Managing quotes

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The quote book

Every quote you start lives on the Quotes screen from the moment it’s created — see Creating quotes for building one. This page covers everything after that: getting it in front of the customer, recording the answer, and what happens when they say yes.

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The Quotes screen

Open Quotes from the navigation drawer, or tap the Draft quotes row on HomeBase. The header shows how many quotes are open, and an Add button starts a new one. Open quotes are grouped by where they’ve got to: Each row shows the quote name (with + 1 more when it holds several services), the customer, the amount due on the first invoice, + recurring when anything repeats after that, and the Valid until date. Tap anywhere on a row to open the quote. Back returns you to the list.

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Show closed

Finished quotes sit behind the Show closed toggle, each wearing its outcome:

• Accepted — with the date
• Declined — with the reason and any comment the customer gave
• Expired — the valid-until date passed without an answer
• Archived — you filed it away

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Search

The search box matches on any service on a quote, not just the quote’s name — so searching “Hedge” finds a quote called “Lawn Mowing – Weekly” that has hedge trimming on it. If nothing matches you get No quotes match and a nudge to try a different search or check Show closed.

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Sending a quote

A quote needs at least one service on it before it can go out. When it’s ready, tap Send Quote. A message composer opens with the customer’s unique quote link already written into it:

• Send text or Send SMS — sends the message when a phone number is on file. Which one you see depends on your account; see Texting your customers
• Copy — copies the message and link to your clipboard, to paste wherever you like

The quote moves to Sent, and the main button becomes Send again — same link, same composer — so you can re-share it whenever the customer loses it.

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What the customer sees

The link opens without any login. The customer sees:

• Your business name and contact details
• Their name and property address
• The message you wrote at the top
• Every service with its price, cadence, and any line items
• Discounts, spelled out with the label you gave them
• Any deposit you require, under the first-invoice figure — Deposit due on approval · 25% ($100.00)
• Tax and the total, when a tax rate is set
• The valid-until date
• Anything carried over from the assessment — your notes and the photos

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They approve

The customer taps Approve and confirms the total. They see a “Quote Approved!” message, and in ProBase the quote flips to Accepted and the job is created.

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When the quote requires a deposit

If you required a deposit, the approve confirmation tells the customer up front — A $100.00 deposit is due now — you’ll be taken to its invoice to pay it. When they confirm, ProBase sends the deposit as its own invoice and takes the customer straight to it, so they can pay it right away. If they leave without paying, their quote page keeps a link in the approved banner — A $100.00 deposit is waiting — view the invoice to pay it — until it’s paid. On your side, the accepted quote shows a line under the outcome — Awaiting $100.00 deposit** while it's owed, **$100.00 deposit paid once it’s paid. Tap it to open the deposit invoice. Once the deposit is paid, it comes off the job’s first invoice — see Deposits on an invoice. If the deposit still isn’t paid when you send the invoice for the job’s work, ProBase withdraws it so the customer isn’t asked for the same money twice. The line then reads $100.00 deposit withdrawn · billed on Invoice #00068 and opens the job’s invoice. The customer’s link to the old deposit invoice tells them it’s no longer due and points them to the new one. See An unpaid deposit when the work is sent.

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They decline

The customer taps Decline and picks a reason — too expensive, found another provider, no longer need the service, timing doesn’t work, or other.

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The quote expires

Once the Valid until date passes, the approve and decline buttons are replaced with a notice asking them to get in touch for an updated quote.

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Recording the answer yourself

Customers say yes on the phone, at the door, or by text as often as they do through the link. Both outcomes are recorded from the More menu on the quote.

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Mark it accepted

Open More and choose Mark accepted. A sheet spells out exactly what’s about to happen before you commit — the job it creates, the amount, and the first visit it books if the service has a start date. It says plainly that there is no undo. Confirm, and:

• The quote becomes Accepted, stamped Marked accepted by you with the date
• A job is created carrying the quote’s pricing, billing, and cadence
• The first visit is booked automatically when the service had a start date on it
• If the quote requires a deposit, the deposit invoice is created and marked sent — no message goes to the customer, so collect it and record the payment yourself

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What the sheet tells you about visits

The line about booking changes to match what’s actually on the quote, so you know before you confirm whether anything lands on the calendar:

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Accepting a quote with no dates on it

You don’t have to put a start date on a service before you can accept the quote — plenty of work gets a yes before you know when you can get to it. The sheet tells you up front that nothing will be booked: No service on this quote has a start date, so the work goes to Needs scheduling. Confirm and the job is still created with all its pricing and cadence — it just doesn’t have a visit yet. A confirmation says Jobs created — they’re in Needs scheduling on HomeBase, and the quote shows its Accepted stamp and pricing as usual. Pick the work up from the Needs scheduling row on HomeBase whenever you’re ready to put it on the calendar.

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Mark it declined

Open More and choose Mark declined — customer said no. Pick a reason and, if it’s useful later, type what they actually said. The quote becomes Declined and carries the reason and your comment on its face. It moves off your open list and files under Show closed with its outcome line.

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Editing a quote

To change a service — its name, price, cadence, discount, or line items — tap the service row on the quote. See Adding services to the quote. To change the quote’s terms — the valid-until date — tap Edit. The sheet reminds you that edits here touch only this quote; your default terms live in settings.

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Editing after you’ve sent it

You can still edit a sent quote, but never silently. The sheet warns you up front: This quote is already sent. Saving marks it Updated for the customer, and you’ll get the link to re-share. After saving, ProBase offers the link straight away — You changed a sent quote — re-share so nothing is silent. The quote wears an Updated badge so you can see at a glance that the customer’s copy has moved on.

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Accepted quotes can’t be edited

Once a quote is accepted the Edit button disappears. The acceptance captured what the customer agreed to, so it stays exactly as it was — change the job it created instead.

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Reviving a declined or expired quote

A no isn’t always final. On a declined or expired quote, tap Revise quote. The same quote returns to Draft with a fresh valid-until date and your current default terms, ready to re-price and send again. The decline reason clears off the quote’s face but stays in its activity history, so you keep the record of what happened without carrying it into the new conversation.

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Archiving a quote

Archiving files a quote away without pretending the customer answered. Open More and choose Archive. The sheet tells you exactly what leaves and what stays: the quote leaves your Quotes screen, its open assessment closes if it had one, and both remain on the customer’s page under past work. You can add a reason. It’s still there under Show closed, with the date and your reason.

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Quote statuses

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Best practices

Write the message. The line at the top of the quote is the one thing the customer reads before the numbers. Use it to say why this option. Set a realistic valid-until date. It creates a natural reason to follow up, and protects you when your own costs move. Record the answer, however it arrives. Marking a quote accepted or declined keeps the Quotes screen honest and your history worth reading. Revise rather than rebuild. A declined quote that comes back to life keeps its whole story attached.

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Next steps

• Creating quotes — build the quote and price the work
• Working assessments — when you need a look first
• Managing services — the job a quote becomes
• Creating appointments — schedule the work