Mastering the Quote Builder
Create professional quotes that win work. Learn about line items, customer approval, and follow-up workflows.
In this guide
Creating a quote
Create a quote from a job page (click Create Quote) or from the Quotes section. Each quote is linked to a customer and optionally a job.
Add line items with a description, quantity, unit price, and VAT rate. Gaffer calculates the subtotal, VAT, and total automatically.
Line items and pricing
Be specific with descriptions — "Supply and fit 5× Hager 6A MCBs" converts better than "Electrical work". Customers want to see exactly what they're paying for.
You can save frequently-used line items as templates. Next time, just search and add them in one click instead of typing from scratch.
💡 Tip: Include materials and labour as separate line items. This builds trust with customers and makes it easier to adjust pricing if the scope changes.
Sending and tracking
Send quotes by email or share a unique link. The customer sees a branded page with your logo, the full breakdown, and Accept / Decline buttons.
Gaffer tracks when quotes are viewed — you'll see "Viewed" in the quote status. This tells you the customer has seen it, so you know when to follow up.
Follow-up workflow
Quotes that go unanswered are the number one revenue leak for trade businesses. Gaffer can send automated follow-up reminders at intervals you set — typically 3 days, 7 days, and 14 days.
You can see your quote conversion rate in Reports → Quotes. If your conversion rate is below 40%, consider refining your descriptions, adding photos of previous similar work, or following up more quickly.
Converting to a job
When a customer accepts a quote, click Convert to Job to create a job pre-populated with the quote details. The job links back to the quote, and the quote links forward to the job — full traceability.