Customer, Sales and CRM

Abel’s Customer and Sales functionality is built for manufacturers and distributors who need more than just basic order entry. It’s designed to support complex pricing, long-term customer relationships, all while keeping your team informed and your customers satisfied.

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Customer Workflow

Abel provides a complete customer and sales workflow – from initial quote through to final receipt – giving your business the tools to manage every step with precision and ease. Whether you’re selling from stock or manufacturing to order, Abel keeps your sales process streamlined and connected.

Core Features

Configurable Workflow Manage the full customer lifecycle: Customer Quotes, Orders, Despatches, Invoices, Receipts in a configurable workflow to suit your business.
Multiple Sales Workflows Use different workflows for different sales models including stock sales, manufacture-to-order, jobbing, and construction contracts.
Linked Documents Each document is linked back to its source, giving you full traceability and quick navigation through to related documents.
Automated Document Progression Posting one document in the customer workflow can automatically generate the next and close the previous, reducing manual effort.
Customer Dashboard A dedicated dashboard helps customer care and sales teams view order status, late orders or overdue invoices, and quickly build new quotes or orders based on sales history.
Customer Reports & Enquiries Access powerful reports and enquiries, including Aged Debtor Balances and “Delivered In Full On Time” (DIFOT) performance reporting, along with enquiry screens that support key business processes and decision-making.

Customer Information

Abel’s Customer Information provides the foundation for your Sales workflow, Accounts Receivable, and Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) processes.

Core Features

Customer Maintenance Create and manage customer records with configurable categories to suit your business structure.
Financial Settings Set credit limits, discount percentages, default currency and tax type.
Multiple Locations & Contacts Manage multiple delivery and billing locations per customer, shipping port for export container processing, and multiple contacts for sales, accounts, and logistics.
Notes & Attachments Record internal notes and attach emails, documents, and PDFs, such as PDF invoices linked to the customer record.
Rebate & Discount Settings Set rebate and discount options used in customer quotes and orders.
Freight Recovery & Unit-Based Discounts Include freight recovery and shipped unit calculations for order discounts.

Quotes and Orders

Most businesses begin their customer workflow with either a Quote or an Order. Abel’s flexible quoting and ordering functions are designed to support manufacturers, distributors and wholesalers with complex sales requirements, giving you control, visibility, and efficiency from the very first step.

Core Features

Flexible Order Creation Create a Customer Order from scratch, from a Quote, from the Customer Dashboard or copy an existing order to save time and maintain consistency.
Attach Supporting Document Link Bills of Materials, specifications, and other documents directly to quotes and orders.
Deposits Functionality Take pre-payments using Abel’s integrated deposits feature.
Include Samples, Freight, or Kitsets Easily add non-stock items, freight charges, or kitsets to your quotes and orders.
Margin Visibility View margins in real time to support pricing decisions and profitability.
Initiate Related ProcessesTrigger back-to-back purchasing, make-to-order manufacturing, or service jobbing directly from the order.
Multi-Warehouse Selling Sell stock from different warehouses to fulfil customer needs efficiently.
Rebate Functionality Apply and manage customer rebates within the order process.

Additional Features

Flexible Quote Creation Create quotes from scratch or copy existing ones to save time.
Spreadsheet UploadsUpload quote lines from a spreadsheet for bulk quoting.
Optional Approvals ProcessUse configurable approval workflows for quotes requiring review.
Quote-to-Order Conversion Seamlessly convert quotes into orders — Abel copies all relevant details through.
eCommerce Integration Interface with platforms like Shopify^® and WooCommerce^®to capture website sales – both retail and trade – directly into Abel.
OCR Integration Create Abel documents electronically from third-party Optical Character Recognition (OCR) applications such as Acume^® and Lucy^®, reducing manual data entry.

Bills of Materials

Bills of Materials (BOMs) are used throughout Abel, including within the Customer workflow. Whether you’re quoting custom work or selling standard products, Abel’s BOM functionality helps manufacturers manage product structures with precision and flexibility.

Core Features

Designer BOMs Create individual BOMs for specific Customer requirements without disrupting standard processes. These can be attached to Customer Quotes, Customer Orders, and the manufacturing documents that follow.
BOM Templates Create reusable BOMs for standard product configurations and typical manufacturing processes. Normally linked to inventory items and reused across multiple jobs.
Custom BOM Creation Designer BOMs can be built from template BOMs or created entirely from scratch to suit unique customer requirements.
Quoting Variable Work For variable jobs such as repairs, Designer BOMs can be used as a pricing tool to help arrive at an accurate quote.
Workflow Integration Designer BOMs flow through the document chain, progressing seamlessly from quote to order to manufacturing.

