The number to watch
Quotations converted to orders. Furniture is chosen over several visits, so a lot of quoting produces no sale, and most shops never find out what proportion. Keeping quotations in a list with their status answers it, and the follow-up on the open ones is usually where the next month's orders are. Shops that call back on quotes older than a fortnight convert noticeably more than shops that wait to be called.
Bulky stock, long sales cycle
Furniture is chosen over several visits, often ordered rather than carried away, and delivered by vehicle. That means a quotation first, an advance recorded against the party, a delivery scheduled, and a final bill — four steps where most shops keep only the last. A quotation that converts into an invoice without re-entry, with the advance already set off, removes the arithmetic and the argument.
Made-to-order and standard lines
Some of what you sell is off the floor and some is made to a customer's size and finish. Both need to be on the bill precisely — material, finish, dimensions — because the customer will compare what arrives against what was agreed. Recording the specification on the invoice rather than on a slip is what settles that conversation, and it is also what your carpenter or supplier works from.
Delivery, assembly and damage
Furniture goes out on a vehicle and is often assembled at the customer's home, and both are chargeable services that most shops give away by folding them into the price. Separate lines make the material price comparable and the service visible. The delivery record with the date and the receiver also matters when a piece is reported damaged a week later.