1.0 - Introduction
Suppliers and manufacturers are integrated across multiple sections in HighGround, and now they even have their own dedicated settings section to make tracking them easier. We understand that keeping track of all your clients can be a challenge, let alone staying on top of the suppliers they’re using. While the new settings section helps organize this information, it's important to note that suppliers for clients can only be added through the various modules in HighGround. Keep reading to find out how to manage this effectively.
In each module where a supplier field is available, any previously added suppliers will show up in a dropdown list for easy selection. This is because once a supplier is added to HighGround, it's automatically stored in your "Suppliers and Manufacturers" settings, making it quick and seamless to access and link them wherever needed.
2.0 - Suppliers & Manufacturers in Sell
The Sell module closely ties in with the Security Stack when it comes to suppliers. While you can't directly add suppliers in the Sell module, the suppliers linked to products come from the tools you add to your products.
When creating a product in the Sell module, you have the option to add linked tools. Once you add a tool, the supplier associated with that tool will automatically be linked to the product. As you later add your products to services and packages, the linked suppliers will also be included, streamlining the process and ensuring everything stays connected.
To learn more about products in HighGround please read our Creating and understanding products article.
3.0 - Suppliers & Manufacturers in Tech Spend
Suppliers are included in the Tech Spend module, specifically for when adding subscriptions for your clients. This feature provides full transparency into where your clients are spending their money, giving you valuable insights. Not only does this help you stay on top of your clients’ expenses, but it can also serve as a great sales tool when contracts are up for renewal, helping you identify opportunities to offer more cost-effective solutions or additional services.
To learn more about this please read our Track clients spend with other technology providers using subscriptions and manual spend article.
Adding a supplier to a subscription follows the same process as adding suppliers in other areas of HighGround. If you're adding a supplier that’s already been added elsewhere, simply select it from the dropdown list that appears when you click on the supplier field.
If it's a new supplier, just type in the name and click the blue "Add" button. Once added, the supplier will be linked to the subscription and will also appear in the "Suppliers and Manufacturers" settings, where you can view key details like the supplier’s name, status, and the total spend with that supplier over the last 12 months.
4.0 - Suppliers & Manufacturers in Storefront
Storefront is one of HighGround’s newest features—think of it as your very own online shop window, showcasing your products directly to clients. To learn more about the Storefront feature please read our Getting started with storefront article.
Adding a Supplier in Storefront
Adding a supplier in Storefront works much like it does in other modules with a supplier field:
When selecting a supplier, you’ll see a list of ones you’ve already added.
If the supplier you need isn’t there, just type their name and click the blue “Add” button.
This automatically updates your Suppliers & Manufacturers settings.
From your PSA?
If you’re adding a product pulled from your PSA, the supplier linked to that PSA product will be carried over to your Storefront product automatically.
This saves time and keeps everything in sync without extra clicks.
Suppliers vs. Manufacturers
Storefront makes a clear distinction between suppliers and manufacturers:
Suppliers – The company you’re buying from.
Manufacturers – The actual maker of the product.
Adding a manufacturer manually works just like adding a supplier:
Click on the Manufacturer field.
Select from your existing list, or type a new name and click the blue “Add” button.
This adds the manufacturer to your product and updates your MSP’s Suppliers & Manufacturers list in settings.
From your PSA?
If the product comes from your PSA, the manufacturer linked there will automatically be pulled into the Storefront product—speeding things up and ensuring accuracy.
Mapping Company Types Correctly
When importing products from your PSA, it’s important to map the company type in your PSA to the corresponding supplier or manufacturer company types in HighGround.
Doing this ensures that everything flows smoothly and all your products are mapped correctly once they land in HighGround — saving you from messy mismatches or missing data down the line.
If you want to learn more about Suppliers and Manufactures in HighGround please read our Managing your Suppliers and Manufacturers article.
Tip: Want to keep it all in-house? You can add your own MSP as a supplier, streamlining management and keeping your workflow simple.