Estimates & Quotes

DispatchCore includes a full estimate pipeline so you can quote work, get approval, and convert to a job — all without leaving the platform. No spreadsheets, no separate quoting tools.

The estimate workflow:

1. Create — Build an estimate with line items, tax, and notes
2. Send — Email a professional PDF to the customer
3. Track — Monitor approval status (sent, approved, declined, expired)
4. Convert — Turn an approved estimate into a job with one click

Navigate to Estimates from the sidebar and click "New Estimate." Fill in:

• Customer — Select an existing customer or create one inline
• Line items — Add labor, materials, services, or other charges. Each item has a name, description, quantity, and unit price.
• Tax — Set the tax rate. Tax is calculated automatically on the subtotal.
• Notes — Add terms, conditions, or scope-of-work details that appear on the PDF
• Expiration date — Set when the estimate expires (default: 30 days). Expired estimates are marked automatically.

Estimates are auto-numbered per organization (EST-0001, EST-0002, etc.) so you always have a clean reference number for customer communication.

Line items are the individual charges on your estimate. Each item includes:

• Name — What you're charging for (e.g., "Standard Service Call," "Kitchen Faucet")
• Description — Optional details about the item
• Item type — Labor, Material, Service, or Other
• Quantity — How many units
• Unit price — Price per unit

The estimate total is calculated automatically from all line items plus tax. You can reorder, edit, or remove line items at any time before sending.

When your estimate is ready, click "Send." This does two things:

1. Generates a professional PDF — Your company name, customer details, line items, totals, and notes formatted as a clean, printable document
2. Emails the PDF to the customer — If the customer has an email on file, the PDF is sent as an attachment

The estimate status changes to Sent regardless of whether the email succeeds. If the customer doesn't have an email, the estimate is still marked as sent — you can share the PDF manually or print it.

You can resend an estimate at any time if the customer didn't receive it or needs another copy.

Estimates follow a 6-state workflow:

• Draft — Being composed. Fully editable.
• Sent — Delivered to the customer. Still editable (you can update and resend).
• Approved — Customer accepted the quote. Ready to convert to a job.
• Declined — Customer rejected the quote.
• Expired — Past the expiration date without a response.
• Converted — Turned into a job. The linked job is accessible from the estimate record.

Approve and decline actions are performed by the dispatcher on behalf of the customer (based on their response via phone, email, or text). A future update will add a customer-facing approval portal.

When a customer approves an estimate, click "Convert to Job" to create a new job from it. The conversion automatically:

• Creates a new job linked to the same customer
• Copies all line items from the estimate to the job
• Copies the estimate notes to the job description
• Marks the estimate as Converted with a link to the new job

After conversion, the job appears on your dispatch board ready to be scheduled and assigned to a technician. The estimate record is preserved for your records — you can always trace back from a job to the original estimate.

The Estimates page shows all your estimates with summary cards at the top:

• Total estimates — Count of all estimates
• Pending approval — Estimates that have been sent but not yet approved or declined
• Approved value — Total dollar amount of approved estimates

Use the search bar to find estimates by customer name or estimate number. Filter by status to see only drafts, sent, approved, or declined estimates.

Click any estimate to open the detail view where you can edit, send, approve, decline, or convert it.

• Send estimates the same day — Speed wins jobs. Build and send the estimate while you're still on site or immediately after.
• Use detailed line items — Customers trust itemized quotes more than lump sums. Break out labor, materials, and services separately.
• Add scope-of-work notes — Clearly describe what's included (and what's not). This prevents disputes and sets expectations.
• Follow up on sent estimates — Check the Estimates page regularly for estimates that have been sent but not yet responded to. A quick follow-up call often closes the deal.
• Set reasonable expiration dates — 30 days is the default, but for urgent work (like emergency repairs), a shorter window creates urgency.