Work with a quote

How to open a quote, update its status, download it as a PDF or Word document, and turn it into a job.

Where: web · Who can use it: Sales and above can open and update quotes. Managers and above can download quotes. Only people with the right to see costs see margins.

Screens may differ slightly from what you see.

What it is for

A quote is what the customer is offered: the items, the prices, the VAT and the fitting estimate. The Quotes pages show every quote, where it is in the sales pipeline, and what has happened to it so far.

Who can use it

Sales and above: open quotes, change their status, log activity and convert them to jobs.
Managers, Directors and Owners: download quotes as PDF or Word, as the Download menu is shown to people who can approve quotes or manage users.
Cost and margin figures: only shown to people with the right to see costs. Everyone else does not see the Cost & Profit Analysis section.
Sales staff: the list may show only your own quotes. The page tells you when this applies.

How to use it

Find a quote

Open Quotes from the menu.
Use Search and type a quote ref, a job ref or a customer name.
Switch between Pipeline and List at the top to see the quotes as a board or as a list.

The summary cards show the total number of quotes, the total value, the pipeline value (sent, follow-up and hot-lead quotes), the conversion rate, the accepted value and the converted sales.

Open and read a quote

Click the quote. The Quote Detail page opens with the reference, version, status, net amount (ex-VAT) and agent.
The page is split into sections you can open and close. The main ones are: - Quote Pipeline: the dates and reasons for each status change. - Fitting Estimate: the estimate the customer sees. - Customer Pricing Detail: the prices as the customer sees them. - Line Items: each item, with its supplier acknowledgement and arrival state. - Payments: the payments recorded against the quote. - Activity Timeline and Change History: everything that has happened to the quote. - VAT Relief: any VAT relief that applies.

Set a fitting estimate first

You cannot accept or convert a quote until it has a fitting estimate. Set it in Fitting Estimate before you try. Download, email and copy also ask for it first.

Change the status

Use the buttons on the quote for the next step. The ones you will see most often are:

Mark as Sent: the quote has gone to the customer.
Needs Follow-up: the customer has asked for more time or a call back.
Hot Lead: the customer is keen but has not accepted yet.
Accepted: the customer has said yes. This needs a fitting estimate.
Declined: a box opens so you can give a category and a reason.
Cancel Quote: stops the quote.

If a quote was accepted by mistake, Revert Acceptance moves it back to follow-up and resets the job status. It asks you to confirm first.

Log an activity

Open Activity Timeline, then Log Activity.
Choose a Type: Phone Call, Email, Meeting, Site Visit or Note.
Choose an Outcome: Positive, Neutral, Negative, No Answer, Voicemail or Callback Requested.
Add Notes and, if needed, a Next Follow-up date.

Download a quote

Make sure the fitting estimate is set.
Click Download and choose Download as PDF or Download as Word.

Duplicate a quote

Click Duplicate Quote and confirm. IBIOS creates a new draft version on the same job with the same items, so you can change the products without touching the original.

Convert a quote to a job

Click Convert to Job. You need the right to approve quotes for this button to show.
Add a reason if you want one, then confirm.
If no payment has been recorded yet, IBIOS asks Are you sure? No payment has been recorded for this quote yet. Click Convert anyway only if you mean it.

Converting walks the quote through the statuses it needs and creates the job. If you record a payment on a quote that has not been converted, IBIOS offers to convert it then. You still have to click to confirm.

Tips

Keep the fitting estimate up to date before you send a quote. It is the first thing a customer will ask about.
Log every call on the quote, even when nothing has changed. The timeline is what the next person will read.
If you need a different price, duplicate the quote rather than editing the one the customer already has.

Things to know

Converting a quote creates a job. Check the customer and the items first.
Revert Acceptance can reset an accepted quote and its job. Check the job before you use it.
The Quotes pages are part of the quotes engine. This article describes what is on screen now.

Common questions

Who can download a quote as PDF or Word?

Managers, Directors and Owners, because the Download menu is shown to people who can approve quotes or manage users. Sales and above can open quotes, change their status and convert them to jobs.

Who sees cost and margin figures on a quote?

Only people with the right to see costs. Everyone else does not see the cost and margin analysis section of a quote. Sales staff may see only their own quotes, and the page tells you when this applies.