Send quotes your clients can accept online

From yes to invoice without retyping anything

A quote is often the first real document a client sees from you. It should look professional, be easy to understand and be easy to say yes to. Too often, though, it is a PDF that gets printed, signed, scanned and emailed back, or an email thread where nobody is quite sure which version was agreed.

BooksBat quotes work like invoices. You add the same line items, taxes and discounts, choose the same professional design and send it by email with the PDF attached and a link to a public page. On that page your client can accept the quote with a typed name and a checkbox, or with an e signature if you ask for one. They can also decline and tell you why. Once accepted, the quote turns into an invoice with every line already filled in.

Quote, estimate or invoice?

People use the words in different ways, but a simple rule works for most businesses. An estimate is your best guess of the cost, and the final bill may be different. A quote is a fixed price for a defined job, usually valid for a set time. An invoice is the request for payment after the work is agreed or done.

In BooksBat you can title the document as a quote or an estimate to match how you work. Either way, the client accepts it online and it becomes an invoice when you are ready to bill. A quote does not touch your books. Only when it becomes an invoice does BooksBat record the sale in accounts receivable and income, so your profit and loss never counts work that has not been billed. For a longer explanation, read our guide on the difference between a quote, an estimate and an invoice.

Good fits for online quotes

• Contractors and trades pricing a renovation, a repair or a construction estimate. See invoicing for contractors.
• Photographers sending package prices for a wedding, event or shoot. See invoicing for photographers.
• Agencies and consultants proposing a project fee before work starts.
• Cleaning businesses quoting a regular clean or a one off deep clean.
• Caterers quoting a menu for an event, ready to turn into the final invoice.

Start from an industry template in the template library, such as a construction estimate, a photography package or a catering quote.

From accepted quote to a profitable job

Winning the job is only the start. On the Business plan you can turn an accepted quote into a project, track the hours and expenses that go into it, and see project profitability as the work goes on. Billable time and expenses can be added to the final invoice, so nothing you spent on the client is forgotten.

On Pro, purchase orders let you order the materials a quote needs from your vendors, and the bills that follow post to your books alongside the invoice.