Connections and the network
A connection is a relationship between two companies on Clover. It's the single most important idea in the platform, because almost nothing happens between companies until they're connected. Before a connection, two companies are strangers who can see only each other's public information. After they connect, they become trading partners who can share data, assign each other work, and collaborate.
A connection is between companies, not people
Connections live at the company level. When your company connects with a partner, everyone at both companies benefits from that connection — it isn't tied to the individual who set it up, and it doesn't need to be re-established person by person. This is why a new colleague can start working with your existing partners on day one.
How a connection comes about
One company invites another. The invitation sits open until the other company accepts it, and acceptance is what creates the connection. Suppliers usually arrive on Clover this exact way: a buying organization invites them, and accepting the invitation both creates their account and connects the two companies. (For the step-by-step, see the how-to on connecting with a company.)
What a connection unlocks
Connecting changes what's possible in four ways:
- Profile data. Before connecting, a partner sees only your public information. After connecting, the deeper layers of your company profile become available — to the extent you've chosen to share them.
- Tasks. You can only assign a task to a company you're connected with. If you send work to a company that hasn't accepted the connection yet, the task waits until they do.
- Business process objects. Richer shared data — purchase orders, compliance records, and the like — flows only between connected companies. (A BPO is the same idea as a custom field, just more complex — see Business process objects.)
- Conversations. Connected partners can collaborate in shared conversations.
Your network
My Network is where your connections live. From there you reach each partner's profile, the data you share with them, and the dashboard set up for that relationship. Think of the network as your roster of active trading partners — the set of companies your everyday work in Clover flows through.
Related
- Companies and profiles — what becomes visible once you connect
- Workflows and tasks — the work you exchange across a connection
- How Clover works — where connections sit in the bigger picture