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Documentation & Guides

Everything you need to know about setting up and using OrderBuddy effectively.

OrderBuddy Comprehensive Merchant Guide

Welcome to OrderBuddy! This comprehensive guide will walk you through every step of configuring your store, managing your orders efficiently, setting up automated integrations, and leveraging analytics to grow your business.

1. Initial Store Setup

Your Custom Storefront

When you create your account, you are assigned a unique, customer-facing store link (e.g., yourstore.orderbuddy.com/order or /public/[your-slug]).

  • Share this link on your Facebook page, Instagram bio, or website.
  • Customers can seamlessly submit their delivery details without needing to create an account.
  • New orders instantly appear in your dashboard as NEW.

Business Profile Settings

Before accepting orders, ensure your profile is up to date:

  1. Navigate to Settings > Business.
  2. Upload your brand logo and update your business name.
  3. Configure your store's return policy and terms, which will be visible on your public storefront.

2. Dashboard Overview

Your dashboard is your central command center:

  • Ongoing Orders: Manage orders that are NEW, PENDING, or DISPATCHED.
  • Past Orders: Review completed orders (DELIVERED) or address issues with FAILED and CANCELLED orders.
  • Analytics: The dashboard home displays key performance indicators (KPIs), such as your delivery success rate, total revenue, and courier performance breakdowns.

3. Courier Integrations (Automated Dispatch)

OrderBuddy integrates directly with Pathao, RedX, and Steadfast to automate your dispatch process and eliminate manual data entry.

How to Obtain Your Courier API Credentials

For Pathao:

  1. Log into your Pathao Merchant Dashboard.
  2. Navigate to Settings > API Integrations (or request API access via your account manager).
  3. Generate and copy your Client ID and Client Secret. (Note: You will also need your Pathao account Username and Password).

For RedX:

  1. Log into your RedX Merchant Dashboard.
  2. Go to the Developer / API section.
  3. Click Generate Token and copy the API Token provided.

For Steadfast:

  1. Log into your Steadfast Merchant Dashboard.
  2. Navigate to API Settings.
  3. Copy your API Key and Secret Key.

Setting Up the Courier in OrderBuddy

  1. Navigate to Settings > Couriers in OrderBuddy.
  2. Choose your preferred courier(s) from the list.
  3. Enter the API credentials you obtained above.
  4. Click Save Credentials. Your keys are encrypted via AES-256-GCM before being stored in our database.

Configuring Automated Webhooks (Crucial!)

To automatically receive live delivery status updates (e.g., when a parcel is delivered or returned):

  1. After saving your courier credentials, locate the Automated Webhooks section below the form.
  2. You will see a unique, secure URL ending in ?tenantId=...&token=....
  3. Copy this exact URL and paste it into your courier's developer dashboard (Webhook Settings).
  4. OrderBuddy will now automatically transition your orders from DISPATCHED to DELIVERED or FAILED based on the courier's real-time updates.

4. Social Media Integrations

Connect your social media accounts to automatically capture orders from customer chats. OrderBuddy supports both Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp Business.

4A. Facebook Messenger Integration

Connecting your Facebook Page is a one-click process. No developer account or technical setup is needed.

Step 1: Connect Your Facebook Page

  1. Navigate to Settings > Integrations in OrderBuddy.
  2. Click the "Connect with Facebook" button.
  3. A Facebook login window will appear. Log in with the account that manages your business Page.
  4. Select the Facebook Page you want to connect and click Allow.
  5. You will be redirected back to OrderBuddy. Your Page will now show as Connected with its name displayed.

That's it! OrderBuddy automatically handles all token generation and webhook configuration behind the scenes. The connection is permanent — you will never need to re-authenticate.

Disconnecting

If you want to disconnect your Page, click Disconnect Facebook on the integrations page. You can reconnect at any time by clicking the button again.

4B. WhatsApp Business Integration

Prerequisites

  • A Meta Business Account (create one at business.facebook.com if you don't have one).
  • A phone number that is not already registered with the regular WhatsApp or WhatsApp Business app. You will need to verify this number via SMS or voice call.

