Orders received by fax, as photos or as scanned PDFs can be uploaded as they are. AI reads them and adds a row to the Customer orders sheet (your order log) with the customer, items, quantities, delivery date and ship-to address. Delivery dates go to Google Calendar, and handwritten or blurry orders are marked Needs review so you can check them against the original.
Who still sends orders by fax or photo, and why log them?
Many customers, such as restaurants, shops and smaller contractors, still place orders for food, supplies or parts by phone, fax, text message or a photo of a handwritten list. Each channel is convenient for the customer, but on the receiving end they all have to end up in the same place.
The format is different for every customer, too. Some fax a printed purchase order, some send a photo of a handwritten note, and some type a list of items into a message. Whoever receives them has to rewrite each one into the same columns.
When orders are scattered across channels, it is easy to drop one while turning the afternoon's orders into tomorrow's delivery list, or to misread a unit (case, lb, each) and ship the wrong thing. At month end, people also end up searching for what was ordered on a given day. Logging each order as a row as soon as it arrives gives delivery prep and billing a single source.
Which columns should an order log have?
| Column | What to record |
|---|---|
| Received at | The date and time the order arrived. This separates orders before and after your cutoff |
| Customer | The restaurant, store or company that placed the order |
| PO number | The order's number, if it has one; otherwise leave it blank |
| Item and spec | Item name and spec (e.g., yellow onions, 50 lb bag) |
| Quantity | Quantity and unit. Always record the unit so cases, lb and each do not get mixed up |
| Delivery date and ship-to | Delivery date or time window and where to deliver (store, kitchen, warehouse) |
| Notes | Substitutions allowed, delivery time requests, payment terms, etc. |
| Status | Received, In progress, Shipped, Delivered, Canceled |
If much of your business is next-day delivery, set a cutoff such as "orders after 4 p.m. ship the day after tomorrow" and use the received-at time to sort orders before and after it. Building the delivery list becomes much less confusing.
In AiutoForm, the Customer orders sheet holds received at, customer, PO number, order date, delivery date, ship-to, payment terms, item summary, amount and status, and each item's spec, quantity and unit price is kept in the Line items sheet. Every order gets its own document ID (PO-…) even if it has no number, and notes can go in the remarks column.
What happens when you upload a fax or photo order?
Whichever channel an order came through, the flow after uploading is the same.
- Upload it as you received itPhotograph a fax with your phone or upload a scanned PDF. For orders sent by text message, paste a screenshot (Ctrl+V) or save the photo and drag it onto the screen. There is no direct connection to messaging apps. Order emails and attachments that arrive in Gmail are read without uploading.
- Classified as a customer orderAI classifies orders, purchase orders and POs as customer orders and extracts the customer, items, quantities, delivery date and ship-to. Different formats end up in the same columns.
- One row in the order logEach order becomes one row in the Customer orders sheet and its items go to the Line items sheet. The customer is registered automatically in the Customers sheet.
- Delivery dates go to the calendarThe delivery date is added to Google Calendar, so tomorrow's deliveries are visible on the calendar.
- Check and update statusLow-confidence items, such as handwriting or a faint fax, are marked Needs review. Check quantities and units against the original and change the status when the order ships.
What to watch for when organizing orders
- Keep the originals. Fax pages and order photos are your evidence if billing questions or disputes come up. Use the log for finding and totaling, and keep the originals filed by date.
- Check units against the original. A handwritten "2" could mean cases or pounds. Confirm items marked Needs review by looking at the original.
- Crop screenshots to the order. A screenshot of a chat can include other messages or personal phone numbers.
- Watch for orders sent twice. The same file is never registered twice, but if a customer faxes an order and then texts a photo of it, those are different files and become two rows. Check rows with the same customer and delivery date and set one to Canceled.
- Record changes on the original row. When a customer changes a quantity or delivery date, find the original order row, correct it, and note the change and when you received it in the remarks.
- Log phone orders too. Photograph your handwritten notes or upload them as text and they go into the same log. Convert iPhone HEIC photos to JPG (Settings → Camera → Formats → Most Compatible).
In the demo, upload the sample order to see it saved as a customer order, no sign-up needed. For how emailed purchase orders flow into an order log and calendar, see the parts manufacturer use case (an illustrative example built from demo data, not a real customer story). If you are the one sending orders to suppliers, download the free purchase order Excel template. For signed delivery receipts after delivery, see the delivery receipt guide.
Frequently asked questions
Does it pull in orders from text messages automatically?
No. There is no connection to messaging apps. Paste a screenshot (Ctrl+V) or save the photo and upload it, and AI reads the order and records it in the Customer orders sheet.
How do I upload an order I received by fax?
Photograph the fax page with your phone and upload it, or drag a scanned PDF onto the screen. If you use an online fax service that delivers faxes to your email, orders arriving as Gmail attachments are read like any other attachment.
Does it work if every customer's order form is different?
Yes. Instead of reading fixed positions on a form, AI reads the content and finds the values, so handwritten orders and printed POs end up in the same columns. Low-confidence items are marked Needs review.
Once an order is in the log, can we throw away the fax?
It is better to keep it. Tax authorities expect business records to be kept for a set period, for example generally 3 years for many US income tax records and 6 years for UK limited companies, with longer periods in some cases. Keep the originals by date, use the log for finding and totaling, and confirm what applies to you with your accountant.
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