Adding a supplier

Settings → Suppliers → Add. Three fields matter.

Name and email

The name appears on orders and on Partswatch. The email is where chase messages go — use the address a person reads, not a general enquiries inbox that nobody has opened since March.

Default lead time

The number of working days this supplier usually takes. Benchtop uses it to fill in a promised date when you raise an order, and to decide when a line is late.

Start with what they tell you, then correct it after a month against what actually happens. Most shops find one or two of their suppliers are consistently three days slower than they claim, and the lead time is where you record that rather than remember it.

Who chases

By default the chase email comes from your shop's address with your name on it. You can set a different reply-to per supplier if orders go through one person.