What Changes
The journey for agreeing the work and the price in a business that sells to other businesses. Today: 4 steps you do and 1 time it waits. With the fix: 2 steps you do and 0 times it waits.
Businesses: quote, order change.
The journey for agreeing the work and the price in a business that sells to the public. Today: 4 steps you do and 1 time it waits. With the fix: 2 steps you do and 0 times it waits.
The Public: quote, extra.
Today
- You: Price agreed out loud.
- You: An extra agreed partway through, written down nowhere.
- You: Invoice sent.
- Waiting: Customer disputes it.
- You: Argument, and you knock money off.
- Steps You Do
- 4
- Times It Waits
- 1
With the Fix
- Runs on its own: Notes and photos become a written quote the same day.
- You: You check it and send it.
- Runs on its own: Customer approves it online.
- You: A change comes up and you log it on your phone.
- Runs on its own: Customer approves the change before the work goes ahead.
- Runs on its own: Invoice is the quote plus approved changes.
- Steps You Do
- 2
- Times It Waits
- 0
- Notes, photos or a voice memo become a clear written quote in your format, the same day.
- The customer approves it online, and the approval is kept.
- Any change during the job is written down with its price and approved before the work goes ahead.
- The final invoice is the quote plus approved changes, and nothing else.
- Terms, warranty and contact details go out with every quote.
WHO YOU SELL TO
Illustrative example. Today: Enquiry for [part], [quantity], received [date]. Quote typed from last year’s spreadsheet and sent [n] days later. A price change agreed by phone, not recorded. After the fix: “Quote [n]: [part], [quantity] at £[x] each, lead time [n] weeks. Accepted by [Customer] on [date].” “Change: quantity [n] to [n], £[x]. Accepted [date].” “Invoice matches the accepted order.”.
Illustrative. Your business carries your own details.
What It Costs You
In the government’s Made Smarter evaluation, small manufacturers describe quoting, delivery notes and invoicing run on hard-copy paperwork.
Source: DBT/Ipsos
Illustrative example. Today: A text: “About £[x] all in.” An extra agreed on site on [day], written down nowhere. The invoice says £[x]. After the fix: “Quote [n] for [job]: [lines], £[x]. Approved by [Customer] on [date] at [time].” “Change [n]: [extra work], £[x]. Approved [date].” “Invoice £[x]: quote plus approved changes.”.
Illustrative. Your business carries your own details.
What It Costs You
Only 41% of home-repair customers got a written quote, and those who ended up paying extra lost a median £750.
Source: Citizens Advice, Built to fail, July 2026
What You Do
Set the price list and the quote format, and approve each quote until you trust it. You or your adviser confirm the wording of your terms. We don’t give legal advice.
What It Runs On
Your phone, your invoicing or accounting system and an online approval.
Agreed Before We Start
Share of jobs with an approved written quote, number of price disputes and time from survey to quote, before and after.
What We Agree Before We Start
| Measure | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
| Jobs with an approved written quote | ||
| Price disputes | ||
| Time from survey to quote |
We fill this in with you during the diagnostic, from your own records.
Questions Owners Ask
- Can customers approve a quote on their phone?
- Yes. They approve online and the approval is kept with a date and time.
- What about work quoted in the customer’s home?
- Customers then usually have cancellation rights, and those must appear on the paperwork. You or your adviser confirm the wording; we don’t give legal advice.
- Do I still check every quote?
- Yes, until you’re happy for them to go without you.
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