials for several establishments. The customer knows what he needs, but today he has to wait for the salesperson's answer.
First, map out which tasks are recurring and which still require consultation. Regular reorders can be handled by self-service, non-standard production needs to be supplemented with an order and an offer. A good portal should know both situations and clearly state whether the customer has just submitted a binding order or just a request for a quote.
One client can have multiple users
The buyer prepares the order, the manager approves the budget and the accountant needs the documents. If everyone uses one common account, responsibility and the ability to set permissions are lost. Design users assigned to the customer company and allow them only necessary actions.
The client administrator may have the right to add a colleague, but may not change the business price list. The approver can confirm orders up to the limit. Each confirmation is logged with the person, time and version. Access to another customer company must remain blocked even when the link to its order is opened directly.
| Area | Postup | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Buyer | He prepares the basket and the assignment. | Approval of over-limit order. |
| Approver | It will confirm the specific price and range. | A change after approval creates a new version. |
| Document worker | Displays the available documents of your own company. | No access to someone else's agenda. |
| Supplier's salesperson | Handles exceptions and individual offers. | Discounts according to internal limits. |
The price list must work even after the page is refreshed
The individual price is to be calculated in the trusted part of the system according to the verified customer, product, quantity and rule validity. It is not enough to hide the public price in the browser. When the order is accepted, the price is re-verified so that the change of data on the customer's device does not create an unauthorized discount.
For e-commerce price lists, Odoo lists rules according to quantity, period and customer type or other parameters. A specific proposal must determine their priority. If a promotional price and an individual contractual discount meet, the company should know which one applies and whether they can be combined. The historical order retains the price with which it was accepted.
Repeat order is not blind copying
The "order again" button can take products, quantities and approved theme. However, before confirmation, he must verify the current price, availability and validity of the documents. The logo could get a new version and the material could be discontinued. Changes should be shown to the client, not replaced silently.
When printing or custom manufacturing, link the repeat to specific approved graphics and parameters. If the customer changes the dimension, the system should request the relevant new approval. quotes and versions guide explains the same principle. Availability must be based on linked warehouse and reservations.
Self-service should show usable status
The client needs to understand what is happening: we are waiting for documents, we are preparing a preview, we are producing or handing over to the carrier. The internal status code won't help him. For each step, indicate whether its action is expected and what the current indicative deadline is.
The AI communicator can explain the status from the order data and answer simple questions. However, he must not disclose the purchase price or data of another client. In case of ambiguity, he will hand over the case to the salesperson, including the context, so that the client does not have to write everything again. The AI email assistant article describes the possibilities and limits.
Run one valuable journey from start to finish
The first pilot can include login, individual pricing, simple order repeats and status tracking. Test it with a small group of existing clients. Track how many orders go through without manual rewriting and how many phone calls still relate to data that should be in the portal.
Successful self-service reduces the time of both the customer and the team. If the customer fills in the data online and the trader then manually transcribes it into the ERP, the main savings have not yet occurred. Therefore, plan the creation of a customized e-shop together with the processes behind the order, not just according to the appearance of the initial page.
