Admin Role User Guide

1. Overview & Role Description

The Admin role is designed for operations and management staff who oversee the day-to-day activities of the MC B2B Portal. This includes managing the catalog, overseeing clients, processing RFQs, setting prices, and updating website content.

2. Dashboard

Upon logging in, the Admin is presented with the Dashboard. This provides a high-level overview of the portal's current activity across all sellers and clients.

The dashboard contains four primary metric tiles:

1. New RFQs: The total number of Request for Quotations awaiting initial processing.
2. Pending Approvals: Number of client registrations waiting to be reviewed and approved.
3. Active Clients: Total number of active clients registered on the portal.
4. Products: The total number of active products in the catalog.

Admin Dashboard showing global metrics and recent activity

3. Panel Layout

The Admin backend panel is organized into logical groups in the left sidebar to facilitate easy navigation.

4. Client Management

Admins have comprehensive oversight of all clients registered on the portal, regardless of which seller they are assigned to.

Client List View

The client management screen is divided into tabs for easy filtering:

• All: Complete list of clients in the system.
• Pending: Clients who registered via the frontend but have not yet been approved.
• Active: Approved clients currently able to log in and request quotes.
• Rejected: Applications that were denied.
• Disabled: Previously active accounts that have been suspended.

Admins can also use the Seller Filter dropdown to view only clients assigned to a specific salesperson.

Client management screen showing filter tabs and all global clients

Approving Client Registrations

When a company registers via the frontend, they land in the "Pending" tab. To approve them, an Admin must:

1. Review their company details and submitted documentation.
2. Assign a specific Seller to manage the account.
3. Input their ERP Code to link them to the backend accounting system.
4. Click "Approve". An email will automatically be sent to the client with their login credentials.

Approving a pending client requires assigning a seller and ERP code

Managing Client Details

Once a client is active, Admins can manage various aspects of their account:

• Price Lists: Change which price list applies to the client.
• Show Prices Toggle: Enable or disable the client's ability to see prices before requesting a quote.
• Status Toggle: Deactivate or reactivate an account.
• Delivery Addresses: Add, edit, or remove authorized delivery addresses for the client.
• Financial Info: View outstanding balances synced from the ERP.

Managing a client's authorized delivery addresses

5. RFQ Management

Admins can view and process any Request for Quotation (RFQ) in the system, acting as a backup or oversight to the sales team.

RFQ Listing & Filtering

The RFQ list displays all requests across the portal. Admins can filter this list by:

• Status (New, In Progress, Quoted, Accepted, Rejected, Expired)
• Client Name
• Date Range
• Search by RFQ ID or product reference

The global RFQ list showing requests from all clients

RFQ Workspace

Clicking into an RFQ opens the workspace where Admins can:

• View requested products and quantities.
• Change the RFQ status manually if required.
• Add internal notes or files.
• Generate the formal quotation (see Quotation Builder).

The RFQ Workspace for reviewing and processing requests

Creating RFQs Internally

Admins can create an RFQ on behalf of a client who perhaps called or emailed their request:

1. Navigate to RFQs and click "New RFQ".
2. Select the target Client.
3. Search and add products to the request.
4. Adjust requested quantities.
5. Submit. It will now appear in the system as if the client had submitted it.

Admins also have the ability to click "Reorder" on previously accepted quotations to instantly generate a new identical RFQ.

Creating an RFQ on behalf of a client

6. Quotation Builder

The Quotation Builder is where an RFQ is converted into an official quote with pricing, discounts, and terms.

Admin Pricing Capabilities

Building the Quote

1. Open an RFQ and enter the builder.
2. Review the current stock info visible inline.
3. Adjust prices, apply discounts, or update quantities as needed.
4. Set the "Valid Until" date and "Suggested Delivery" timeline.
5. Select or modify the terms and conditions.

Two-Step Issuing Process

Sending a quote follows a two-step process to prevent accidental sending:

1. Click Save Draft to finalize the numbers without notifying the client.
2. Click Issue Quotation to finalize it. This changes the status to "Quoted" and notifies the client via email and push notification.

Once issued, the Admin can download the PDF version or use the built-in WhatsApp sharing button to send the link directly to the client's phone.

7. Client Notifications

This feature allows Admins to place temporary alerts or announcements at the top of the client portal.

Rules for Notifications:

• Admins can broadcast a notification to ALL clients simultaneously.
• Only one notification can be active per client at any given time.
• Clients must click the "X" to dismiss the notification, allowing the portal to track read receipts.

