Disclaimer: Not all features shown are available with the standard LilyPad Vortex package.
Logging In #
Once you have received your LilyPad Vortex URL, the first place you will see is the login screen. The login screen looks the same for both salespeople and customers, no matter which settings you switch on or off later.
To log into Vortex, enter the password and username you were provided. The admin can change the username and password at any time in the Fishbowl setup settings.
Resetting Your Vortex Password #
Customers can reset their passwords on their own — admins do not have to get involved to reset customer passwords.
If a customer forgets their password, they can click the Reset Password button on the login page, which sends a link via email to reset it.
After clicking the link in the email, the customer is taken to a screen where they can enter their new password.
Need Help Link #
The “Need Help?” button is also featured on the login page so users can get in contact with the admin company if any further issues arise.
You can set what information is displayed when a user clicks the “Need Help?” button. Enter the different types of support information in the Support Information setting.
Home Page #
This is the Vortex Home Page. From here you can access the Settings, Reports, and Orders tabs on the left side of the page, and the Categories button on the left to access your product trees.
The home page also has a search bar (top right) for users to look up products by UPC, item number, or description.
The products shown at the top of the home page are placed there by the “Featured” setting — whatever category is selected in that setting always appears first on the home page.
The “Select Customer” bar on the right lets users see the currently selected customer they will be making orders for.
At the bottom right of the page, users can find the Terms and Conditions and additional pages for items, if applicable.
Categories #
Note: Categories in Vortex are the same as product trees from Fishbowl.
The Categories tab shows all product trees the user has synced from Fishbowl. Access to certain product trees can be turned on and off when creating a customer or salesperson.
You can limit a customer or salesperson’s access to products when creating them in the Manage Users settings.
If a category has sub-categories under it, a drop-down will appear and squares will show the sub-categories. Clicking a square takes you to that sub-category. (For example, here we clicked on “Bike Parts” and a square appeared for each sub-category.)
Reports #
LilyPad Vortex comes with two preset reports: Available for Sale and Sales Order Summary.
Reports can be accessed from the Reports drop-down next to Categories. Reports can be restricted to salesperson-only or customer-only use in the “Reports” setting.
Orders #
For information on how to create a Sales Order, see the Sales Orders article.
Both salespeople and customers can view their orders from the “Orders” drop-down next to Reports. Three types of orders can be viewed — Sales, Transfer, and Purchase (if applicable). You can view saved, submitted, and pending orders.
The look-back period for orders can be changed under the Sales Order, Transfer Order, and Purchase Order settings respectively.
Viewing Saved or Submitted Orders #
From the “Orders” drop-down, users can see past saved and submitted orders within the specified time frame. Users can change the look-back period using the calendar icon on the right side of the screen. If you already know the order number, you can use the search bar at the top to find it.
Orders display information about who placed the order, the order number, the number of items, and the total cost.
Orders are also marked with a letter on the left showing their status:
- E — Estimate
- I — Issued
- F — Fulfilled
- P — Partial / Picked
For more detail, users can preview an order by clicking the right-hand drop-down. From this drop-down, users can also duplicate, print, email, and create a PDF of previous orders. Clicking “Preview” brings up more detailed information about the order.