MochaOrder
MochaOrder is supplier ordering for hospitality venues in Japan: one order across every supplier, with replies and a record of who did what kept on the order. As CTO I built the product and run its technology.
/* Problem */
A venue's morning order is spread across LINE messages, faxes, phone calls and paper notes. What was ordered from whom tends to live in one person's head, and what the supplier said back is not tied to the order at all.
/* What I built */
The ordering app and the supplier email system behind it. Staff build one order from a single list across all of a venue's suppliers, a manager approves it, and the app splits it by supplier. It runs on phone, tablet and desktop in English and Japanese, and each venue's data is separated at database level.
Feature highlights
Feature 1
/* One order, split by supplier */
One list becomes one order, and the app splits it by supplier. Suppliers on email receive a bilingual purchase order automatically once it is approved. Phone, fax and LINE suppliers are placed by hand: the app flags the order, writes a message to copy for LINE and records who placed it.
Feature 2
/* Replies and history on the order */
Each venue has its own ordering address, so a supplier's reply to an order email comes back onto that order, marked with whether the sender could be verified. Staff can answer from the order, and its history keeps who did what and when, including orders placed by hand.
Feature 3
/* Checks before it goes */
Before an order goes out, the app checks each supplier's delivery days, cut-off time and minimum order. It warns when a quantity is well above the usual amount, and asks before someone repeats a similar order placed in the last two days.
/* Outcome */
Live at mochaorder.com in English and Japanese. Email orders go out automatically and replies come back onto the order, while phone, fax and LINE suppliers are handled by hand in the same record.