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Your Next 10 Minutes in commonsku: Collaborate with Suppliers
Three steps, ten minutes, a direct line to your supplier reps.
Every commonsku project has a built-in message channel to your supplier reps. It's called Collaborate. Most distributors haven't opened it.
Ask for product ideas. Get them dropped straight into your presentation. Your whole team sees the thread for next time. No email forwards, no "can you resend that?"
Here's how to use it in your next ten minutes.
Your 10-Minute Collaborate Checklist
Three steps to get product ideas from your suppliers without sending a single email.
Open Collaborate from Inside a Project and Tag a Supplier Rep
Tag the rep you work with from inside any project. ~3 min
Send a Product Request, Add the Recs Straight to Your Presentation
Your rep drops recommendations right into the thread. One click to add to your presentation. ~3 min
Use the Collaborate Newsfeed for Team Visibility
Every conversation is visible company-wide. A searchable supplier knowledge base your team actually uses. ~2 min
The result: a direct line to your supplier reps, product recommendations delivered inside your project, and a team knowledge base that gets smarter every time someone asks.
Step 1: Open Collaborate and Tag a Supplier Rep (3 minutes)
Collaborate is the built-in messaging layer between your team and your supplier reps. It lives inside every project — and most distributors don't know it's there.
Open any project in commonsku. Click Actions in the top right. Look for the Collaborate button in the dropdown.
If it's greyed out, the project likely doesn't have a supplier attached yet. Add one and Collaborate goes live.
Once Collaborate is active, type the supplier name: say, Gemline. Every Gemline rep with a commonsku login will appear. Pick the one you work with. Now you're in a 1:1 thread with them, inside the project.
Step 2: Send Your Request and Add Recs to Your Presentation (3 minutes)
Ask for product ideas. Your rep drops them into the thread. One click, they're in your Presentation.
Type your ask. Specifics help i.e product category, budget, quantity, use case, any sustainability or compliance needs. The more context, the better the recommendations come back.
Your supplier rep gets notified. When they've got ideas, they drop products directly into the thread with live pricing, images, and decoration options all pulled from their system. No manual entry on their end, no retyping on yours.
Here's the move that saves the most time. Anything you like, click Add to Presentation. It lands as a full product record (pricing, images, decoration option) ready to present.
Before you move to sales order: Collaborate is pre-sales only. Once the project converts to a sales order, the Collaborate tab turns off for that project. If you're still gathering product options, keep the conversation going at the presentation or estimate stage.
Private by default: Collaborate threads are 1:1. Your supplier rep only sees your messages, you only see theirs. If you want to loop a teammate in, tag them in the project notes.
Step 3: Use the Collaborate Newsfeed for Team Visibility (2 minutes)
Every Collaborate conversation is visible across your team — a shared supplier knowledge base that grows every time someone asks.
From your main nav, go to Connect → Newsfeed and open the Collaborate tab.
This is a running log of every Collaborate thread across your whole company. If a colleague asked PCNA about eco-friendly bags last month, you don't have to re-ask. It's right there — the question, the products the supplier recommended, and which project they ended up in.
💡 Pro Tip: Check the Collaborate newsfeed before you start sourcing for a new project. If someone already asked the question, you've got a head start. If they haven't, your conversation goes into the shared record for the next person who needs it.
One Conversation, Three Wins
Collaborate turns your suppliers into an extension of your sourcing team.
🔓
Step 1
Open
Tag a supplier rep from inside any project. A direct line to the person who knows their catalog cold.
💬
Step 2
Request
Ask for product ideas. Recommendations come back with live data, one click to add to your presentation.
📰
Step 3
Share
The Collaborate newsfeed is your team's running supplier record. No teammate has to re-ask what's already been answered.
commonsku connects you to your suppliers. Collaborate makes that connection personal, searchable, and usable by your whole team.
What to Do Next
Open any active project and click Actions. Find Collaborate in the dropdown.
Send one request this week. Pick a supplier rep you already work with closely and send a specific product ask through Collaborate. Compare how fast it moves vs. your usual email thread.
Bookmark the Collaborate newsfeed. Check it before you start sourcing for a new project. It's the fastest way to see what your suppliers have already recommended.
Onboard new reps through the newsfeed. If you're bringing a new rep onto the team, walk them through the Collaborate newsfeed in their first week. It's one of the fastest ways to show them what your supplier network can actually do.
Want to see how Collaborate fits into the bigger supplier workflow? Read our Connected+ 10-minute guide.
Have questions about getting Collaborate set up? Reach out to your CSM or email support@commonsku.com.
New to commonsku? See how the platform works.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Collaborate in commonsku?+
Collaborate is a messaging channel built into every commonsku project. It connects your team directly to the reps at your suppliers. Ask for product ideas, get recommendations with live pricing and images, and save them straight to your presentation — all without leaving the project or sending an email.
How do I message my suppliers in commonsku?+
Open any project in commonsku, click Actions in the top right, and select Collaborate. Type the supplier name (like Gemline or PCNA) and pick the specific rep you work with. You're now in a 1:1 thread with that rep, inside the project. Send your request and they'll respond with product recommendations you can save directly to your presentation.
Can I request product recommendations from suppliers through Collaborate?+
Yes — that's exactly what Collaborate is built for. Ask your supplier rep for product ideas based on category, budget, quantity, or use case. They drop recommendations into the thread with live pricing, images, and decoration options pulled from their system. Click Add to Presentation and the product lands as a full record, ready to show your client.
Does Collaborate work with all suppliers in commonsku?+
Yes. Collaborate works across all supplier tiers in commonsku. If the Collaborate button is greyed out in a project, the project likely doesn't have a supplier attached yet — add one and Collaborate goes live. Tier matters for ePOs and live inventory, not for messaging a rep through Collaborate.
Why is the Collaborate button greyed out in my project?+
Two common reasons. First, the project may not have a supplier attached yet — Collaborate activates once a supplier is on the project. Second, Collaborate is pre-sales only, so once you create a sales order for the project, the Collaborate tab turns off.
Can my whole team see my Collaborate threads?+
Individual threads are 1:1 between you and the supplier rep. Your rep only sees your messages, you only see theirs. But every thread is logged to the Collaborate newsfeed, which your whole team can see. Think of it as private messaging with a shared team record — great for secure supplier conversations that still build a company-wide knowledge base.