Accepting a quote online: how to make giving your approval easier

Accepting a quote online cuts out unnecessary steps. Does your customer first have to print it out, sign it, scan it and email it back? In that case, even a clear ‘yes’ doesn’t necessarily mean the job is confirmed.

With online acceptance, the customer opens your quote on their phone or laptop and accepts it there and then. You can see straight away that the quote has been accepted and can get on with the preparations, the invoice or the work order.

How does accepting a quote online work?

You don’t just send the quote as a PDF attachment. The customer receives an email with a personalised link to their own quote page. On that page, the quote is clearly laid out, with the PDF available for download.

The customer can view the contents at their convenience. If everything is clear, they click ‘Agree’. The quote’s status then changes to ‘Accepted’. The customer can also leave a message via the same page if they have any questions first.

This is the difference compared to having a quote signed online via a separate document:

• The customer does not need to download, print or scan a file.
• The quotation remains linked to the correct customer and the correct process.
• You’ll receive a notification as soon as the customer gives their approval.
• The click to accept via the personalised link is recorded with a timestamp.

So you no longer have to wait for a reply email with a scan that is sometimes illegible or doesn’t arrive at all.

Why does digital approval lower the barrier to action?

A customer rarely makes a decision the moment you send the quote. They look at it in the evening, discuss it at home or compare a few more points. If they then have to go and find a printer, giving approval easily gets put off until tomorrow.

That may seem like a minor detail, but every extra step creates an opportunity for delay. With an online quote approval, the customer can respond the moment they’ve made up their mind. This is particularly practical for private individuals: many people mainly read their emails on their mobile phones and don’t have a printer to hand.

Online acceptance doesn’t replace a proper conversation. With a large or complex job, a customer may still have questions about the schedule, execution or terms and conditions. But the administrative step following that conversation no longer needs to be an obstacle.

What happens after the customer accepts the quote online?

Once the quote is accepted, more than just its status changes. In Klantly, you’ll receive a notification and the card will move along the pipeline. This way, everyone working on the project can see that the lead is now a job.

You then decide for yourself what the logical next step is. For example, if a deposit is required, you first create an invoice. If it’s an installation job, you convert the quotation into a work order for the technician. The customer details, quotation lines, quantities, prices and VAT rates are carried over.

This prevents you from having to retype information and reduces the risk of the work carried out or the invoice differing from what you quoted. In the guide on converting a quotation into an invoice or work order, you can see how this step works.

A practical sequence is often as follows:

1. You create and send the digital quotation.
2. The customer opens the personalised quotation link and gives their approval online.
3. You check what is required to get started: an invoice, a work order, or both.
4. You convert the accepted quotation without having to re-enter the details.

Practical example: from a conservatory quote to installation

Suppose: a conservatory company sends a quote for a patio canopy on Friday afternoon. The customer opens the quote on his phone on Friday evening. He has one more question about the chosen side panel and sends it via the quote page.

Once he receives a reply, he gives his approval online. The sales representative receives a notification and can immediately see that the quotation has been accepted. He then creates an invoice for the deposit and converts the same quotation into a work order for the installation.

The fitter can see on the work order which specification has been agreed. The customer details and the terms from the quotation have already been carried over. This not only saves time in the office, but also helps to ensure that the work carried out matches what the customer has accepted.

Would you like to know first how to send quotations as web pages and PDFs? Then take a look at the page on creating quotations and having them accepted online. For the next steps after installation, our guide on converting work orders into invoices will also be helpful.

Can you see whether a customer has already viewed the quotation?

Yes. A digital quote has a clear status: draft, sent, viewed, accepted or expired. As soon as the customer opens the personalised link for the first time, the status changes to ‘viewed’.

This helps you choose the right time to follow up. A customer who has just viewed it is likely to have questions or be comparing quotes. A customer who hasn’t viewed it yet may have missed the email or found it in their spam folder.

Please note: ‘viewed’ simply means that the quotation page has been opened. It does not automatically mean that the customer has read everything or is close to agreeing. So use this information as a starting point for a normal conversation, not as proof that someone is ready to make a decision.

If a quote is left unaddressed, you can, after a period of your choosing, have a friendly reminder sent and a task created for the sales representative. This way, follow-up doesn’t rely on a mental checklist. You can read more about this in ‘Following up on quotes without separate lists’.

Giving approval online makes the process easier for your customer and clearer for you. Would you like to see how this fits in with your approach to quoting? Get started for free and discover, with no obligation, what Klantly can do for your business.