[B2B sales & account operations]() / [Use cases]() / [Self-service reordering]() [How it works]() [What you get]() [Scope]() [Start a review]() [B2B sales & account operations]()[Self-service & status]() # Give business buyers self-service reordering, with a rep behind it. Buyers reorder at their own price and check their own orders online, and when they call, the rep already sees what they just did. [Start with an order desk review]() [How it works]() Brightline Online · today **22%**of accounts order through it - Stock on every item - Contract price at login Needs one price book - Lead time on short items Next - Order status and tracking Next Where the portal stands today, and what to add first. Status comes before any push to adopt it. ## Sound familiar? - Buyers who would reorder online can’t see their price or their order status. - Only 22% of accounts use the portal, and the rest email a PO or call. - A buyer who starts online and then phones has to explain it all again. Repeat orders are the easiest work to take off the phone, and a portal that stops short of status keeps the calls coming. ## What changes. ShowTodayWith the engine Pricing Quoted, then retyped The buyer’s contract price, shown at login Reordering A phone call or an emailed PO Past orders ready to reorder in a few clicks Status Call and ask Order and shipment status on the same screen Handoff Starting over with the rep The rep sees the cart, the history and the last question ## How it works. 7 steps, 4 stages. - AI**1** - Rules and automation**4** - Your team**2** - Approval 1. 1 Set up 1. Rules and automation ### Show each buyer their own prices Company and location records carry contract prices, terms and ship-tos from the ERP. - Shopify - BigCommerce - Prophet 21 2. Your team Approval ### Choose who moves first Account owners pick the accounts that suit online ordering, and keep the phone for those who prefer it. 2. 2 Reorder 1. Rules and automation ### Make a reorder a few clicks Past orders, standing lists and quick order, with stock and lead time on each line. - Shopify - Prophet 21 2. AI ### Answer “where’s my order?” in the portal Status and tracking from the ERP and the carrier, in plain words. - Prophet 21 3. 3 Hand off 1. Rules and automation ### Pass context to the rep When a buyer calls or emails, the rep sees their cart, their last orders and their last question. - HubSpot 2. Your team ### Help with what’s hard Reps handle special orders, substitutions and anything the portal can’t. 4. 4 Learn 1. Rules and automation ### Track who uses it, and who doesn’t Which accounts log in, reorder online and still call, so the next step is a choice. Calls that remain show what to add next ## What you get. Real work, every week. Who could reorder online Account owner’s view - HS Harbor Street CafésThe same items every 50 days · orders by email Invite - CB Corner BakehouseLids, cups and soup containers every 3 weeks · orders by phone Invite - P9 Pier 9 CateringOrders vary by event · wants a rep Keep the phone - LD Lakeside Deli GroupAlready orders through Brightline Online Online The account owner’s list: who suits online ordering, and who should keep calling. Reorder what we got last time, plus one more case of lids. Your last order was 5 cases of LID-16F at $38 a case. Six cases come to $228, and all six are in stock. From Harbor Street’s contract price and live stock in Prophet 21 A reorder in the portal, answered from the account’s own price and live stock. ## How you’ll know it’s working. 1. Share of orders placed online Of repeat orders, by account, rather than accounts that merely have a login. 2. Calls and emails per order Whether self-service removes routine contacts or only adds a channel. 3. Contacts where the rep already knew Whether a buyer moving from the portal to a person has to start over. Baselines agreed before we build. ## Works with what you have. Commerce - Shopify Wholesale commerce - BigCommerce - NuORDER - Faire ERP, CRM & inbox - Prophet 21 - HubSpot We configure first As of October 2026, Shopify’s B2B features reach every plan, and your ERP, BigCommerce or a wholesale marketplace may already cover private prices and reordering. We configure what you have before building. We build when The portal needs context only you hold, such as the account history a rep sees, or status from your ERP and carriers. ## What a first build includes. Built in your accounts, around your team. Scope, fee and baseline agreed before we start. 1. 1 Design 2. 2 Build 3. 3 Run it, or hand it over [Start with a review]() [Scope this build]() ### We build - Account-specific prices, terms and ship-tos in the portal - Reorder lists and quick order, with stock on each line - Order and shipment status from the ERP and carriers - A shared account view, so context follows the buyer to the rep ### We start from - Your account list, with order channel by account - Prices, terms and ship-tos from the ERP - Portal or B2B platform access ### From your team Owner Head of customer service, with sales Involves - Customer service - Account sales - ERP administration ## Questions teams ask. Do we need a new portal? Usually not. We start from the one you have and add what’s missing, such as contract prices and order status. A new portal is a later decision, if the numbers justify it. Won’t buyers still want to call a person? Many will, and they should. Gartner’s 2025 buyer surveys found 67% prefer a rep-free experience, and 69% turn to a rep to check what AI tells them. Those are stated preferences. So the portal takes routine orders, and a rep stays one step away. Who owns it once it’s running? You do. It’s built in your accounts, documented, with training for the people who run it. Ownership usually sits with your head of customer service, with sales. We can keep running it with you, or step back. How do we start? Usually with an order desk review: two to four weeks, a fixed fee credited to the build, and a plan that’s yours. If the job is already clear, we can scope the build directly. ## Part of your order engine. One of 14 use cases, in 5 parts. [See the whole order engine]() 1. [New accounts **2**]() 2. [Quotes & pricing **3**]() 3. [Orders **3**]() 4. [Self-service & status **3**]() 5. [Account growth **3**]() In self-service & status - **Self-service reordering**You’re here - [**Order status**Answer status and lead-time questions before buyers call]() - [**B2B agent orders**Let business buyers order through AI on their account terms]() Works with - [**Account opening**Open new accounts with the right terms, and land the first order]() - [**Reorder opportunities**Spot reorder opportunities and accounts going quiet]() See it at work - [**Also in**Digital commerce & conversion]() ## Let buyers reorder without a call. Start with an order desk review. [Start with an order desk review]() [**Talk it through first**15 minutes]() We reply within one business day. --- Source: [https://www.thekeating.co/use-cases/b2b-self-service/]() [Contact Keating & Co](mailto:nelson@thekeating.co) · [Agent guidance](https://www.thekeating.co/llms.txt)