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Supplier Management

Supplier Management in Dispatch helps you track and manage your supplier relationships, maintaining important supplier information within your logistics operations.

Overview​

What is a Supplier?​

A supplier is a business that:

  • Provides products to your company
  • Ships goods to you or your customers
  • Part of your supply chain

Why Track Suppliers?​

Managing suppliers in Dispatch:

  • Centralizes vendor information
  • Tracks supplier relationships
  • Enables supplier-related workflows
  • Improves supply chain visibility

Viewing Suppliers​

Supplier List​

Access all suppliers:

  1. Navigate to Suppliers
  2. View list of all suppliers
  3. Search and filter
  4. Click for details

List Features​

The supplier list shows:

  • Supplier name
  • Contact information
  • Status
  • Creation date

Filtering and Sorting​

Find suppliers quickly:

Filter By​

  • Status (active, inactive)
  • Date added
  • Custom criteria

Sort By​

  • Name (alphabetical)
  • Date added
  • Last updated

Pagination​

Navigate large supplier lists:

  • Set page size (up to 100)
  • Move between pages
  • View total count

Adding Suppliers​

Creating a Supplier​

Add a new supplier:

  1. Click "Add Supplier"
  2. Enter supplier details:
    • Company name
    • Contact information
    • Address
    • Notes
  3. Save the supplier

Supplier Information​

When creating, include:

Basic Details​

  • Company name
  • Primary contact name
  • Email address
  • Phone number

Address Information​

  • Street address
  • City
  • State/Province
  • Postal code
  • Country

Additional Information​

  • Website
  • Account number
  • Notes

Supplier Details​

Viewing Details​

Access complete supplier information:

  1. Click on supplier name
  2. View full profile
  3. See all stored information

Supplier Profile​

Profile includes:

  • Contact information
  • Address details
  • Related notes
  • Activity history

Managing Suppliers​

Editing Suppliers​

Update supplier information:

  1. Open supplier details
  2. Click "Edit"
  3. Modify fields
  4. Save changes

What Can Be Edited​

Update any supplier field:

  • Name and contact info
  • Address
  • Notes
  • Status

Supplier Status​

Suppliers can be:

  • Active - Currently working with
  • Inactive - No longer active

Supplier Contacts​

Multiple Contacts​

Add multiple contacts per supplier:

  • Primary contact
  • Secondary contacts
  • Different departments
  • Specific purposes

Contact Information​

For each contact, store:

  • Name
  • Role/title
  • Email
  • Phone
  • Notes

Using Suppliers​

In Orders​

Reference suppliers in orders:

  • Source of products
  • Dropship arrangements
  • Supplier tracking

In Products​

Link products to suppliers:

  • Primary supplier
  • Alternate suppliers
  • Supplier SKUs

In Shipments​

Track supplier shipments:

  • Incoming shipments
  • Supplier deliveries
  • Receiving tracking

Supplier Analytics​

Supplier Metrics​

Track supplier performance:

  • Order volume
  • Delivery reliability
  • Issue frequency

Supplier History​

View supplier activity:

  • Orders placed
  • Shipments received
  • Communication history

Best Practices​

Data Management​

  1. Complete profiles - Include all relevant info
  2. Keep current - Update as things change
  3. Verify accuracy - Confirm details periodically
  4. Remove duplicates - Maintain clean data

Relationship Management​

  1. Document interactions - Record important notes
  2. Track performance - Monitor reliability
  3. Multiple contacts - Don't rely on one person
  4. Regular review - Assess supplier relationships

Organization​

  1. Consistent naming - Standard naming convention
  2. Categorize - Group similar suppliers
  3. Status management - Keep status current
  4. Archive properly - Handle inactive suppliers

Troubleshooting​

Supplier Not Found​

If you can't find a supplier:

  • Check search spelling
  • Review filters
  • Try different search terms
  • Verify supplier was created

Duplicate Suppliers​

Handle duplicates:

  1. Identify duplicate records
  2. Decide which to keep
  3. Transfer related data
  4. Delete duplicate

Missing Information​

If information is missing:

  1. Contact supplier for details
  2. Update profile
  3. Add notes about gaps
  4. Schedule follow-up if needed