why cloud now: company store

Meeting Purpose

Demonstrate and explain the Company Store feature in Darwin Cloud, including setup and usage for both agents and staff.

Key Takeaways

• Company Store allows brokerages to sell products and services to agents, with automated billing and inventory management
• Agents can place orders through their portal, while staff can manage orders, set up items, and place orders on behalf of agents
• The system offers flexibility in pricing, inventory control, and revenue attribution across multiple offices or regions
• Future enhancements may include agent-initiated order cancellation and improved attachment handling for order notifications

Topics

Company Store Overview

• Facilitates selling products (e.g., swag, signs) and services (e.g., data entry, customized cards) to agents
• Automates billing and invoicing process
• Agents can view order history and status in their portal
• Items can be set for prepayment or added to the agent's monthly bill
• Can direct agents to external vendor sites for certain products

Order Process for Agents

• Access store through Darwin Cloud (desktop or mobile)
• Simple 2-step process for basic items: select quantity, review, and finish
• More complex items (e.g., business cards, ads) have additional steps for text input and image selection
• Can use existing property images from Darwin or upload new ones
• Video URLs can be added for items like landing pages

Staff Management of Company Store

• Access through Bills > Order Review in Darwin Cloud
• Can filter orders by date range, company, fulfillment status, and payment status
• Ability to view invoices, cancel unfulfilled orders, and manage inventory
• Can place orders on behalf of agents

Setting Up Items for Sale

• Requires item name, price, image, and description
• Options include prepayment requirement, property address requirement, and inventory management
• Can restrict item visibility to specific companies or offices
• Set GL account for revenue recognition and office credit for sales

Inventory and Time-Limited Items

• System can track inventory levels for physical products
• Supports time-limited slots (e.g., magazine ad spaces) with deadlines

Notifications and Workflow

• Can set up email notifications for staff when orders are placed
• Potential for direct notifications to vendors (e.g., printers) to be explored

Next Steps

• Attend tomorrow's hands-on training session for setting up Company Store items
• Explore PDF upload capabilities for order attachments
• Investigate potential enhancements:
  • Agent-initiated order cancellation
  • "Offers prepayment" option in addition to "Requires prepayment"
  • Improved handling of attachments in order notifications

watch this short video to learn more: