Sales, Invoicing & Collections
Invoices, payments, customers, quotes and credit notes
Invoices
Invoices are the core of the sales module. Go to Sales → Invoices.
Invoice Lifecycle
Invoice created but not yet committed. No stock is deducted. You can freely edit line items. Safe to use while building an order.
Invoice is committed. Stock is deducted from the warehouse. Invoice number is assigned. PDF is auto-generated in the background. Invoice can no longer be edited.
A payment has been recorded but it does not cover the full balance. Both the amount paid and remaining balance are tracked.
All payments received — balance is zero. A receipt PDF is auto-generated and emailed to the customer for each payment.
Invoice cancelled. Stock is automatically returned to the warehouse. Finance ledger entries are reversed. Only unpaid invoices can be voided — record a credit note for invoices with payments.
Creating an Invoice
- Go to Sales → Invoices → New Invoice
- Select a customer from the searchable dropdown — filter by name, phone, or email. Use the + Add Customer button to create a customer inline without leaving the form (just enter name, phone, email, and payment terms)
- Add line items: search for a product, enter quantity and UoM. Price auto-fills from the customer's price list
- Apply discounts per line if needed
- Set the due date (auto-filled based on customer payment terms)
- Add notes if required (shown on the PDF)
- If eTIMS external mode is active, fill in the eTIMS section
- Click Save as Draft to save without committing, or Finalize to commit and deduct stock
Recording Payments
Open a finalized invoice and click Record Payment. Fill in:
| Field | Notes |
|---|---|
| Amount | Defaults to the full outstanding balance. Enter less for a partial payment |
| Payment Method | Cash, MPesa, Bank Transfer, Cheque, or Credit |
| Split Payment | Toggle on to pay with multiple methods (e.g., part Cash + part M-Pesa). Each split creates separate finance ledger entries |
| Reference | MPesa transaction code, cheque number, or bank reference — used for reconciliation |
| Date | Defaults to today. Can be backdated |
After recording a payment, a Receipt PDF is automatically generated and emailed to the customer. No manual action needed.
Customers
Manage your customer database at Sales → Customers.
Key fields:
- Credit Limit: Maximum outstanding balance allowed. The system warns (but doesn't block) when exceeded
- Payment Terms: Number of days before invoices are due (0 = due immediately)
- Price List: Assign a specific price list — overrides the default price list on invoices
- Sold by: The internal staff member who made the sale (revenue attribution)
- Referred by: Optional — the broker who brought the deal (commission tracking). Can be an internal staff member with broker privileges or an external broker
On the customer detail page, the Statement tab shows a running list of all invoices, payments, and credit notes with a running balance. Use the Generate Statement button to download or email a PDF statement to the customer.
Quotations
Quotes are sales proposals sent to customers before they commit to a purchase. Go to Sales → Quotes. Once a customer accepts, convert the quote to an invoice with one click — all line items carry over.
Quote statuses: Draft → Sent → Accepted / Rejected / Expired → Converted
Credit Notes
Use Sales → Credit Notes to issue a credit against a previous invoice — for returns, overcharges, or goodwill adjustments.
- Select the original invoice
- Choose the Return Type: Credit (on account), Swap (exchange for other goods), or Refund (cash back)
- Add the line items being credited and the reason
- Submit for approval or apply directly
- Once approved, the customer's balance is reduced and stock is automatically returned
Return Types
Amount stays on the customer's account as a credit for future purchases. Revenue is reversed in the ledger.
Customer exchanges returned goods for different products. Credit stays on account to be applied to a new invoice.
Cash is returned to the customer. Creates a cash outflow entry in the finance ledger. Only available when the return policy allows it.
Friendly Status Labels
StockPulse uses clear, human-friendly status labels throughout the sales module. The underlying values are unchanged for developers, but the UI shows friendlier names:
Smart Form Adaptation
The invoice form automatically adapts based on the items you add:
Warehouse selection and stock indicators are hidden. No branch needed. Perfect for consulting, repairs, or any non-stocked work.
Full warehouse/branch selection is shown with stock levels and availability badges for each line item.
Warehouse selection is shown for stocked items. Service line items display a "Service" pill so you can tell them apart at a glance.
Clone / Duplicate Invoices
Need to create a similar invoice? Open any invoice and click the Duplicate button. StockPulse creates a new draft with the same customer, line items, and notes — but with a fresh invoice number and today's dates. Edit anything you need before finalizing.
Edit Draft Invoices
Draft invoices can be edited at any time. Open the draft and click Edit to re-open the invoice form, pre-filled with the existing data. Make your changes and choose Save Changes to keep it as a draft, or Save & Finalize to commit and deduct stock in one step.
Public Invoice Links
Every finalized invoice gets a shareable public URL that your customer can view without logging in. The link is auto-generated on finalization, or you can generate one on-demand via the Get Link button on the invoice detail page.
stockpulse.co.ke/invoice/{token} — unique, unguessable token per invoice
Full invoice details with your company branding, line items, totals, and a Download PDF button. No login required.
Payment Reminders
Chase overdue payments without the awkwardness. StockPulse offers both manual and automatic reminders.
Manual Reminders
Open any unpaid or overdue invoice and click Send Reminder. The reminder is sent via WhatsApp first (if the customer has a phone number), with email as a fallback. The message includes the invoice number, amount due, and a link to view the invoice.
Automatic Reminders
Enable automatic reminders in Settings → Company. Configure how many days after the due date reminders should be sent (e.g., 3, 7, 14, and 30 days). StockPulse sends reminders at 9am EAT daily, up to 20 per tenant per run to avoid spamming.
lastReminderAt timestamp on each invoice ensures the same customer is not reminded too frequently.Recurring Invoices
For customers you bill regularly, set up recurring invoices to automate the process.
- Open any invoice and click Make Recurring
- Choose the frequency: weekly, monthly, quarterly, or yearly
- Set the day of month for generation (e.g., 1st of every month)
- Optionally enable Auto-Finalize to commit invoices automatically (otherwise they're created as drafts)
Manage all recurring invoices at Sales → Invoices → Recurring. Pause, resume, or end any recurring template at any time.
Proforma Invoices
Need to send a proforma instead of a quote? Proformas use the same feature as quotations but with a different label and "PRO" number prefix. When creating a quote, select Proforma Invoice as the document type. The workflow is identical — send, accept, convert to a real invoice.
Sales Targets
Track sales team performance against monthly targets at Sales → Targets. Set a target amount per salesperson per month and monitor progress in real time.