A quote your customer can answer

A quote is the priced document you send before the work starts. It says what you will do and what it will cost. YellowTradie writes it from your own lines, sends it from your phone, and gives the customer one link to answer.

What it does

A quote holds the customer, the job, the lines and the figures. It shows a price for each line, the VAT you set, the subtotal, the total and the terms. It can carry a deposit, with the balance due when the work is done.

Sending makes a PDF and a link. The customer opens the link and presses Approve or Decline. The answer comes back to your phone. If they approve, the job is created from the same details. If they decline, they can leave a comment, and you see their words on the quote.

Who it is for

It is for the trader who has to put a price in front of a customer before the work starts. One person and one phone, with no office behind it. It suits the job where the customer wants it in writing rather than a yes on the doorstep.

How it works

1. Make the quote. Speak it or type it. Set the VAT rate, the deposit if you want one, and the terms.
2. Check the lines. A line with no price is flagged before the quote goes out, because the customer would read £0.00 as free work.
3. Send it. The message box opens with your template. Share hands the PDF and the link to any app on the phone. The quote is marked Sent.
4. The customer answers. Approve or Decline on the link. A decline can carry their own words.
5. The job starts. Approval creates the job from the quote's details.
6. Bill it. Invoice it turns the accepted quote into the bill for the same work.

The link is not an account. The customer does not sign in and does not need a password. The code in the link is the whole address.

The chain

The quote is a document. When the customer says yes, it becomes the job. The bill comes at the end of the work.

A quote that is waiting has no job and no bill. It becomes work only when the customer says yes. The job then carries the photographs and the costs. The bill comes from the work. The customer's link is how they answer the quote, and the same kind of link lets them confirm the work on the bill.

The quote becomes the job, and the job becomes the bill. That is the chain the app keeps.

What it does not do

• It does not make a job while the quote is waiting. A yes creates the job, and taking a deposit against the quote does too. A declined quote leaves no job behind.
• It does not send itself, and it does not chase itself. You send the quote, and you send the nudge.
• It does not take a payment. The customer pays you directly, and you record the money on the bill. The quote shows the bank details and payment note you have set.
• It does not add VAT unless your business is set up as VAT registered and you set the rate.
• It does not have a separate Ask for changes answer. The customer approves or declines. A decline with a comment is how they ask for something different.
• It does not hide the customer's words. A decline with a comment shows their message on the quote, and moves it to the top while it is waiting on you.

Questions

Can the customer pay on the quote?

No. The quote is the answer, not the bill. The customer pays you directly, and you record the payment on the bill.

What if they never answer?

The quote shows Sent and its expiry date. When it has gone quiet, the next step offers Chase. Nothing is sent on its own.

Can I change a quote after sending it?

Yes. If the customer has commented, changing it makes a new version, so their answer stays with the version they saw. If they have not commented, Edit quote opens the same editor.

What does the customer see?

The customer, the job, the lines, the VAT, the total, any deposit, your payment note, your bank details, the terms and the expiry date. Then Approve and Decline.

Can I send one quote to two customers?

A quote is written for one customer. The link opens that quote for whoever holds it, so send it to the person it names.

Does it work without a signal?

The quote and its records are on your phone. Sending opens the phone's share sheet, and the customer's link needs a signal when they open it.

What is the expiry date?

The quote expires after the number of days you set, counted from the day you send it. Before it is sent, it says the term rather than a date.

Related

• Quote by talking: speak the job and the form fills itself.
• Jobs: the work that starts when the customer says yes.
• Invoices: the bill that comes from the job.
• Every part of the app: the other pages.

Join the list

The app is not in the shops yet. Join the list and we will tell you the day it opens.