Client Approval

When a client receives a proposal, they can approve it, request changes, or let it expire. ServiceCortex tracks the full approval workflow and makes it easy to convert approved proposals into active jobs.

How clients review proposals

Clients interact with proposals through the client portal. When you send a proposal via email, the message includes a link to the portal where the client can:

• View all line items with descriptions, quantities, and pricing
• Select or deselect optional items to customize the scope of work
• See the proposal total update in real time based on their optional item selections
• Review contract terms, validity dates, and notes

The portal view is accessible without a password using a secure, unique link tied to the client's account.

Approving a proposal

Clients can approve a proposal directly from the portal. When they approve, ServiceCortex records an approval event that captures:

• The name and email of the person who approved
• The date and time of approval
• The IP address and browser information (for audit purposes)
• Whether electronic terms were accepted

Once approved, the proposal status changes to Approved and a confirmation email is automatically sent to the client with a PDF copy of the signed proposal attached.

When a proposal is approved, ServiceCortex also automatically promotes the client's stage to Active if it was not already, and closes any open leads associated with the same client and property.

Manual approval

If the client approves outside the portal (for example, by phone, in person, or via a separate email), you can record the approval manually. From the proposal detail view, click Accept Manually and provide:

• Name -- the name of the person who approved.
• Email -- their email address.
• Method -- how the approval was received (for example, "phone," "email," or "in person").

The manual approval is recorded with the same audit trail as a portal approval.

Requesting changes

If the client wants modifications before approving, they can request changes from the portal. The proposal status transitions to Changes Requested, and you will see it flagged in your proposals list.

When you see a proposal with changes requested:

1. Open the proposal and review the client's feedback.
2. Edit the line items, pricing, or terms as needed. Proposals in the Changes Requested status are fully editable.
3. Re-send the proposal to the client. The status returns to Awaiting Response.

You can also move the proposal back to Draft status if you need more time to revise it, or publish it to the portal via the Website status.

Converting proposals to jobs

Once a proposal reaches Approved status, you can convert it to an active job. Click Convert to Job on the proposal detail view to start the process.

During conversion:

1. A new job is created with the proposal's client, property, title, and project reference.
2. All selected line items are copied to the job. Optional items that were not selected by the client are excluded.
3. The proposal line items are locked to preserve the original pricing record. Locked items cannot be modified on the proposal.
4. The proposal status changes to Converted.
5. An activity event is logged on both the proposal and the new job for audit purposes.

The job receives its own sequential job number and is created in Active status, ready for scheduling and work.

Amendments and change orders

If the scope of work changes after a proposal has been approved or converted, you can create an amendment rather than starting a new proposal from scratch.

Click Amend on an approved or converted proposal. ServiceCortex creates a new proposal that:

• Copies all line items, contract terms, and settings from the original
• Links back to the original proposal in an amendment chain
• Starts in Draft status so you can make changes

The amendment goes through the same send-and-approve workflow as a regular proposal. When you convert an amendment to a job, ServiceCortex applies it as a change order to the existing job rather than creating a new one. The job's line items and totals are updated to reflect the amendment, and the previously converted proposal is marked as a Change Order (superseded).

This chain-based approach ensures you have a complete history of every version of the proposal and every change made to the job scope.

What to do next

• Create an invoice for the job once work is complete.
• Set up payment schedules for deposits and installments.