Business Documents
Geoff Leese
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Objectives

Be able to
 recognise
 describe
the purpose of
 describe the source and destination of
 describe the contents of
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Typical business documentation
Typical business documentation
Sales order
 Despatch note
 Delivery note
 Sales invoice
 Sales credit note
 Customer statement
 Remittance advice
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The sales order


From the customer to the firm
Contains (minimum)




Customer details (despatch address may be
different to invoice address)
Order date
Order number
Details for each item required
– Ref no, description, quantity, cost per item, total


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Total order value (sum of totals above)
Terms and conditions of order
May contain information about promotional
codes, discounts to be applied etc.
The despatch note


From sales dept to warehouse
Contains (minimum)




Customer details (despatch address)
Order date
Order number
Details for each item required (INCLUDE LOCATION)
– Ref no, description, quantity, cost per item, total


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Total order value (sum of totals above)
Method of delivery
Despatch date
Space for signature of person picking and despatching
the order
The delivery note


From warehouse to customer
Contains (minimum)




Customer details (despatch address)
Order date
Order number
Details for each item required
– Ref no, description, quantity, cost per item, total


6
Total order value (sum of totals above)
Space for signature of person checking and
receiving order
Goods received note
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Used by goods IN department of
customer to tell their purchasing
department that an order has been
received and checked.
Sales invoice


A demand for payment from firm to customer
Contains (minimum)







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Our details (include VAT reg no if we have one)
Customer details
Invoice number
Invoice date
Details of goods supplied (as sales order)
Total due
Payment method
Payment terms and instructions
Credit note
Issued accompanying refunds
 The “opposite” of an invoice
 Contains (minimum)

 Customer
details
 Our details (include VAT reg no)
 Details of goods credited (as sales order)
 Total value of credit
 Reason for credit note
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Customer statement


Sent at the end of each trading period
(generally monthly)
Contains (minimum)



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Our details
Customer details
Summary of all transactions during the trading
period (includes invoices, credits and payments)
Amount owed
Settlement instructions and terms
Remittance advice


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Generally attached to bottom of invoice or
statement
Returned by customer to firm with payment
Contains (minimum)
Customer details
Statement/invoice reference
Amount owed
Amount paid
What do we mean by
“Customer details”?
Name (of indvidual or firm)
Address (usually invoice address – despatch
address may be different)
Tel no, email, fax no
Name of primary contact
Type of customer
Cash/credit – credit not usually allowed immediately
Credit rating
Can include other info for marketing purposes –
type of firm size of firm, what they do etc.
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Summary
Sales order
 Despatch note
 Delivery note
 Sales invoice
 Sales credit note
 Customer statement
 Remittance advice
 Those DFDs should now make sense……..
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Further reading
Elliot and Starkings (1998) , Business
Information Technology, chapter 7
 Online business forms (Nov 08)
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