How do estimates work?
Build an estimate line by line, send it to your customer for approval online, and turn it into an invoice when they say yes.
An estimate is the priced proposal you send a customer before the work starts. You build it line by line, send it with one click, and the customer reviews and approves it online. When they approve, that approval is recorded on the estimate, and you can turn it into an invoice without retyping anything.
Creating an estimate
Open the opportunity or project the work belongs to and add an estimate from its Estimates tab. Each estimate gets a number that follows the record it belongs to, so the second estimate on opportunity #O-1001 is #O-1001-2 and it is always clear which version is which.
Add line items for labor, materials, or anything else you charge for. Each line takes a quantity and a rate, and the totals, markup, and tax are calculated for you as you type.
Pulling items from your catalog
You do not have to type the same items over and over. Your product catalog holds the items and services you sell, with their standard prices. From the estimate builder, open the catalog picker and add items straight onto the estimate, then adjust quantities or prices for this particular job. You can also import line items from another estimate instead of rebuilding them.
Templates
If you find yourself building the same kind of estimate repeatedly, save one as a template. Next time, start from the template and the line items arrive pre-filled. Your templates live under Templates in the sidebar, where you can rename or delete them.
Sending and approval
The preview shows the estimate exactly as your customer will see it. When you send it, the customer gets an email with a secure link where they can review the estimate and approve it from any device, no account needed. Their approval is recorded on the estimate, with who approved it and when.
Once an estimate is approved, it is the record of what the customer agreed to. If you edit it afterwards, Coastline warns you, so agreed pricing never changes silently.
If you cancel an estimate instead, nothing is sent to your customer. See If I cancel an estimate, does the customer get notified?
From estimate to invoice
When the work is billed, create the invoice directly from the approved estimate. The line items carry over, so the invoice matches what was agreed.
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