Step 1: Create a Meta Developer App (if you haven't already)

  1. Go to developers.facebook.com and log in.
  2. Click My Apps > Create App.
  3. Select Business as the app type and link it to your Meta Business Account. Click Create.

Step 2: Add the WhatsApp Product

  1. On the App Dashboard, scroll down to Add Products to Your App.
  2. Find WhatsApp and click Set Up.
  3. Meta will provision a free WhatsApp Business Test Number that you can use to test the integration before connecting your real business number.

Step 3: Register Your Business Phone Number

  1. In the left sidebar, under WhatsApp, click Getting Started.
  2. Under Step 5: Add a Phone Number, click Add phone number.
  3. Enter your business phone number (e.g., +880 1XXX-XXXXXX).
  4. Choose a verification method: SMS or Voice call.
  5. Enter the 6-digit verification code you receive.
  6. Your number is now registered as a WhatsApp Business API sender.

Step 4: Generate a Permanent Access Token

  1. In the left sidebar, click Configuration (under WhatsApp).
  2. Scroll to the Temporary Access Token section — note that this token expires in 24 hours and is only for testing.
  3. For a permanent token, go to business.facebook.com > System Users: a. Click Add to create a new System User (e.g., "OrderBuddy Bot"). b. Set the role to Admin. c. Click Generate New Token, select your App, and check the permission whatsapp_business_messaging. d. Click Generate Token. Copy this token immediately — this is your permanent WhatsApp Access Token.

Step 5: Find Your Phone Number ID

  1. Go back to developers.facebook.com > Your App > WhatsApp > Getting Started.
  2. Under Send and receive messages, you will see a dropdown to select your registered phone number.
  3. Below the dropdown, locate the Phone Number ID (a long numeric string like 1234567890123456). Copy this.

Step 6: Configure the Webhook in Meta

  1. In the left sidebar, under WhatsApp, click Configuration.
  2. Under the Webhook section, click Edit.
  3. In the Callback URL field, paste the OrderBuddy webhook URL shown in your Settings > Integrations panel (it will look like https://yoursite.com/api/webhooks/whatsapp?tenantId=...&token=...).
  4. In the Verify Token field, enter the verify token displayed in OrderBuddy's integration settings.
  5. Click Verify and Save.
  6. After saving, click Manage next to the Webhook fields, and subscribe to the messages field. This tells Meta to forward all incoming WhatsApp messages to OrderBuddy.

Step 7: Connect to OrderBuddy

  1. Navigate to Settings > Integrations in OrderBuddy.
  2. Select WhatsApp Business.
  3. Enter the following:
    • Access Token: The permanent token you generated from the System User.
    • Phone Number ID: The numeric ID from Step 5.
  4. Click Save. OrderBuddy will now automatically receive incoming WhatsApp messages and extract customer names, phone numbers, addresses, and order details into NEW orders in your dashboard.

Important: Your Meta App must be in Live mode (not Development) for real customers to message your business number. To go live, visit your App Dashboard > App Review and submit the whatsapp_business_messaging permission for review. Meta typically approves this within 1-3 business days.

5. Notification Settings

Stay informed about your orders in real-time.

Configuring Notifications

  1. Navigate to Settings > Notifications.
  2. Toggle which events you want to be notified about:
    • New Order Received: Get alerted instantly when a customer places an order.
    • Order Dispatched: Confirmation when an order is successfully handed to the courier.
    • Order Delivered: Notification when a delivery is completed.
    • Order Failed/Returned: Immediate alert if a delivery fails so you can take action.
  3. Choose your notification channels (in-app, email, or push notifications on mobile).
  4. Click Save Preferences.

6. Processing & Dispatching Orders

When a customer places an order, it appears as NEW. Before handing it over to a courier, you must resolve the delivery address.

