Documentation Index

Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.mathership.com/llms.txt

Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

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Follow Unfollow Vendors

Restaurants can follow public vendors from the vendor catalog. Following a vendor adds the vendor to your available supplier list and allows you to access that vendor’s products, if the vendor is public and you are allowed to follow them.

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What does following a vendor mean?

When you follow a vendor, Mathership creates a connection between your restaurant company and the vendor company. This connection is called a vendor relationship. A followed vendor can then appear in your vendor list and can be used for ordering through Mathership.

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When to follow a vendor

Follow a vendor when:

• You want to order from that vendor
• The vendor is listed in the public vendor catalog
• You want to see the vendor’s products
• You want the vendor to appear in your managed vendor list
• You received an invitation from that vendor

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Vendor catalog

The vendor catalog shows public vendors that are available to customers. A catalog entry can show:

• Vendor name
• City
• Phone number
• Website
• Number of products
• Whether you are already following the vendor

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Viewing public vendors

To view public vendors:

1. Go to Restaurants
2. Open your company
3. Go to Vendor Catalog
4. Search or browse the available vendors

You can search by:

• Vendor name
• City

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Following a vendor

To follow a vendor:

1. Open the Vendor Catalog
2. Find the vendor you want to follow
3. Click Follow
4. Select or confirm your customer company
5. Confirm the action

After following the vendor, Mathership creates or reactivates the vendor relationship.

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Required information

Following a vendor requires your customer company.

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Already following a vendor

If you already follow the vendor, Mathership does not create a duplicate relationship. Instead, the vendor remains connected and the system can return that you are already following this vendor.

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Reactivating a vendor

If you followed a vendor in the past and later unfollowed them, following the vendor again can reactivate the existing relationship. This means:

• The old relationship is reused
• The relationship becomes active again
• The vendor can appear again in your vendor list

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Following through an invitation

If a vendor invited you, following the vendor can activate the pending invitation. When an invitation exists, Mathership can use information from that invitation, such as:

• Customer number
• Invitation source
• Vendor relationship status

This helps the vendor recognize your company correctly.

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Customer numbers from invitations

If the invitation contains a customer number, Mathership can save that customer number on the vendor relationship. Example:

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Vendor relationship source

A vendor relationship can come from different sources.

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Unfollowing a vendor

Unfollowing removes the vendor from your active vendor list. To unfollow a vendor:

1. Open your vendor list or vendor catalog
2. Select the vendor
3. Click Unfollow
4. Confirm the action

Unfollowing does not permanently delete the relationship. The relationship is set to inactive.

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What happens when you unfollow a vendor?

When you unfollow a vendor:

• The vendor relationship becomes inactive
• The vendor is removed from your active vendor list
• Existing order history can remain available
• You can follow the vendor again later

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Following again after unfollowing

You can follow the same vendor again later. If the relationship still exists, Mathership can reactivate it instead of creating a new one. This helps preserve relationship details such as the original source or customer number.

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Vendors that blocked your company

A vendor may block or ban a customer company. If a vendor has blocked your company:

• The vendor may not appear in your available catalog list
• You cannot follow the vendor
• You cannot place orders with that vendor

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Follow status in the catalog

The catalog can show whether your selected customer company is already following a vendor. This helps you quickly see:

• Vendors you already follow
• Vendors you can still add
• Vendors you may want to reconnect with

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Example: Follow a new vendor

You find a new beverage supplier in the catalog. After following, the vendor appears in your active vendor list.

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Example: Follow from invitation

A vendor invites your restaurant and includes your customer number. When you follow the vendor, the invitation is activated and the customer number is saved.

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Example: Unfollow a vendor

You no longer order from a supplier. The vendor no longer appears as an active supplier, but the old relationship can be reactivated later.

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Best practices

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Follow only vendors you actually use

Keep your vendor list clean. Only follow vendors that are relevant for your ordering process.

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Check the selected company

If your user has multiple companies, make sure you follow vendors for the correct company.

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Use invitations when available

If a vendor invited you, use the invitation-based flow where possible. This can preserve customer numbers and make the relationship clearer for both sides.

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Unfollow unused vendors

If you no longer order from a vendor, unfollow them. This keeps your ordering and product views easier to manage.

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Common problems

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Vendor does not appear in the catalog

Check that:

• The vendor is public
• Your search term is correct
• The city filter is not too narrow
• The vendor has not blocked your company

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Cannot follow vendor

Check that:

• You are logged in as a customer
• You selected a valid customer company
• The vendor is public
• The vendor has not blocked your company

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Vendor is already followed

This means the relationship already exists and is active. You do not need to follow the vendor again.

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Vendor still appears after unfollowing

Check that:

• The page was refreshed
• The correct customer company is selected
• The relationship was actually set to inactive
• You are not viewing historical order data

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Customer number is missing

This can happen when:

• You followed the vendor directly from the catalog
• The vendor invitation did not include a customer number
• The customer number was not set by the vendor

The customer number can usually be managed later in the vendor relationship settings.

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Related pages