Estimates and good, better, best proposals

Owners, administrators, and dispatchers can create estimates, share them, and turn accepted estimates into invoices.

Create an estimate

1. Open Estimates at /estimates and select New estimate (or go to /estimates/new).
2. Choose the customer, service address, and give the job a name.
3. Add lines with Fill from price book or Add a service or item. Use Add discount if needed. Your items come from /price-book.
4. Under Draft details, set Sales tax and an optional Deposit requested.
5. Select Save estimate. Nothing is sent to the customer yet.

Share it with the customer

1. On the estimate, under Create customer link, select Create customer link.
2. Copy the private link, or select Text link to customer (texting must be set up).

The customer reviews the estimate, then approves or declines and signs on the private page. The decision shows on the estimate.

Offer good, better, best options

On a draft estimate that is connected to a job:

1. Select Offer Good / Better / Best, or Draft options with AI to have options built from your Price Book (owners and administrators; uses Operator Credits).
2. Set the Proposal title and an optional Message to the customer.
3. For each option, set the Option label and Short description, and mark one as the Recommended option. Select Edit lines and price to edit its lines and price (the button reads Open estimate once the proposal is presented). Add another option allows up to three.
4. Select Save proposal.
5. Select Present to customer to let the customer compare, pick, and sign on your device, or Create customer link to get a private link (and Download PDF). Creating a new link stops an earlier one from working.

After the customer approves

On the approved estimate, select Convert to invoice to create an invoice draft, or open Issue invoice and payment link now to issue it with a payment link for the full balance. If the approved option has a deposit, see the deposits article.

If it is not working

• Customer acceptance is the next step: create and share the customer link first.
• Choose the company's type of work: an owner must pick the primary trade before estimates can be created.
• A customer is required: add or import a customer first.
• An option has no lines: open that option's estimate and add scope before presenting.
• Estimate link not confirmed or Save not confirmed: select Try again.

Open this in Trades Operator

Last updated 2026-10-09. Questions? Email support@tradesoperator.com.