How to Create an Estimate

Managing estimates effectively is crucial for maintaining a smooth workflow in your business operations. This guide will walk you through the steps to access, create, send, and manage estimates within your account, ensuring you can keep track of all your transactions and easily convert approved estimates into invoices.

Accessing Estimates

From the left sidebar, select the Payments tab, then click on Invoices and Estimates and choose Estimates from the dropdown.

Customization

Before you create an estimate, ensure that you customize your estimates by adding your company’s branding, adjusting terms, and configuring settings to match your business needs from the Settings section.

Creating an Estimate

Click the New Estimate button in the upper right-hand corner of your screen to initiate the creation of a new estimate.

Enter key information about the business in the Business and Customer Information section, and select a customer in the Customer Information dropdown. Next, include an estimate number, and expiration date in the Estimate Settings section.

Include the products or services to be estimated and opt to Enable tax automatically if required.

Frequency for Recurring Invoice

Set the frequency to generate recurring invoices automatically. Toggle on “Use start date as customer accepted date” to use the customer's start date as their accepted date.

Additional Options

Optionally, add terms and notes to the estimate by enabling the option in the Additional Options section. 

1. Add Terms & Conditions: Enter the terms and conditions in the field provided. 
2. Add Attachments: You can attach up to 10 files (totaling 20MB) to an estimate, allowing you to include additional documents such as specifications, terms, or visual materials for added clarity and flexibility.
3. Send Invoice: Toggle on Send Invoice, then select Direct Payments to redirect clients directly to an invoice instead of sending it via email.

Once all details are filled in, click Save to maintain your changes.

Send to Client

Once you are satisfied with the content of your estimate, click the Send button to send it directly to your client.

Enter a name to identify the estimate within your system. Next, choose the preferred delivery methods and verify the client's contact information for accuracy. If needed, add recipients in the CC or BCC fields. Finally, navigate to the additional options to set the payment mode. Click the Send button when all details have been confirmed. 

Managing Client Responses

Clients can either accept or reject the estimate

If the estimate is accepted, it will be marked as Accepted in the Estimate's status tab. If rejected, clients can add notes, and it will be marked as Rejected. If the client has already confirmed their decision via phone, you can manually mark the estimate as accepted or rejected in the estimate editor.

Converting an Estimate to an Invoice

Select the Sent Estimate

Click on the sent estimate item from your Estimates dashboard.

Convert to Invoice

Once your client has approved the estimate, select Create an Invoice from the dashboard or open the accepted estimate and then click Create an Invoice.

Review any notes added by users, available both on the dashboard and within the estimate builder.

By following this guide, you can efficiently manage estimates from creation to approval and conversion into invoices. Keeping track of all stages and client interactions ensures a streamlined workflow and better financial management.