The document flow
You can start at any step, and each document copies its lines into the next.
| Step | What happens | What it changes |
|---|---|---|
| Lead and opportunity | Record a prospect and track the deal through stages. | Nothing in the books |
| Quotation | Offer prices with a valid-until date. A lead can be quoted before it is a customer. | Nothing in the books |
| Sales order | Confirm what was ordered. Part-delivered orders stay open. | Commits the stock |
| Delivery note | Choose serial numbers and mark as delivered. | Stock falls and the cost is recorded |
| Invoice | Issue it. It can no longer be edited, only credited. | Receivable, revenue and VAT posted |
| Receipt | Tick the invoices being paid, with the method and reference. | Receivable clears and the money account rises |
| Credit note | Credit a return or a mistake, with or without goods back into stock. | Reverses what applies |
At the counter
The cashier opens a shift and counts the opening cash. They scan or search products, choose the customer (walk-in by default) and take payment by cash, M-Pesa, card or loyalty points, split if needed. A sale can be held while another customer is served.
Each counter sale becomes a numbered, issued invoice with the stock moved from that counter's warehouse. Each payment becomes a receipt in the counter's money account. At the end of the shift the cashier counts the cash, Navigate shows the difference from what was expected, and the shift report is saved.
Where pack sizes are on, a box has its own tile and barcode at the pack price, while the single piece keeps its own.
Prices, credit and cash customers
- Price lists by customer group, discount rules, and time-limited promotions that apply on their own.
- Loyalty points on sales to named customers, redeemed at the till or on an invoice.
- Credit limits and payment terms per customer. Cash customers pay as the invoice is posted, so a credit sale cannot happen by mistake. A one-off exception needs someone who may approve sales, and it is recorded.
- Down payments can be taken before invoicing and are deducted from the invoice. They are off until you turn them on.
- Margin control: an invoice below your minimum margin goes for approval unless the person has that right.
Getting paid
With M-Pesa connected in Kenya, a payment prompt goes to the customer's phone and the confirmed payment can be claimed at the till. An M-Pesa code cannot be used on two receipts. Card payment links run through Pesapal or Flutterwave.
Customer statements, receivables ageing and payment reminders follow up what is still owed. Unallocated money stays as a credit on the customer's account.
Sales away from the office
- Phone orders: a rep takes an order at the customer, even with no signal. It arrives in the office as a draft to check and confirm, priced by the customer's price list and promotions at that point.
- Customer visits: purpose, outcome, next step and an optional location. Managers can see where the team has been.
- Van sales: each van is its own warehouse. Loading is approved, the van POS sells only what the van carries, and the day closes with a stock count and a cash, M-Pesa and card reconciliation that a supervisor locks.
- Marketplace: products listed on the Navigate Marketplace bring orders in as sales orders.
Who does what
The Sales role handles customers, quotations, orders and invoices. Finance handles the ledger side. Managers approve and export. Salespeople can be limited to their own records, or to their team's, and each salesperson can have a monthly target and a commission rate with a dashboard leaderboard.
Where Navigate may not fit
- The POS has no offline mode. A till with no internet cannot sell through Navigate.
- Van sales has no offline mode and no route planning.
- Prices shown on the phone are indicative. The final price is set when the order reaches Navigate, so it can differ.
- Phone orders arrive as drafts and need someone in the office to confirm them.
- Automatic M-Pesa matching is for Safaricom M-Pesa in Kenya. Other wallets are recorded by reference unless a card provider covers them.
- Tax signing is connected for KRA eTIMS only.
Frequently asked questions
Does the POS work without internet?
No. The POS, invoices and payments need a connection. Only customer visits and sales orders can be captured offline on a phone.
Are POS sales signed by eTIMS?
Yes, where eTIMS is connected. A POS sale becomes an issued invoice and follows the same signing route. eTIMS applies to Kenya.
Can we correct an issued invoice?
Not directly. Issue a credit note for the wrong part and a new invoice if needed, so the history stays. Drafts can be edited freely.
Can a van sell on credit?
Only if you allow it in the van sales settings. By default vans are cash only. If credit is on, it applies only to customers with credit terms and within their limit.