Send for Approval texts or emails your customer a link to the full estimate. They review it on their own phone or computer, type their name to approve it, and the invoice is created for you. They can also decline it. If your shop requires a deposit, they pay it on the same page, and the approval only counts once the deposit is paid.
To send an estimate
- Open the estimate. It must be Active, not Won or Lost.
- Click "Send for Approval".
- If your shop requires a deposit, check the amount under "Deposit required to approve". Your shop's default percentage is filled in. You can change it for this estimate only, as a percentage or a dollar amount.
- Choose "Text it", "Email it", or "Copy link". Text and email fill in the customer's mobile number or email address from their record; change it if they want it somewhere else, then click Send. Copy link gives you the link to paste wherever you like.
If you text a customer who has not agreed to receive text messages, Manifold stops and asks. If they are on the phone and agree, tick the box to record their verbal consent and send. Otherwise email the estimate or copy the link.
What the customer sees The link opens a page with your shop's name and logo and the full estimate: line items, discount, tax, total, your notes and your terms, plus a Download PDF link. To approve, they type their name, tick the box confirming they approve the estimate, and click "Approve estimate", or "Approve and pay $X deposit" when a deposit is required. To decline, they open "Not going ahead? Decline this estimate", can pick a reason and add a note, and click "Decline estimate".
When they approve, the estimate is turned into an invoice and marked Won, exactly as if you had clicked Create Invoice. When a deposit is required, that happens once the deposit is paid. When they decline, the estimate is marked Lost with their reason.
Tracking your links Every link you send is listed under "Approval links" on the estimate: when it was sent, who it went to, the deposit, who sent it, and its status. The statuses are Waiting on customer, Not delivered, Approved, Approved, deposit not paid yet, Approved, deposit paid, Declined, and Closed. Click "Cancel link" to stop a link from being used.
You get a notification when the customer approves, declines, or pays a deposit. It goes to the estimate's salesperson and to owners, store managers and sales managers. Each person can turn it off under Account > Notifications ("Customer approved, declined, or paid online") unless the shop requires it for their role under Settings > Notifications.
How long a link works A link works as long as the estimate is Active. It stops working once the estimate is turned into an invoice, marked Lost (by hand, by auto-expire, or by the customer declining), or deleted. If your shop does not auto-expire estimates, a link also stops working 60 days after it was sent; send it again for a fresh one.
Sending an estimate counts as activity on it, so it restarts the auto-expire clock. The customer opening the link does not.
Sending again creates a new link. Earlier links keep working until the customer approves from one of them; then the others close.
If you edit the estimate after sending it, the link always shows the current version. If you change it while the customer has the page open, their approval is refused and the page shows them the new version to review first.