How to create and send estimates

In this article, you'll learn how to put together an estimate for a customer and send it by email or text. The customer sees the price before anything is booked, so you're both agreeing to the same thing.

This article covers estimates you start from a customer's page. If the work is already a job, see Creating estimates and invoices from jobs.

Creating an estimate

An estimate started this way also opens a lead for the customer, with the estimate attached. The work shows in your leads before it's booked.

To start a new estimate:

  1. Open the customer's page.
  2. Click the yellow Create new button and choose Estimate. On a customer's page, the + in the menu offers New estimate too.
  3. The New Estimate form opens with the customer's name, phone, email and address filled in. Check them and fix anything wrong.
  4. Under Estimate Details, type a name for the estimate if you want one, and pick a job type and source.
  5. Click Create.

If you changed the customer's name, phone or email on the form, the CRM asks whether to update their record too. Click OK to update the customer, or Cancel to keep the change on this estimate only.

The estimate page opens so you can start adding the price.

Starting an estimate from a customer's page

Adding items to an estimate

The Items section lists everything you're quoting. Until you add something it says "Nothing quoted yet".

To add an item:

  1. Click Add item for a one-off line, or Price book to pick something you've already saved.
  2. In Item Name, type the item. With Price book, matching items show as you type, with their prices. Click one to fill it in.
  3. Set the Quantity and Price, and add a Description if it helps.
  4. Turn Taxable Item on or off.
  5. Click Save.

To change a line, click it and the same window opens. To take a line off, click the X at the end of its row.

Tip: Lines after the first can be marked Optional, so the customer chooses whether to add them. See Adding optional items to estimates.

Discount, tax and deposit

Under the items you'll see the totals. Three of them are yours to set:

  • Discount: type a number, then use the switch beside it to choose $ for a fixed amount or % for a share of the subtotal.
  • Tax rate: choose one of your tax rates, or No tax. This row only shows once you've set up a tax rate. See How to set your sales tax rate.
  • Deposit: type a number and choose $ or % the same way. The amount due to book the job shows underneath.

Changes save as soon as you click away from the box.

Note: A deposit is what the customer pays when they approve the estimate. See How to request deposits on estimates.

Adding notes, photos and a name

  • Notes: under the items, write anything the customer should read with the price, like what's included or how long the price holds. The customer sees these on the estimate.
  • Photos: click Add photos, or drop pictures onto the grid. The customer sees them under the items on the estimate and its PDF. Each photo has an Add a caption box, and arrows to move it left or right.
  • Estimate name: at the top right, click Add a name (or the pencil next to the current name) to give the estimate a name you'll recognize later.

Sending an estimate

To send the estimate:

  1. Click Send. Once an estimate has gone out, this button reads Send Again.
  2. The Send estimate pane opens. Choose Via email or Via SMS.
  3. For email, check To, add anyone else in Cc (separate addresses with commas) and check the Subject. For a text, check the Phone number.
  4. Read over the Message. It's filled in from your estimate template with the customer's details, and the link to the estimate is already in it. You can change it for this send.
  5. If the estimate asks for a deposit, leave Credit card ticked under Let client pay the deposit with so they can pay it by card when they approve. Untick it if you'll collect the deposit some other way.
  6. Click Send email or Send text.
Sending an estimate by email or text
Tip: To change the wording for every future estimate, click Edit template in the pane, edit the subject and message, then click Save template. See Editing the messages sent with estimates and invoices.

What your customer gets

  • By email, the customer gets your message with a link to the estimate, and a PDF of the estimate attached. You can turn the PDF off: see Turning off the PDF on emailed estimates.
  • By text, they get your message with the link. Texts never carry the PDF.

The link opens the estimate in your customer portal, where they can approve it or decline it. If there's a deposit and you left card payments on, they can pay it there.

When you send an estimate that's Unsent, its status changes to Pending. See How to update estimate statuses.

On the phone app

  • On a customer's page, tap the + at the top and choose New estimate. There's no form: the estimate opens straight away with the customer's details on it.
  • Tap Add item to pick from your price book, or + Custom for a one-off line. Tap a line to edit it, or the X to remove it.
  • Notes, Photos, Discount and Deposit sit under the items, with the same $ / % switch. Add photos offers Take photo or Choose from library.
  • At the bottom, tap Send to client (or Send Again) to open the same Via email / Via SMS screen. The Credit card deposit checkbox is on the web only.
  • Schedule turns the estimate into a job. See Creating a job from an estimate.

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