Before you start
- The customer exists in Zentive.
- At least one service or product is in Settings → Products & Services.
What you'll do
Open Financial Management → Quoting → + New Quote (or Quote on the dashboard, or Create quote on a customer card). The builder is one long page with seven numbered sections; the left rail shows which are done. When all readiness checks pass, Send Quote delivers it and the customer can approve and e-sign from their phone.
1 · Customer
- 1
Choose customer
Search by name, then pick the customer card and press Save. If the customer has several properties you also pick the service location. The card then shows service address and billing address with Edit, Change, and History.
- 2
Start with
Blank quote builds from scratch. From template loads a saved package of services. Duplicate (top right) copies another quote.
2 · Quote details
- 1
Quote number
Auto-assigned (Q-0117 and so on). Leave it on Auto.
- 2
Expires on
Standard (30d) uses the default from Documents & Branding; 7d, 14d, 60d, 90d, or a date override it for this quote only. Expired quotes move to the Expired filter and the customer link stops accepting approval.
- 3
Delivery
Email (customer's email on file), SMS (phone number plus portal link), Print (hand-deliver). Select any combination; the portal link exists even if automatic delivery is off.
- 4
Follow-up cadence
Off, Light (email after 5 days, text after 12), Standard (email 3 days, text 7 days, expire at 14), or Aggressive (1, 3, and 7 days). Follow-ups stop the moment the customer approves or declines.
3 · Services & pricing
- 1
Add a line
Add service opens the service search; Add labor adds a labor line; the Quick add chips insert your most-used items in one click. Each row has Qty, Customer price, Markup %, Line total, Tax category (Standard, Labor exempt, Reduced, Non-taxable), optional line notes, and an Internal cost the customer never sees.
- 2
Expenses
Add expense or quick-add Materials, Dump Fees, Parking, Fuel. Expenses show on the customer quote as their own lines.
- 3
Billing amount
Subtotal, Add Discount (fixed or percent, or a saved discount code), Add Tax (a rate from Settings → Tax Management), Total.
- 4
Projected profitability (internal)
Revenue, expenses, projected profit, and margin from your internal costs. Internal expense uploads lets you attach team-only costs. None of this appears on the customer copy.
4 · Multi-option, 5 · Payment schedule, 6 · Notes & attachments
- 1
Multi-option estimate
Leave on Standard for one table and one total, or switch to Multi-option to offer Good / Better / Best packages the customer chooses from. See the multi-option article.
- 2
Payment schedule
Add Deposit, Add Fixed Milestone, Add Progress Draw, Add Final Balance, or Add Retainage to bill a project in stages. A deposit becomes the first invoice as soon as the quote is approved. Tick Require deposit paid before scheduling to hold the job until the deposit clears.
- 3
Message to customer
Pick a template (Default – warm intro, Multi-option – pick your level, Follow-up – short and direct, Seasonal contract, Referred customer) or write your own. Placeholders such as {first_name} fill in when the quote is sent.
- 4
Internal notes and attachments
Internal notes are team-only. Attachments (JPG, PNG, WebP, GIF up to 10 MB) are shown to the customer; save the draft first, then drop the photos in.
7 · Review & send
- 1
Check readiness
The panel lists five checks: Customer, Services, Total (must meet the minimum chargeable amount), Delivery, Expiration. Each failing check has a Fix link that jumps to the right section. Ready to send means 5/5 pass.
- 2
Preview
Quote preview shows the PDF layout, Email shows the message the customer receives, Customer portal shows the approval page with the signature block. Audit-grade lists what is recorded on approval: signer name, timestamp, IP address, city-level location, signature image.
- 3
Send Quote, or Save Draft
Send Quote delivers by the channels you chose and starts the follow-up cadence. Save Draft keeps it under the Drafts filter; drafts autosave while you work.
After sending
The quote list (Financial Management → Quoting) shows status chips: draft, Pending, Accepted, Declined, Expired, plus a Deposit column. The row actions resend by email, resend by text, or duplicate. Open a quote to see when the customer viewed it, the approval record, jobs created from it, and invoices on it.
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Include your business name, account email, what you were trying to do, what happened instead, and a screenshot if possible. For billing, sync, or login issues, include the exact error message if shown.