Creating and Managing Quotes (from Locations or Deficiencies)

Derek Torres
Derek Torres
  • Updated

ServiceTrade Quotes are designed to engage your customer online, with sharp-looking Quotes that they can approve with a single click. This article will walk users through the processes around creating and managing Quotes.

Ways to Create a Quotes

There are two ways to create Quotes in ServiceTrade:

  • From any Location page, click "Add a Quote"
  • From any Deficiency page, click "Add to Quote"

Creating a Quote from a Location or Deficiency

When you initially create a quote you will only be asked basic information about the quote. Once the quote is created and in Draft status, you can add a description of the Quote, add Services or existing Deficiencies, and add any Parts and Labor items as required.

  1. On a Location or Deficiency Page, Click the Add a Quote button under the Action Menu. This will open a Create Quote menu.
  2. Enter all relevant information.
    • The Job Type field is required. If desired
    • The Service Contract determines the quote's pricing. It will default to the Location's selected contract or your default contract.
    • The Expiration Date acts as a reference for you and your customer. It will NOT void or cancel the quote after the expiration date has passed.
  3. Clicking the Create a new service button allows you to add a new service to the quote.
    • Adding a Service to a quote is highly recommended because Services and Deficiencies are what link the quote to a Job when Creating Jobs from Quotes.
  4. Clicking Create Quote will then create a new Quote in Draft Status and take you to the Quote page.
  5. Next, you can Add Descriptions, Services, Deficiencies, and Items to a Quote which we will cover in the next sections. 
    • Note: The next steps are not required, but adding a Service or Deficiencies is highly recommended because Services and Deficiencies are what link the quote to a Job when Creating Jobs from Quotes.

ST-Office-Quote_Add_Quote.gif

Adding Descriptions, Services, Deficiencies, and Items to a Quote

On a Quote page in Draft Status, you can add a description of the Quote, add Services or existing Deficiencies, and add any Parts and Labor items as required. The images below detail the processes for these actions.

Adding a Quote Description

  1. On the Quote Page, click the +Add A Description button.
  2. Enter a Description.
  3. Click Save when done.

ST-Office-Quote_Add_Description.gif

Adding a Service to a Quote

Though not required, adding a Service to a quote is highly recommended because Services and Deficiencies are what link the quote to a Job when Creating Jobs from Quotes.

  1. On the Quote Page, click the +Add a Service button.
  2. Now you will enter information all required fields * about the new service:
    ST-Office-Quote_Add_Service.gif
  3. In addition to one-time Services, Quotes can also be used to create recurring Services. By changing the option "How often should this Service occur?" you can create Services that occur at a specified interval.
  4. Click Save when done.
    ST-Office-Quote_Recurring_Service.png

Adding Items to a Quote

Though not required, adding Line Items to a quote is an essential part of quoting.

  1. On the Quote Page, click Add Parts, Labor, and Items.
  2. Select an Item from the Item drop-down, or type in an ad-hoc item.
  3. Enter a Service Line, Quantity, Unit Cost (What the item cost your company), Unit Price (What the Item will cost your customer), and Tax status.
    • Note: Some information may pre-populate when selecting items from your Item's List.
  4. Repeat Steps 2-3 as many times as needed.
  5. Click Save when done.

ST-Office-Quote_Add_Items.gif

 

Sending a Quote to a Customer

  1. Once the Quote has been fully built out, the Quote is then ready to be sent to your customer via the blue Send to Customer button.
    ST-Office-Quote_Actions.png
  2. Once the Contact has been selected, and the email sent, your Customer will receive an email indicating that a Quote is ready to be viewed. From the History tab of the Quote, you will be able to monitor the customer's status as they view, approve, and/or request changes for the Quote.
  3. Once the Quote is approved, you will be able to use the Quote to create a job.

Quote Status Definitions

Some of the statuses below are only available via the Quote List Search Page.

Any status that is only available via the Quote List page will be marked with a blue asterisk (*)

Quote Status Definition
New Is a newly created Quote that has no changes made to the Quote.
Draft Is a Quote that a user has entered any information in the Quote Description, Services, Parts, Labor, or Items sections. You may also see a Quote return to this status if a customer requests changes to the Quote.
Submitted and Viewed* Is a Quote that has been sent to the customer and viewed.
Submitted but not Viewed* Is a Quote that has been sent to the customer, but not viewed.
Approved Is a Quote that has been accepted by the customer.
Rejected Is a Quote that you have marked as "Rejected" on the quote page.
Note: A customer can respond to your quote via the "Request Changes" button on the their quote email and write in "Rejected," but you must manually mark the Quote as "Rejected" on the corresponding quote page.
Canceled

A Quote that a customer has not responded to.

Note: This status requires the ServiceTrade user to cancel the Quote.)
Approved without Job*

Is a Quote that was approved by the customer but has not been associated with an existing or new Job.

Note: A Quote MUST have a service or deficiency in order to be linked to a Job when creating a Job from a Quote.)
Approved Without Non-Cancelled Job* Is an approved Quote that has never been attached to any Job, or has only been attached to Jobs that are now canceled.
Actionable by vendor* Is a Quote that has not been submitted to a customer or the customer has not requested changes for.