Customer Deposits

Abel’s Customer Deposits functionality enables manufacturers to manage deposits and progress payments as part of the customer workflow. Deposits are recorded in Abel’s dedicated Deposits Ledger, separate from the Debtors Ledger, ensuring clear financial tracking and control.

Core Features

Integrated Deposit Lines Create deposits and progress payments directly on customer quotes or orders.
Proforma Invoicing Raise proforma invoices for deposit or progress payment amounts. These are tracked in the Deposits Ledger until settled.
Standard Receipting Use Abel’s standard Customer Receipts process to record deposit payments.
Status Tracking with Color Coding Abel tracks paid and unpaid deposits using color coding to clearly indicate their status at a glance.
Deposit Enquiry Screen View all active deposits in a dedicated enquiry screen. They remain visible until they are fully settled by a closed Customer Invoice.
Customer Invoices Generate Customer Invoices that include receipted deposits and progress payments, automatically reducing the total amount owing.

Pricing for Sales

Abel’s flexible pricing engine is designed to support the complex pricing needs of manufacturers. Whether you’re pricing by customer, by volume, or product structure, Abel gives you the tools to manage pricing with precision and ease.

Core Features

Customer-Specific Pricing Set pricing by individual customer or customer category to support tailored sales strategies.
Alternate Units of Measure Define pricing for different units of measure to suit how your products are sold.
Multi-Currency Handling Manage pricing across multiple currencies for international customers and markets.
Quantity Breaks Offer volume-based discounts with configurable quantity break pricing, applying either a percentage or value discount at each threshold.
Pricing History Track historical pricing for audit, analysis and informed decision-making.
BOM-Based Pricing Calculate pricing based on the structure and cost of Bills of Materials for accurate quoting and margin control.

Special Pricing and Contracts

Abel offers advanced pricing and contract features to support manufacturers dealing with specialised customer arrangements. Whether you’re managing promotional pricing, staged deliveries, or construction contracts, Abel gives you the flexibility to handle it.

Core Features

Pricing Contracts by Date Range Set special pricing for defined periods – ideal for promotions, seasonal offers, or negotiated terms.
Customer Contracts for Staged Deliveries Manage long-term customer agreements involving multiple orders delivered over time.
Construction Contracts Support for Payment Claims and Retentions to meet construction industry billing requirements.
Customer Owned Stock Track customer-owned inventory by quantity at zero value. Common use cases include:
1. Stock that is made to order, purchased to order, or transferred from your own stock, invoiced, and held in your warehouse until the customer requests it.
2. Stock or raw materials supplied by customers for contract manufacturing.

Back Orders and Shortages

Abel provides powerful tools to help manufacturers and distributors manage back orders and stock shortages with clarity and control. By making shortages visible by due date, Abel helps your team respond quickly, maintain customer satisfaction, and improve delivery performance.

Core Features

Back Order Tracking Automatically manage items that can’t be fulfilled immediately, with clear tracking and follow-up options.
Real-Time Shortage Visibility See stock shortages as orders are entered, to inform your fulfilment and purchasing processes.
Dispatch Constraints Identify orders that can’t be dispatched due to scheduling or inventory limitations.
DIFOT Performance Monitor your Delivered In Full On Time (DIFOT) performance with clear visibility of the original expected date – even if changes occur – so you can monitor delivery performance accurately.

CRM

Abel includes Customer Relationship Management (CRM) functionality designed to support manufacturers and distributors through the sales cycle. From lead generation to order fulfilment, Abel helps your team stay organized, informed, and responsive.

Core Features

Leads and Opportunities Track potential customers and sales opportunities with structured records and progress indicators.
Sales Pipeline Management Visualize your pipeline with configurable sales cycle stages, color-coded by opportunity value for quick prioritization.
Opportunity Integration Link CRM opportunities directly to resulting quotes and orders for seamless workflow continuity.
Tasks, Notes, and Events Record interactions, schedule follow-ups, and log key activities to keep your team aligned.
Document Attachments Use Abel’s standard document attachment functions to store or link external files, images, and supporting documents.

Abel Mobile Sales App

Abel’s Mobile Sales App for Android® and iOS® delivers selected functionality in a mobile format, designed to complement Abel’s desktop system. Whether your Sales Team is in the field, in your showroom, or working from your parts department, the Abel Mobile Sales App keeps them connected and productive.

Core Features

Customers and Leads Access customer and lead information on the go for quick reference and follow-up.
Inventory and Stock on Hand View real-time inventory levels and use barcode scanning for fast item lookup.
Shopping Cart Build and manage shopping carts for customer orders directly from the app.
Quote and Order Creation Create customer quotes and orders from anywhere, with full integration to your Abel system.
Communications Log interactions and stay in touch with customers using built-in communication tools.