Smart Address Resolution

Couriers require exact geographical mappings (City, Zone, Area). Since customers often type addresses informally (e.g., "near Dhanmondi lake, road 7"), OrderBuddy provides a smart resolution tool:

  1. Click on a New Order to open its detail view.
  2. In the Address Resolution panel, select your intended courier (Pathao, RedX, or Steadfast).
  3. Use the dropdown menus to map the customer's text address to the courier's official City > Zone > Area hierarchy.
  4. Click Save Resolution. The resolved address is now linked to the order.

Live Pricing

  1. After resolving the address, click Live Pricing.
  2. OrderBuddy connects to the courier's API in real-time and returns the exact estimated delivery charge based on parcel weight, destination, and COD amount.
  3. Use this information to confirm the order economics before dispatching.

Single Dispatch

  1. Click the Dispatch button on the order detail page.
  2. OrderBuddy securely transmits the customer data, COD amount, parcel weight, and resolved address to the courier.
  3. A tracking ID is generated automatically, and the order status updates to DISPATCHED.

Bulk Dispatch

To save time when you have many orders ready:

  1. Ensure the orders you want to dispatch have their addresses resolved.
  2. Check the boxes next to the orders in the Ongoing tab.
  3. Click the Bulk Actions dropdown at the top of the table.
  4. Select your courier and click Bulk Dispatch.
  5. OrderBuddy queues and processes them in the background — your dashboard stays responsive even if the courier's API is slow.

7. Automated Reporting & Analytics

Stay on top of your finances without manual calculations.

Generating Reports

  1. Navigate to the Analytics tab in your dashboard.
  2. Download Formats: Export your data to:
    • Excel (.xlsx): Recommended for accounting and bookkeeping.
    • PDF: Professional formatted reports for printing or sharing with partners.
    • CSV: Raw data for import into other software.
  3. Report Types: Generate Order logs, Revenue breakdowns based on COD, or comprehensive Executive Summaries.

Scheduled Automation

  1. In the Analytics section, set up a Report Schedule.
  2. Choose your frequency: Daily, Weekly (e.g., every Monday), or Monthly (e.g., 1st of each month).
  3. Reports are generated automatically and stored in your dashboard.
  4. OrderBuddy securely stores your last 5 generated reports, allowing you to instantly re-download past accounting periods without waiting.

8. Customer Tracking Experience

You don't need to manually answer "Where is my parcel?" queries from customers.

How It Works

  • When an order is created, the customer receives a secure Tracking Link via SMS or on the order confirmation page.
  • They can view this link at any time to see if the order is PENDING, DISPATCHED, or DELIVERED.
  • If they lose the link, they can visit your public /track portal, enter their Order Number, and verify their identity using the phone number they used when placing the order.

9. Bug Reporting

If you encounter any issues while using OrderBuddy:

  1. Click the Report Bug button (usually found in the bottom-right corner of the dashboard or in the Settings menu).
  2. Describe the issue in detail — what you were doing, what you expected, and what happened instead.
  3. Optionally attach a screenshot for faster resolution.
  4. Click Submit. Our team will investigate and respond to your report.

10. Troubleshooting & FAQ

"My courier credentials won't save"

  • Double-check that you copied the entire API key/token without any trailing spaces.
  • Ensure your courier account is active and has API access enabled.

"Orders are not auto-updating to DELIVERED"

  • Verify that you copied the full webhook URL (including the &token=... parameter) into your courier's developer dashboard.
  • Check that your courier has webhook delivery enabled on their end.

"WhatsApp messages are not arriving in OrderBuddy"

  • Confirm your Meta App is in Live mode, not Development mode.
  • Check that you subscribed to the messages webhook field in the Meta Developer Console.
  • Verify the Phone Number ID and Access Token are correct in OrderBuddy's integration settings.

"Facebook Messenger is not capturing orders"

  • Regenerate your Page Access Token if it has expired.
  • Ensure the Facebook Page is linked to the correct Meta Developer App.

"Live Pricing shows an error"

  • Ensure the order's address has been fully resolved (City, Zone, and Area all selected).
  • Check that your courier credentials are still valid and haven't been revoked.

Need further help? Contact our support team via the Bug Report feature or email us directly.