What’s new at FreshOrder
Four new features and an iPhone app went live last month, along with a round of QuickBooks, sign-in and security improvements. Here’s what each one does and where to find it.
A small favor to ask
I’ve made a demo that anyone can try from their phone or desktop. If you can think of one person who could use this, tap the button to share. Thanks, it helps me a lot!
FreshOrder is in the App Store
Your customers can download FreshOrder on their iPhone and place orders from the app, the same way they do on the web.
Romaine Hearts, case
Default
$42.00
Grocer
$38.50
Family
$36.00
Customer types
Group your customers, for example grocers and restaurants, and give each group its own menu and its own prices. A type can use your regular prices, its own price list, or a percentage off.
Where to find it
Settings › Master Menu › Customer Types
North zone
M
T
W
T
F
In town
M
T
W
T
F
Delivery zones
Pull your customers’ addresses in from QuickBooks, sort them into zones by town or postal code, and set which days you deliver to each zone.
Where to find it
Settings › Fulfillment › Delivery Zones
case
each
bag
sack
box
bushel
bin
lb
Units and pick sheet options
Tag each product as a case, each, bag, sack, box, bushel, bin or lb. The unit shows on the order and prints on the pick sheet, so nobody writes “case” by hand. You can also choose which columns your pick sheet prints.
Where to find it
Settings › Admin › Pick Sheet
Your Company
Ordering page and order summary
Your logo, where customers order
Your logo now sits at the top of your customers’ ordering page and on their order summary. If you’ve already uploaded one, it’s showing now.
Where to find it
Nothing to set up
What’s changed
Things that already existed and now work better.
Invoices use today’s price
Each line is priced when you send it, not when the order was placed. A product you’ve linked to a QuickBooks item always invoices against that item.
Prices come in with your products
Importing products from QuickBooks now brings each item’s price along.
Missing prices are flagged
A line with no price anywhere still goes through at a $1.00 placeholder, and the orders page lists those lines after the send so you can fix them in QuickBooks.
New PINs need a texted code
A customer setting a PIN for the first time gets a one-time code by text first. Easy-to-guess PINs like 1234 are no longer accepted.
Renamed products stay on the order
Changing or hiding a product no longer drops it from an order a customer is placing.
Numbers match your calendar
Totals count every order, and This Quarter and This Year follow the calendar. Order windows and dates use your local time.
Orders need a signed-in customer
A phone number on its own can no longer place or change an order. Customers sign in with their PIN or the link you text them.
Safer sends
A cancelled order can no longer be sent to QuickBooks, and a send that fails partway no longer leaves an order stuck.
Reminders catch up
If an order reminder is missed while the app is updating, it goes out on the next pass instead of being skipped.
Nightly backups
Your data is backed up every night.
Security and small fixes
Stronger security behind the scenes and a long list of small fixes to make the app quicker and easier to use.
In the works
What I’m building next. Timing may shift.
Building now
Order by text
Your customers text their order in plain words. FreshOrder reads it, confirms it back, and puts it in your orders list.
Building now
How-to videos
Short walkthroughs for every part of the app, for you and for new staff.
Up next
Updates by email
A sign-up so you and your team get updates like this one in your inbox.
Got an idea? Tell me.
Most of what’s on this page started as a customer asking “can it do this?” If something slows you down, or you wish the app did one more thing, text me or send a note.
Know someone who’d use this?
The demo runs on a phone in about a minute, with no sign-up. If you know another wholesaler, grower or distributor still taking orders by text and voicemail, pass it along.