Anyone typing getinvoicesimple into a browser is usually after one thing: a quick way to send a client a price, get a yes and bill it without retyping anything. This article covers that estimate-to-invoice step on the levelpartner.ai platform. We do not describe any third-party app. You will learn how to send an estimate the client can accept online, turn the accepted estimate into an invoice, and keep both on the client's record next to the deal.
Why the estimate step leaks time
In most service firms the price lives in three places before anyone is paid. The salesperson writes a quote in a document. The client replies "go ahead" by email. Someone in finance retypes the quote into an invoice weeks later, often from memory of what was agreed.
Every retype is a chance to get the price, the tax or the scope wrong. Every delay between acceptance and invoice is time the client could have spent paying. Sending the estimate from the same system that issues the invoice removes both problems.
Before you start
- A payment processor connected in Payments, so the final invoice carries a pay button.
- Your services saved as products with standard descriptions and prices.
- Your business profile complete in Settings, including tax numbers.
- An opportunity pipeline with a stage for "estimate sent" and one for "accepted".
- A rule for how long an estimate stays valid, such as 30 days.
How to send an estimate and convert it
- Go to Payments, open Invoices & Estimates and select Estimates.
- Click New.
- Enter the business information, the customer, the estimate number and the expiry date.
- Add the products you discussed, adjusting quantity and price to match the conversation.
- Click send, review the estimate, then send it to the client by email or SMS.
- When the client accepts online, check the estimate shows as accepted. If they said yes by phone, mark it accepted yourself.
- Open the accepted estimate and click create an invoice, then set the due date and send it.
If the client asks for a change, edit the estimate and resend rather than agreeing the change by email. The accepted version is your record of what was bought.
What the client sees
The client receives a link to a hosted page with your logo, the lines, the total and the expiry date. They can accept it there, which records the acceptance against the estimate. No login or account is needed. When the invoice follows, it arrives in the same style, so the client recognises it and pays without wondering whether it is genuine.
Deposits and staged payments
Larger jobs rarely bill in one go. A common pattern for consultants and agencies is a deposit on acceptance and the balance on delivery. Convert the accepted estimate into a deposit invoice for the first part, then raise a second invoice for the balance when the work is done. Put the estimate number in the note on both so the client can see how they relate.
For work billed by the hour after an initial estimate, the guide to turning tracked time into an invoice explains how to keep the estimate as a ceiling and bill actual hours.
Suppose the consultancy sends about 25 quotes a month as PDFs, half are accepted by email, and finance raises the invoice around nine days later. With estimates sent from the platform and accepted online, the invoice could go out on the day of the yes. The deposit invoice would then reach the client while the decision is still fresh. Across a dozen accepted quotes a month, that takes nine days of waiting out of each one. Illustrative numbers.
What it replaces and the time it takes
Estimates on the platform replace the quote document, the acceptance email thread and the retyped invoice. Once products are saved, an estimate takes a few minutes and the conversion takes one more. A sales lead sending ten estimates a week will spend less than an hour on them in total.
The mistake most people make
Sending estimates with no expiry. An open-ended estimate gets accepted six months later at last year's price, and you either honour it or have an awkward conversation. Set an expiry on every estimate, and put a follow-up task on the opportunity a few days before it lapses.
The second mistake is free-typing every line. Use saved products, adjusting the description where needed, so prices stay consistent between salespeople.
When not to use an online estimate
Complex engagements with negotiated terms, liability caps or detailed scope belong in a proposal and a signed contract first. An estimate is a price, not an agreement on how the work is done. Use the estimate for the commercial summary once the contract is settled, or skip it and invoice directly from the signed contract.
Troubleshooting
The client says the accept option does nothing. The estimate has expired. Extend the expiry date and resend.
The converted invoice shows the wrong tax. The tax rate on the estimate was wrong to begin with. Correct the rate on the product so future estimates carry it.
The opportunity did not move when the estimate was accepted. Stage changes on acceptance need a workflow. The guide to automating invoice events shows the pattern, and the same approach works for estimates.
Two estimates exist for the same job. A salesperson created a new one instead of editing the first. Void the older one so the client cannot accept the wrong price.
Frequently asked questions
Does the client need an account to accept an estimate?
No. They open the link from the email or text and accept on the hosted page. The acceptance is recorded on the estimate.
Can I take a deposit when the estimate is accepted?
Yes. Convert the accepted estimate into an invoice for the deposit amount, then raise the balance later. Reference the estimate number on both.
Can I change an estimate after sending it?
You can edit and resend it. The client sees the latest version. If they already accepted the older one, agree the change with them and issue a fresh estimate.
Is this different from a simple invoice?
An estimate asks for agreement on price; an invoice asks for payment. Both use the same products and branding. For what a lean invoice should contain, see the guide to keeping your invoice layout simple.