Note: We do not notify the customer of changes post-approval.  You will need to either submit the Quote to them for re-approval or discuss any changes with them, then click the "approve" green button. 

 

FAQs

 

Can I create a Quote directly from a Job?

See the beginning of this article for the two current ways to create a Quote.

 

How do I name or rename a Quote?

If a quote is in Draft Status, click Manage Quote in the upper right part of the screen. This will give you various advanced options for the Quote, including the ability to rename it.

 

How do I delete a Quote?

Click the red Cancel button. The canceled Quote will remain on the historical record for that Location.

 

How is sales tax determined?

ServiceTrade provides combined county tax rates, based on the zip code of the Location's address.

You may use the taxable checkboxes to indicate whether each item is taxable or not. If using library items (items from your master item list), we will look up the taxable status of that item from your account's master item list.

 

How do I show a discount on a Quote?

ServiceTrade has no concept of discounts as a special thing.

You may wish to have a library item called "Discount" (or many different ones), or simply type "Discount" as an item on your Quote.

Enter a negative price to signify that this is being taken off the Quote.

 

How do I assign a Quote to another team member?

In ServiceTrade, you may assign Quotes to other team members in order to better organize the life-cycle of a Quote.

To assign a Quote to another team member:

  1. Create a Quote, or choose an existing Quote.
  2. On the Quote, click Manage Quote in the upper right corner of the window.
  3. On the Manage Quote page, select the Contact you want to assign the Quote to in the Quote Assigned To drop-down menu.
ST-Office-Manage_Quote_Button.png

ST-Office-Manage_Quote_Assigned_To.png
What is the difference between removing a Service from a Quote and deleting the Service?

  • When you add a Deficiency to a Quote, you are creating a Service.

  • Deleting a Service deletes that Service completely. It is gone everywhere.

  • Remove from Quote means that the Service is no longer on the Quote, but will still show as an open Service on the Location page, or as a suggested Service if you click Add Job from the Location page or scheduler. 

 

What does 'History' show me on a Quote?

This video goes into detail about Quote history.

The viewer and their IP address(es) are clearly displayed any time they view, request changes to, or approve the Quote.

 

My Quote got approved by two different IP addresses?  What does that mean?

It most likely did not. If you check the history more carefully, someone probably viewed the Quote on one device (such as their phone), then waited to approve it when they were back at their desk. 

 

How can I get rid of suggested Deficiencies?

Any Deficiency with a new status and resolution on that Location will continue to display in the suggested Deficiencies list when adding Deficiencies to a Quote.

To trim this list down, you should either Quote Deficiencies or otherwise review them ASAP (marking them as invalid, customer notified, etc).  They will then fall off of these lists. 

 

How do I edit an approved Quote?

If the approved Quote has not yet been added to a new or existing Job, click the "Re-Open Quote" button on the right side of the Quote page.

If the approved Quote has been added to a new or existing Job, you will need to disassociate it from the Job first. 

To do this, note the Job link in the top right of the Quote Page.

  1. Right-click the Job link in the top right of the Quote Page, and select "Open in a new tab".  
  2. On the Job page, look through the Service(s) on the Job. Any Service(s) that came from the Quote will have a link to the Quote within them.  
  3. To disassociate the Quote from this Job, you will need to click the gear on each Service that came from a Quote, then click "remove from Job".
  4.  Repeat Steps 2-3 until no Services remain from the Quote you are about to edit.  
  5. Return to the Quote and refresh/reload the page.  You should notice the Job link in the top right is now gone, and the "Re-Open Quote" button on the right side of the page is now able to be clicked.

 

Does the customer see costs or gross margins?

  • They do not. Costs and margins do not show when printing or emailing any ServiceTrade document, as they are for internal viewing only.

 

Can I add a comment to the Quote, and will the customer see it?

Quote comments that are set to "everyone" will be seen by the customer if they view the Quote again. The customer does not get an email that you added a comment, however.

 

Can ServiceTrade automatically resend quotes?

Note: This feature is only available to Premium and Enterprise Subscription customers. Please reach out to your Account Manager at am@servicetrade.com

Yes, follow the instructions below to setup this up.

  1. On the Navigation Bar, click your Profile Picture.
  2. Click Account Settings.
  3. Click to expand the Account Preferences accordion .
  4. Click to check Yes or No, in the Enable Quotes Auto Resend option.
    • If you choose "Yes", Quotes in the Submitted status will be automatically resent as they reach the date parameters set by your company. Quotes will be resent to the same recipients with all the specifications, including the email body, as in the initial communication. Go to Step 5.
    • If you choose "No", no actions will be taken. Skip to Step 6.
  5. Select from the Days drop-down menu the number of days prior to the quote's expiration that you want it to auto-resend.
  6. Click Save when done.

Note: These Quotes will send at 7 am UTC, which is 3 am EST.

 

Can I fully customize the look and feel of my Quote? Like an Email Template?

You cannot currently create email templates and/or fully customize the look and feel of your Quotes.

You can control which comments and file attachments appear on your quote via the toggles on the send quote page. Additionally, you can use the Detail Level for Customer dropdown setting to control how much or how little information regarding quote items and pricing are visible to your customer.

 

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