Quote software: send quotes customers sign online

The quote is the moment a sales conversation turns into a buying decision. A clear quote that arrives quickly and is easy to accept wins jobs that a slow, confusing PDF loses, even at the same price.

This guide covers what a good quote contains, how to build quotes from a price book, how online acceptance with an e-signature works, how to follow up on quotes that sit unsigned, and how to turn an accepted quote into an invoice without retyping anything.

What a good quote contains

Whether you’re a contractor quoting a deck, an agency quoting a retainer or a lawn care company quoting a season of mowing, the same building blocks apply:

Section	What to include
Header	Your business name, contact details, quote number and date
Customer	Name, company (if any), billing and job address
Scope	What you will do, in plain language, and what’s not included
Line items	Each product or service with quantity, unit price and line total
Discounts	Shown as their own line or per line, so the customer sees what they saved
Tax	Tax rate and amount, calculated on the right lines
Total	One clear number
Terms	Validity period, payment terms, deposit (if any), schedule assumptions
Acceptance	One obvious way to say yes

Two things matter more than design. First, scope clarity: most disputes come from what the customer assumed was included. Write “Remove and haul away existing deck boards” rather than “Demo”. Second, a single path to yes: if accepting means printing, signing, scanning and emailing, some customers simply won’t.

For a deeper look at structure, options and expiry dates, see how to write a quote that wins the job.

Build quotes from a price book

A price book is your list of standard products and services with their prices, plus the tax rates you charge. It turns quoting from a blank page into picking items from a list.

Benefits:

• Speed. A rep can build a quote on site in a few minutes instead of back at the office that evening.
• Consistency. Two reps quoting the same job don’t come in $400 apart.
• Fewer mistakes. Tax rates are set once, not typed by hand on each quote.
• Better reporting. When every quote uses the same items, you can see what sells.

Tips for setting one up:

1. Start with your 20 most common items. You can add the long tail later.
2. Name items the way customers understand them (“Spring aeration, up to 5,000 sq ft”), not with internal codes.
3. Set a default unit and price, but let reps adjust quantity and, within limits, price.
4. Set up the tax rates you actually use, and decide which items are taxable.
5. Review prices quarterly, or whenever material costs move.

Discounts and options

Discounts are a tool, not a reflex. Show them clearly so the customer sees the value, and decide in advance who can approve how much.

Options work better than discounts in many sales. A good, better, best structure lets the customer choose how to buy rather than whether to buy:

Option	Example for a fencing contractor
Good	Pressure-treated pine, standard gate, 1-year workmanship warranty
Better	Cedar, upgraded gate hardware, 3-year warranty
Best	Cedar with stain, double gate, 5-year warranty

Keep it to two or three options, and make the differences obvious. If options are on separate quotes, make sure the customer can accept only one.

Online acceptance and e-signatures

Online acceptance means the customer opens a link, reviews the quote on a web page, and accepts it by signing electronically, often by typing their name. It removes the print-sign-scan step and records exactly when and what they agreed to.

In the US, the federal ESIGN Act is the main law here. It says a signature, contract or record relating to interstate commerce may not be denied legal effect “solely because it is in electronic form”. It defines an electronic signature broadly, as “an electronic sound, symbol, or process” attached to or logically associated with a record and “executed or adopted by a person with the intent to sign.” A typed name with a clear “I accept” action is a common way to show that intent.

There are limits. The law lists specific exceptions, such as wills, family law matters and certain notices, and some consumer transactions carry extra disclosure requirements. If you sell in a customer’s home, the FTC’s Cooling-Off Rule may also give the buyer three business days to cancel certain sales of $25 or more, and you must tell them about that right at the time of sale. Rules vary by state and situation. This is general information, not legal advice; talk to a lawyer about your contracts.

Practical tips:

• Put your terms on the quote itself, not in a separate document the customer never sees.
• Make “Accept” and “Decline” equally easy. A decline with a reason is more useful than silence.
• Keep the accepted version. If the price changes, send a new quote rather than editing the signed one.

Follow up on unsigned quotes

Most quotes that sit unsigned aren’t rejections. The customer is comparing, waiting on a spouse or business partner, or simply busy. A scheduled follow-up turns many of these into wins.

A simple cadence:

When	Channel	Message focus
Same day	Email, text or WhatsApp (with consent)	Send the quote link with a one-line summary of what’s included
Day 2	Call	“Any questions on the quote?” and offer to walk through it
Day 7	Text or email	Answer a likely objection: schedule, warranty, financing questions, scope
Near expiry	Email	Friendly note that the price holds until a specific date
After expiry	Email	Close the loop and ask whether to update the quote or close the file

Make each follow-up useful. “Just checking in” adds nothing. “Quick note: the crew has an opening the week of the 14th if you’d like to lock it in” gives a reason to reply.

Create the follow-up tasks when you send the quote, not when you remember. If a quote is declined, record the reason on the deal so your pipeline reports show why you lose.

From accepted quote to invoice

Acceptance should trigger the next steps without anyone retyping the job:

1. Mark the deal won, so your pipeline and revenue reports update.
2. Schedule the work or kick-off.
3. Create an invoice (or a deposit invoice) from the accepted line items.
4. Sync the customer and invoice to your accounting system.

When the invoice comes straight from the accepted quote, the customer is billed exactly what they agreed to. Our guide to invoicing in your CRM covers due dates, overdue tracking and partial payments, and the QuickBooks integration guide covers accounting sync.

Common quoting mistakes

A few habits cost small teams more jobs than price ever does:

• Sending the quote days later. By the time a quote written “back at the office” arrives, the customer has two others. Aim to send the same day, ideally before you leave the site or hang up.
• Vague scope. “Landscaping work, $4,800” invites arguments later. List what’s included and what isn’t.
• Hidden extras. Fees that only appear on the invoice destroy trust. Put disposal, permits and travel on the quote.
• No expiry date. Without one, customers come back six months later expecting last season’s price.
• Editing a signed quote. Once accepted, a quote is a record. Changes belong on a new quote or a change order the customer accepts again.
• No owner for follow-up. If nobody is assigned to chase the quote, nobody will.

How Exa helps

Exa’s quotes start from a price book of your products, services and tax rates. You add line items, discounts and tax, then send the quote by email, SMS or WhatsApp. The customer gets a hosted page where they can view the quote, download the PDF, and accept with a typed-name e-signature or decline. Exa’s AI assistant can also draft a quote for you to review.

When a quote is accepted, Exa can mark the deal won and convert the quote to an invoice in one click. Quote events are available to automations and webhooks, so you can create follow-up tasks or notify the team when something changes. Invoices and payments can then sync to QuickBooks Online. Exa doesn’t process card or ACH payments.

Final thoughts

Quoting well is mostly about removing friction: a price book so quotes go out fast, clear scope so customers know what they’re buying, one-click online acceptance, and follow-ups that are scheduled the moment the quote is sent. Tie acceptance to the deal and the invoice, and the price the customer agreed to flows straight through to the money you collect.