A key part of Factor Track is vendors and buyers collaborating together on orders. Following and unfollowing orders is one way we enable this collaboration. Read on to learn more about how Factor helps you control what orders you follow so you make sure you get the notifications you need.

Order Members in Factor, Explained

Orders and line items in Factor are provided by buyers, either by connecting to the buyer’s ERP system or by the buyer uploading data directly. Factor uses the points of contact that buyers provide in these data sources to reach out to suppliers and request updates on the buyer’s orders.

While buyers make their best effort to provide the correct point of contact for their orders, we know that these contacts will not always be correct, because of different department responsibilities, personnel changes or other nuances unique to suppliers updating the Factor platform.

Following and unfollowing functionality in Factor enables supplier organizations to customize who receives Factor notifications, so the appropriate person can take responsibility for making updates.

Types of Order Members

There are three types of order members in Factor:

• Tracking members are users who are members of the organization responsible for adding the order to Factor, or the “buying” organization. These members receive notifications related to tracking the order, such as notes left or new delays. They do not receive update requests. 
• Updating members are users who are members of the organization identified as the vendor on an order added to Factor, or the “supplier” organization. These followers receive notifications related to updating the order, such as PO acknowledgement requests or update requests. 
• Invited members are users who have been sent an invitation to Factor that they have not yet accepted. Once they accept the invitation, Factor will classify them as Updating or Tracking members based on the organization they join and begin sending them appropriate email notifications.

Please note, Factor determines order member types automatically based on the order member’s organization and its relationship to the order they join.

Learn more about the different email notifications we send here.

Viewing Current Order Members

To see order members, visit any order detail you have access to in Factor. Once you’re there, you’ll see “avatars” of the order members directly underneath the order name.

You can learn more about each member by hovering over their avatar. Here, you’ll see whether they are a tracking, updating or invited member, the organization they belong to and their email address. Invited members also display with a dotted-line border, while members who have joined Factor display with a solid colored background.

Both buyers and suppliers can see order members on orders they have access to.

Following an Order

If you’d like to follow an order in Factor, simply click “Follow this order” underneath the order name in the header at the top of the page. That’s it! You will begin receiving notifications according to your relationship to the order.

You can also add yourself as a member when you add other points of contact if you like.

Unfollowing an Order

If you’d like to unfollow an order in Factor, click the “Following this order” button to open the unfollow dropdown. In this dropdown, you’ll see two options you can select:

• Remove me from this order. This option removes you from the order you’re viewing. You’ll still receive notifications about any other orders you follow in Factor. This option is the best choice if you are the wrong point of contact for this particular order, but you still need to receive notifications for other orders for this organization.
• Never notify me about any orders from [Buying Organization]. This option blocks you from receiving any notifications about this buying organization’s orders. This option is the best choice if you are the wrong point of contact for any orders for this organization.

After you choose an unfollowing option, Factor will ask you to add a replacement member to the order. Please note, a replacement member is required in order to unfollow an order. See below guidance for details on adding new members to orders.

Adding New Points of Contact to an Order

To add new members to an order in Factor, click the Add members button underneath the order name. Factor will open a dialog where you can add email addresses for the order members you’d like to add.

To add new members, simply add one or more email addresses into the Email address field. If adding multiple addresses, be sure to separate them with commas.

If you are currently following the order to which you are adding members, you can unfollow the order here at the same time by selecting either of the checkboxes:

• Remove me from this order. This option removes you from the order you’re viewing. You’ll still receive notifications about any other orders you follow or are added to in Factor. This option is the best choice if you are the wrong point of contact for this particular order, but you still need to receive notifications for other orders for this organization.
• Never notify me about any orders from [Buying Organization]. This option blocks you from receiving any notifications about this buying organization’s orders. This option is the best choice if you are the wrong point of contact for any orders for this organization.

If you arrived at this dialog from the Following this order dropdown menu, Factor will remember your previous selection and check the appropriate box for you.

If you are not currently following the order to which you are adding members, you can follow the order here at the same time by checking the Add me to this order checkbox.

To finalize your added members and any changes to your following status, click Save changes in the bottom right corner of the dialog.