Estimates

Required Role: OWNER, EMPLOYEE
Plan Required: STARTER

Create professional estimates, send them to customers, track approval status, and convert approved estimates to jobs or invoices.

Overview

The Estimates system allows you to create detailed estimates for potential work, send them to customers for approval, and seamlessly convert approved estimates into jobs or invoices.

Getting Started

Before creating estimates, ensure you have:

• Customers set up (see Customer Management)
• Services configured (see Services Catalog)
• Email settings configured (see Business Settings)
• Estimate templates (optional - see Estimate Templates)

Creating Estimates

Step-by-Step: Create a New Estimate

1. Navigate to Estimates in the sidebar

2. Click "New Estimate" or the plus icon

3. Select customer and property:

• Customer: Choose from dropdown (searchable)
• Property: Select property for the customer

4. Add line items:

• Click "Add Line Item"
• Description: Service or item description
• Quantity: Number of units
• Rate: Price per unit
• Amount: Automatically calculated
• Repeat for each service/item

5. Add estimate details:

• Estimate Number: Auto-generated or custom
• Estimate Date: Date estimate is created
• Expiration Date: When estimate expires (optional)
• Notes: Additional information for customer

6. Review totals:

• Subtotal: Sum of all line items
• Tax: If applicable
• Total: Final estimate amount

7. Click "Create Estimate"

Using Estimate Templates

1. When creating estimate, click "Use Template"

2. Select template from dropdown

3. Template line items and details are populated

4. Edit as needed for this specific estimate

5. Save estimate

Related: See Estimate Templates for template creation

Estimate Status

Track estimates through their lifecycle.

Status Types

• Draft: Estimate created but not yet sent
• Sent: Estimate has been emailed to customer
• Accepted: Customer has approved the estimate
• Rejected: Customer has declined the estimate
• Expired: Estimate has passed its expiration date
• Converted: Estimate has been converted to job or invoice

Changing Estimate Status

1. Open the estimate detail page

2. Status is displayed at the top

3. Status updates when:

• Estimate is sent (changes to "Sent")
• Customer approves/rejects (changes to "Accepted"/"Rejected")
• Expiration date passes (changes to "Expired")
• Estimate is converted (changes to "Converted")

Sending Estimates

Send estimates to customers via email.

Sending an Estimate

1. Open the estimate detail page

2. Click "Send Estimate" button

3. Estimate is emailed to customer's email address

4. Status automatically changes to "Sent"

5. Customer receives email with:

• Estimate PDF attachment
• Link to view estimate online
• Approve/Reject buttons (if customer portal enabled)

Estimate Email Settings

Configure estimate email templates in:

• Settings → Business Settings → Email Templates → Estimate Email

Related: See Email Templates for customization

Customer Approval

Customers can approve or reject estimates through the customer portal.

Customer Approval Process

1. Customer receives estimate email

2. Clicks link to view estimate

3. Reviews estimate details

4. Clicks "Approve" or "Reject" button

5. Estimate status updates automatically

6. You receive notification of approval/rejection

Related: See Customer Portal for customer-facing features

Converting Estimates

Convert approved estimates to jobs or invoices.

Converting to Job

1. Open an accepted estimate

2. Click "Convert to Job" button

3. Configure job details:

• Scheduled Date: When to perform the work
• Time: Start time (optional)
• Notes: Additional job instructions

4. Click "Create Job"

5. Job is created with estimate line items

6. Estimate status changes to "Converted"

Related: See Job Scheduling for job management

Converting to Invoice

1. Open an accepted estimate

2. Click "Convert to Invoice" button

3. Set invoice details:

• Invoice Date: Date invoice is issued
• Due Date: Payment due date
• Payment Terms: Net 15, Net 30, etc.

4. Click "Create Invoice"

5. Invoice is created with estimate line items

6. Estimate status changes to "Converted"

Related: See Invoicing for invoice management

Estimate Options

Create estimates with multiple options for customers to choose from.

Adding Options

1. When creating estimate, scroll to "Options" section

2. Click "Add Option"

3. Configure option:

• Option Name: Name of the option (e.g., "Basic Package", "Premium Package")
• Description: What's included in this option
• Line Items: Services included in this option

4. Add multiple options

5. Customer can select preferred option when approving

Option Selection

• Customer sees all options when viewing estimate
• Can select preferred option
• Selected option becomes the approved estimate
• Only selected option's line items are used when converting

Common Tasks

Editing an Estimate

1. Open the estimate detail page

2. Click "Edit" button

3. Make changes to:

• Line items
• Dates
• Notes
• Options

4. Click "Save"

5. Note: Cannot edit estimates that are accepted or converted

Duplicating an Estimate

1. Open the estimate detail page

2. Click "Duplicate" or menu option

3. New estimate created with same line items

4. Edit dates and details as needed

5. Save

Downloading Estimate PDF

1. Open the estimate detail page

2. Click "Download PDF" button

3. PDF file downloads to your device

Printing Estimate

1. Open the estimate detail page

2. Click "Print" button

3. Print dialog opens

4. Select printer and print

Resending Estimate

1. Open the estimate detail page

2. Click "Resend" or "Send Again" button

3. Estimate is re-emailed to customer

Troubleshooting

Estimate email not sending

• Check email settings: Verify SMTP is configured in Business Settings
• Verify customer email: Ensure customer has valid email address
• Check spam folder: Customer may need to check spam
• Test email: Send test email from Settings to verify configuration
• Contact support: If issue persists

Customer can't approve estimate

• Check portal access: Ensure customer portal is enabled
• Verify email link: Customer must use link from email
• Check estimate status: Estimate must be in "Sent" status
• Review portal settings: Verify portal settings in Business Settings

Can't convert estimate

• Check status: Estimate must be "Accepted" to convert
• Verify permissions: Only OWNER and EMPLOYEE can convert
• Check line items: Ensure estimate has line items
• Try again: Refresh page and try converting again

Estimate PDF not generating

• Refresh page: Try refreshing and downloading again
• Check browser: Try different browser
• Clear cache: Clear browser cache and try again
• Contact support: If issue persists

Can't edit estimate

• Check status: Accepted or converted estimates cannot be edited
• Verify permissions: Only OWNER and EMPLOYEE can edit
• Create new: If needed, duplicate and create new estimate

Options not showing to customer

• Check options: Ensure options are added to estimate
• Verify portal: Customer must view through portal
• Check estimate status: Estimate must be sent
• Review option settings: Verify options are configured correctly

Related Articles

• Customer Management - Managing customers
• Estimate Templates - Creating reusable templates
• Job Scheduling - Converting estimates to jobs
• Invoicing - Converting estimates to invoices
• Email Templates - Customizing estimate emails
• Customer Portal - Customer estimate viewing

Best Practices

1. Use templates: Create templates for common estimate types
2. Set expiration dates: Add expiration dates to create urgency
3. Include details: Add detailed line items and descriptions
4. Send promptly: Send estimates quickly after creation
5. Follow up: Follow up on sent estimates
6. Use options: Offer multiple options when appropriate
7. Convert promptly: Convert accepted estimates to jobs/invoices quickly
8. Track status: Monitor estimate status regularly
9. Customize templates: Brand estimates with logo and company info
10. Keep records: Download and save estimate PDFs for records