From Inquiry to Delivery: The Complete Order Journey

This guide walks through every step of the BakeOnyx workflow — from the moment a customer reaches out to the final delivery and payment.

Step 1: Receive the Inquiry

Inquiries arrive through multiple channels:

• Public inquiry form — embed on your website or share the link. Customers select product type (cake, cookie, cupcake, etc.), fill in event details, upload reference images, and submit.
• Phone/email/walk-in — staff creates the inquiry manually at Inquiries → New Inquiry, selecting the source.
• Social media — capture inquiries from Instagram, Facebook, or WhatsApp messages.

The inquiry form dynamically shows fields based on product type — cake orders show size/shape/filling/covering with multi-tier support, cookies show type/shape/topping, etc. All fields use bakery-customizable dropdown values.

Step 2: Review and Respond

On the inquiry detail page:

• Review all customer details, product customizations, reference images
• Assign to a team member and set priority (low/normal/high/urgent)
• Add internal notes visible only to staff
• Print the inquiry — choose Receipt (80mm thermal) or Full Page (A4 PDF)
• Respond to the customer via the communication tab

Step 3: Create a Quote (Optional)

If the customer needs pricing before committing:

1. Click "Create Quote" on the inquiry
2. Add line items with quantities and prices
3. Reference images from the inquiry auto-populate
4. Send the quote via email — customer receives a link to accept or decline

Skip this step if you want to convert the inquiry directly to an order.

Step 4: Convert to Order

Three ways to get from inquiry to order:

Option A — Customer accepts quote → auto-convert: Enable "Auto-convert to order when quote is accepted" in Settings → Inquiries → Workflow Automation. The order is created automatically when the customer clicks Accept.

Option B — Customer accepts quote → manual convert: After the quote is accepted, click "Convert to Order" on the inquiry or quote detail page.

Option C — Direct conversion: Skip quotes entirely — click "Convert to Order" on the inquiry. An order is created with all inquiry data mapped automatically.

Step 5: Fulfill the Order

The order now appears in your Orders list and on the Calendar:

• Confirm the order and set production dates
• Order shows on the production schedule
• Create tasks for your team (bake, decorate, assemble)
• Track progress through status updates

Step 6: Invoice and Get Paid

• Generate an invoice from the order detail page
• Send via email — customer receives a "Pay Now" link (Stripe/Square)
• Or record manual payments (cash, card, bank transfer)
• Deposit from the inquiry carries through to the order

Step 7: Deliver

• Mark as ready for pickup or out for delivery
• Delivery address from the inquiry carries through
• Customer receives notification when order is ready

Data Flow Summary

Everything flows seamlessly:

Inquiry (customer details, product customizations, images, dietary, deposit) → Quote (pricing, images) → Order (all data, items, deposit) → Invoice (totals, per-item tax) → Payment (online or manual)

No re-entering data at any stage. The inquiry is the single source of truth that feeds everything downstream.