Introducing Templates and Theming to the Quotes Module

Today we’re excited to announce the launch of our latest (and highly sought after) Quotes module update!

The next time you add a new quote in Accelo, you’ll find a subtle but powerful new option - the ability to choose a template which comes pre-loaded with new layout and style settings as well as custom content for the introduction, notes, and terms and conditions of your quote.

Much like the customizable layouts available in the Invoices and Purchases modules, these templates are about pre-filling the text content that might not change much between quotes, plus adding more style and flair to your quotes. They don’t control the services and materials, however, since templates for these are already in place via the Project and Milestone template features. But you will be able to enjoy some powerful new features:

Style Quickly With Themes

In response to users asking for more flexibility in the look and feel of the quote PDFs, we’ve developed themes to help you quickly style your quotes. The features within themes ensure you can make much more beautiful quotes than before, in record time.

• Previously, quotes had 3 built-in header styles which were pretty limiting. Now, you have the ability to choose the heading font text font and theme color, and you’ll also find that each built-in theme applies a unique look to the headings and tables within the quote.
• The heading content is no longer 2 fixed-width sections. You now have 2 flexible text areas in the header with the ability to re-size the width using a draggable bar, helping you to find a clean look that suits your business needs.

Rich Text Editing

New rich text editor sections of the template allow you to define whatever content you like, via free text or using merge fields to auto-populate client specific details. 

• Now you can create templated content for the introduction, notes/conclusions area, and terms and conditions with heaps of rich-text formatting options.
• Let Accelo automatically populate the quote details such as the quote number, title, total price, customer name and address, and more using merge fields. You can also merge in custom profile field data from the sale/opportunity that the quote belongs to.
• You can even template the subject and body of the email to be sent to the prospect when publishing the quote. This all helps to super-charge your quote creation process so that you can focus on the work you love to do.
• For users that are tired of manually entering the tax on their quotes, there’s a new “Calculated” option which looks at the service and material items within a quote to auto calculate the tax based on the tax codes for those items - it’s never been so easy!

Insert Images

We wanted to make the process of inserting images/pictures into the quote content much easier. Until now, you had to upload your images as attachments in Accelo, copy the link once the file was ready, then use the “Insert image from URL” option within the text editor. This process was cumbersome, confusing, and very time-consuming.

With the new Quotes upgrade, Accelo can support the drag and drop of an image directly into the content area to save you all that hassle! This works both in the quote template creation as well as when editing the quote content (e.g. Introduction), and the files are automatically saved under the attachments folder for the sale/opportunity the quote is linked to.

FAQs

Do I have to set-up templates?

Well, no, but it’s highly recommended, as it will save time when setting up and the quote and will help add the finishing touches that were impossible before. We’ve shipped this upgrade with a simple template to get you started - which will be available when creating a new quote - but once you've created more you will see them all in the Quote Template drop-down field:

When you're ready to have a play, jump into the Admin area of Accelo and look for the Quotes menu > Quote Templates. There’s even a helpful option to clone/duplicate templates if you need to make a whole set which only have subtle differences in content or style.

What happens if I change a template?

It will only apply to new quotes. Also, if you’ve chosen a template and are previewing your quote and think, “hmm the style isn’t quite right”, you don’t have to go back and edit the template - you can just tweak the style options specific to that quote. Once published in PDF, those settings will be remembered which is handy if you need to edit and re-publish later.

What about existing quotes?

Existing quotes - especially those currently in draft mode - have been converted to support the new styles while preserving as much of the “classic” look as possible. We even included a "Classic" theme to help you keep that look if that worked for you. However, those old or in-progress quotes won’t have the default template applied to them.

You might notice some subtle changes in the header area, but it’s easy to apply a new template to those quotes from the left-hand-side of the View Quote page. This field also lets you change the template at any time - without overwriting your existing introduction, conclusion, or terms.

If you Preview & Publish one of your existing quotes, you will notice the new style and theme options on the left of the page, which can be applied to your quote. The left-hand rail also has many of the layout options from before, such as turning on and off detail for the services and materials.

What about Quotes in the Client Portal?

No sweat - even though it's not a PDF that your clients are looking at, the quote layout & style shown here matches exactly what you're seeing in Accelo when you preview the quote for publishing/sending.

On the horizon

We know many of your are keen to estimate Retainer & Contracts - whether alongside a project estimate, or as stand-alone retainer quote - and we're keen to make this happen over the coming months. It means you'll be able to quote for recurring services and then, if you get approval, turn the quote into a retainer in Accelo with ease.

Watch the New Feature Webinar