Order numbers, tags, and custom fields: small settings worth deciding first

Suppose the old system has reached order 48,213 and the first document from the replacement says 1001. Meanwhile, a designer calls about “the lake house job,” which nobody remembers by number. These illustrative references show two different needs: keeping paperwork orderly and finding the purchase the way people describe it.

Decide the number format, project reference, tag vocabulary, and useful custom fields before data accumulates. OrderPilot supports each of those jobs. Keeping them distinct makes the record easier to maintain and the search easier to use.

Continue the number sequence deliberately

OrderPilot supports merchant prefixes and sequences for the relevant order, sales-order, invoice, and PO numbers. Review the next sequence value with the person maintaining your records, and keep PO numbering aligned with the purchasing setup. Continuing a sequence helps staff relate new documents to the old convention. It does not change the original references on historic agreements or import the old orders. Keep any old-to-new reference mapping with the cutover records.

Avoid making the number describe the entire sale. The first-week setup plan is a good time to agree a readable convention, before a location code, salesperson initial, and delivery month begin competing for space.

Use the reference for the project people remember

The optional number reference adds a short human description beside the record number and makes it searchable. Turn it on when staff routinely discuss jobs by room or project rather than by number.

A label like “Quote 1337 · lake house dining room” gives the team both a precise identifier and the phrase the designer is likely to use. The quote-details guide explains how that reference works alongside line notes. A project reference is not a guarantee that the vendor receives a manufacturing label. The PO PDF does not print the Side Label or a customer order number on each line; use the printable vendor notes where the maker needs a reference. The sidemark explainer separates the vendor's labeling job from the store's search aid.

Use tags to group records you will act on

Tags are useful when they identify a group the team needs to filter or review. In OrderPilot, staff can add them on creation, while editing, or in bulk from the quote and order lists, and they sync both ways with Shopify.

A starting vocabulary might include “trade,” “designer referral,” “floor model,” and “rush review.” Define what each means and who applies it. “Rush review” should identify work to assess, not silently promise a delivery date. Keep tags short and use the same spelling. A tag is a category shared by several records; the project reference describes this particular job. Neither replaces an order status. The tags and filters guide covers finding the resulting groups using filters and Mine/All, without treating them as saved custom views.

Put a custom field where the answer belongs

Order fields capture information about the whole purchase, while line descriptions explain a particular item. Customer fields hold information that remains useful across that customer's visits, such as a trade tier or a stable preference. On a design project, the room name belongs with the order, a fabric instruction belongs with the sofa line, and the firm's trade tier belongs with the customer. Choose whether a customer field is editable or read-only on the order page according to who should maintain it.

The right number of fields is the number the team can use consistently. Before adding one, name who supplies the answer and what decision it changes. A field nobody reads is a small administrative ottoman: always in the way, rarely where anyone needs it. Use the needs-discovery questions to choose information that prevents an actual mistake.

Agree the decision sheet and test the search

Create a sample quote using the choices, then ask another staff member to find it by project reference and filter for its tag. Read the custom fields back without explaining them. If the record needs translation, simplify the wording before live use.

Continue with quote details, project references, and line notes once the store has agreed what each part of the record is for.