Managing active and past client portal notifications

Composing a new notification broadcast to all clients

8. Price Lists

Price Lists dictate the base pricing clients see before any specific quote discounts are applied. Admins have full control over these lists.

Managing Price Lists

• Create/Edit/Delete: Admins can manage the structure of price lists.
• Default List: Specify which list applies to new clients automatically.
• Promotions: Admins can configure time-bound promotional prices on specific lists.

Updating Prices

Prices can be updated in two ways:

1. Inline Editing: Clicking into a price list allows for quick, individual price adjustments on the fly.
2. Bulk Import: For large updates, Admins can download a CSV template, modify prices in Excel, and upload the new sheet via the Bulk Import tool.

Overview of all active price lists in the system

Inline editing of product prices within a specific list

9. Catalog Management

Maintaining an accurate and well-organized product catalog is a primary responsibility of the Admin role. The catalog consists of Products, Categories, and Brands.

Brands & Categories

Before adding products, the structure must be in place. Admins can perform full CRUD (Create, Read, Update, Delete) operations on:

• Brands: Add brand names and upload brand logos.
• Categories: Build a hierarchical category tree (Main Categories -> Sub-Categories). Each category requires a thumbnail image.

Managing the hierarchical category tree

Managing product brands and logos

Product Management

Admins can add new products manually or edit existing ones. Key product fields include:

Stock Management

While initial stock levels can be set manually, stock is generally synced from the ERP. Admins can view current stock levels and set low-stock warning thresholds.

Exporting Catalog Data

Admins can export the entire product list to Excel or CSV formats for auditing or as a template for bulk updating.

The global product list with filtering and export options

The detailed product editor interface

10. Bulk Import

The Bulk Import tool is essential for managing large amounts of data efficiently. Admins have access to all 6 import types.

Available Import Types:

1. Products Creation
2. Product Updates
3. Stock Levels Update
4. Price List Updates
5. Client ERP Codes Update
6. Client Balances Update

The Import Workflow

1. Select the desired import type from the dropdown.
2. Download the specific CSV template provided on screen.
3. Populate the template using Excel or similar software. Do not alter column headers.
4. Save as CSV and upload the file.
5. Review the validation screen. The system will flag any errors (e.g., missing mandatory fields, unrecognized SKUs).
6. If errors exist, fix the file and re-upload. If validation passes, click "Execute Import".

Selecting an import type and downloading the template

The validation screen checking for errors before processing a stock update

11. Website Content (CMS)

Admins can manage standard content on the frontend portal using the built-in Content Management System.

Pages

Admins can edit the content blocks of standard pages (e.g., About Us, Terms & Conditions, Privacy Policy). All content must be entered in both English and Arabic.

List of editable frontend pages

Bilingual block editor for page content

News & Announcements

Admins can publish news articles that appear in the portal's "News" section. This includes setting the article title, featured image, publication date, and bilingual body content.

Managing news articles and announcements

12. Settings

The Settings area for Admins is limited to operational configurations rather than system-level configurations.

• Sales Notification Emails: Configure which internal email addresses receive copies of incoming RFQs or accepted quotations.
• Standard Quotation Terms: Edit the default "Terms and Conditions" block that automatically populates when building a new quote.

Operational settings available to the Admin role

13. Push Notifications

Like all staff roles, Admins receive real-time web push notifications for critical events. These appear as browser alerts if the portal is open in a background tab.

Admins will receive notifications for:

• New Client Registrations requiring approval
• New RFQs submitted by any client
• Clients accepting or rejecting a quotation
• Client messages/notes on an active RFQ

14. What Admin Cannot Do

It is crucial to understand the boundaries of the Admin role. The following actions are restricted and require escalation to a Super Admin:

15. Permissions Matrix

The table below provides a quick reference comparing Admin capabilities against Super Admin capabilities.

16. Important Rules

As an administrator of the platform, adhere to the following business rules to maintain system integrity:

1. ERP Synchronization: Always ensure the ERP Code entered during client approval exactly matches the accounting system. A mismatch will cause invoice syncing failures.
2. SKU Integrity: Never change a product's SKU/Reference once it has been created and used in quotes. Doing so will break historical RFQ data. If a product changes completely, mark the old one 'Inactive' and create a new record.
3. Data Import Backups: Before running a Bulk Price or Stock import, it is highly recommended to export the current catalog data as a backup safety net.
4. Client Communications: Use the "Client Notifications" broadcast feature sparingly to prevent alert fatigue. Ensure notifications have a clear expiration date.
5. Image Optimization: Strictly enforce the 500KB limit for product and brand images. Large files significantly degrade frontend performance for end-users.