Getting Started with SmartFarmPilot: A Quick Start Guide

Welcome to SmartFarmPilot! Whether you're managing a small vegetable farm, a diversified operation, or a specialty crop producer, this guide will help you set up your account and start managing your farm more effectively.

By the end of this guide, you'll have:

• Your organization configured
• Products set up in your catalog
• Your first customers added
• Basic inventory tracking in place

Let's get started.

Step 1: Create Your Account

Sign Up

1. Visit farmpilot.com/signup
2. Enter your email address and create a password
3. Check your email for a verification link
4. Click the link to verify your account

Create Your Organization

After verification, you'll be prompted to create your organization:

1. Organization name: Your farm's name (e.g., "Green Valley Farm")
2. Slug: A short URL-friendly version (e.g., "green-valley-farm")

This creates your workspace where all your data will live.

Step 2: Set Up Your Products

Products are what you sell. Setting up your catalog is the foundation for orders, inventory, and reporting.

Add Your First Product

1. Navigate to Products from the sidebar
2. Click Add Product
3. Fill in the basic information:
   • Name: Product name (e.g., "Heirloom Tomatoes")
   • SKU: Unique identifier (e.g., "TOM-HEIR-001")
   • Category: Select from the dropdown
   • Unit: How you sell it (lb, bunch, each, etc.)
   • Price: Your selling price

Product Tips

• Be consistent with naming: "Heirloom Tomatoes" vs "Tomatoes, Heirloom" - pick a style and stick with it
• Use meaningful SKUs: Include category and variety for easy identification
• Set accurate units: This affects inventory tracking and order processing

Add More Products

Repeat the process for your main products. You can always add more later.

Start with your top 10-20 products - the ones that represent 80% of your sales. You can add the rest over time.

Step 3: Add Your Customers

Customers are the people and businesses you sell to. Tracking them enables better relationship management and sales analysis.

Add Your First Customer

1. Navigate to Customers from the sidebar
2. Click Add Customer
3. Fill in the contact information:
   • Name: Individual or business name
   • Type: Customer, Vendor, or Both
   • Contact info: Email, phone, address
   • Notes: Any relevant information

Customer Types

• Individual customers: Home buyers, CSA members
• Restaurant/retail: Business buyers with special needs
• Wholesale: Bulk purchasers

Import Existing Customers

If you have a customer list in a spreadsheet, you can often import it. Contact support for help with bulk imports.

Step 4: Configure Your Warehouses

Warehouses are where you store products. Even if you just have one cooler, setting this up enables inventory tracking.

Create Your Storage Locations

1. Navigate to Warehouses from the sidebar
2. Click Add Warehouse
3. Enter the details:
   • Name: Descriptive name (e.g., "Main Cooler")
   • Code: Short identifier (e.g., "MC")
   • Type: Cooler, Freezer, Dry Storage, etc.

Common Setups

Simple setup (one location):

• Main Storage

Typical small farm:

• Walk-in Cooler
• Dry Storage
• Freezer

More complex:

• Cooler A (Vegetables)
• Cooler B (Fruits)
• Pack House
• Freezer
• Dry Storage

Step 5: Set Up Basic Inventory

Now that you have products and warehouses, you can track inventory.

Add Initial Stock

1. Navigate to Inventory
2. Click Adjustment for initial setup
3. Select a warehouse and add products with their current quantities

Understanding Inventory Features

• Stock levels: How much you have
• Lot tracking: Which batch each unit came from
• FEFO allocation: First Expired, First Out for perishables
• Low stock alerts: Notifications when inventory runs low

Step 6: Create Your First Order

Let's put it all together by creating an order.

Create an Order

1. Navigate to Orders
2. Click New Order
3. Select a customer
4. Add products and quantities
5. Review totals
6. Save the order

Order Workflow

Orders move through stages:

1. Draft: Being created
2. Confirmed: Ready to fulfill
3. Packed: Products picked and packed
4. Delivered/Completed: Finished

Step 7: Explore Additional Features

Now that you have the basics, explore these additional capabilities:

Task Management

• Create daily task lists
• Assign tasks to team members
• Track completion
• Set up recurring tasks

Calendar

• View all farm activities
• Schedule events and tasks
• Plan harvest windows
• Coordinate team schedules

Reports and Analytics

• Sales by product
• Customer order history
• Inventory movements
• Revenue tracking

Quick Tips for Success

Start Simple

Don't try to use every feature on day one. Master the basics first:

1. Products
2. Customers
3. Orders

Then add: 4. Inventory tracking 5. Task management 6. Advanced features

Be Consistent

The value of any system depends on consistent use:

• Enter all orders, not just some
• Keep customer info up to date
• Record inventory movements as they happen

Use Mobile Access

SmartSmartFarmPilot works on your phone:

• Check inventory in the field
• Take orders at the market
• Update task status on the go

Ask for Help

We're here to support you:

• In-app help documentation
• Email support
• Training resources

Common Setup Questions

How do I add team members?

Go to Settings > Users to invite team members. You can set their role (admin, member, guest) to control access.

Can I import my existing data?

Yes! We can help migrate data from spreadsheets or other systems. Contact support for assistance.

How do I customize for my operation?

Many features can be configured in Settings:

• Tax settings
• Notification preferences
• Organization details

What if I make a mistake?

Most actions can be corrected:

• Edit orders, products, and customers
• Adjust inventory with correction entries
• Archive items you no longer need

Next Steps

Now that you're set up, here are recommended next steps:

This week:

• Add your top 20 products
• Add your regular customers
• Process a few orders to get comfortable

This month:

• Set up inventory tracking
• Configure task management
• Explore reporting features

Ongoing:

• Refine your workflows
• Train team members
• Expand feature usage as needed

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Questions? Our support team is ready to help. Reach out through the app or email support@farmpilot.com.

Ready to start? Log in to your account or create a new account to begin.