Quote template: how to write a quote customers accept

What to include in a quote

A customer compares quotes side by side, usually on a phone, so the one that answers every question without a call wins. Every quote needs: your business name, address, phone and VAT number if you are registered; the customer’s name and the address of the job; a quote number, the date and how long the price is valid; a one-sentence description of the work; the lines — labour, materials, call-out or travel — with quantities and prices; the total, with VAT shown separately; what is not included; when you can start and how long it takes; payment terms; and how to accept.

The last item is the one most quotes forget. “Reply to accept” is fine; a button is better.

Free quote template you can copy

QUOTE No. [0001] · Date: [date] · Valid until: [date]

From: [Business name], [address], [phone], [email], VAT No. [if registered]. To: [Customer name], [job address].

The job: [Replace the water heater in the main bathroom, remove the old unit and test the system].

Lines: 1 × [water heater, 80 L, model] — €[price] · [3] hours labour at €[rate] — €[amount] · Fittings and small materials — €[amount] · Removal of the old unit — €[amount].

Subtotal: €[amount] · VAT [19 %]: €[amount] · Total: €[amount].

Not included: [tiling or wall repair after removal]. Start: [within 3 working days of acceptance]; duration [half a day]. Payment: [deposit / on completion], by [bank transfer or card].

To accept: [tap the link / reply “I accept” to this message]. Questions: [name, phone].

Quote templates for different trades

The structure stays the same; the lines change. A plumbing or air-conditioning quote lists the call-out, the parts by model and the labour hours. A cleaning quote prices a visit — by hours or by rooms — and says how often it repeats. A pool or garden service quote is usually a monthly price with what each visit includes. A builder quote template splits the work into stages, each with its own price and payment, so neither side carries the whole risk at once.

Whatever the trade, write the lines in the customer’s words. “Replace the leaking valve under the kitchen sink” is a line people accept; “Part 4417-B” is a line people phone about.

How to price a job

Start from your costs, not from the competitor’s number. Labour is the hours you expect multiplied by an hourly rate that covers wages, van, insurance, tools and the hours you spend not earning — quoting, driving, waiting. Materials are what you pay plus a markup for buying, carrying and guaranteeing them. Add travel if the site is out of your usual area, and a minimum charge so that small jobs are not done at a loss.

Then look at the total the way the customer will. If it surprises you, it will surprise them — break it into clearer lines rather than cutting the price.

Quote, estimate or invoice?

An estimate is an educated guess: “around €400, depending on what we find”. A quote is a fixed price for a defined job: if the job stays as described, the price stays too. An invoice comes after the work and asks for payment. Many disputes start when a customer reads an estimate as a quote, so say which one you are sending in the first line, and when the job changes, send a new quote rather than a surprise on the invoice.

Word, Excel or a quote link?

A quote template in Word or Excel is fine when you send a few a month. It stops working when you have many: versions get mixed up, prices on old quotes are copied by mistake, and nobody knows which customer accepted what. The signs that you have outgrown the spreadsheet are simple — you search your sent folder to find a quote, or a customer says “but you told me €300”.

Following up a quote

Send the quote the same day you saw the job — speed is the cheapest way to win. If you hear nothing, follow up after two or three days with one short message: “Did the quote make sense? Happy to adjust the start date.” A second follow-up after a week is the last one. When a customer says no, ask what decided it: the price, the date or something you missed. The answers will improve the next quote more than any template.

From accepted quote to a booked job

In Base a quote goes to the customer as a link. They read every line on their phone and accept or decline it themselves, so there is no “I never agreed to that” later — the decision and the lines they saw are kept. The link stays valid for a month, and once the customer accepts, you schedule the visit in the same calendar as the rest of your field service work, with the job, address and agreed price already filled in.