Audience: Office Managers, Admin Staff, Technicians
Platforms: Uptick Web, Uptick App
Frequently asked questions about defect/repairs quotes and their functionality Below are comprehensive guidelines for choosing the appropriate quote type and understanding key rules for effective quoting in Uptick.
If you see this arrow, click to expand for more information!
If you see this arrow, click to expand for more information!
We will add optional information and images under these arrows.
General
What is the difference between a defect quote and a service quote?
Defect quotes are created when an inspection of existing property identifies remarks/defects. In comparison, service quotes are typically used for maintenance proposals or once-off work for new clients. Understanding their distinct applications helps to streamline quoting operations effectively. Defect quotes are best utilized for addressing remarks identified during maintenance or inspections, while service quotes are ideal for one-time installations, property ownership changes, or specific project-related tasks. Following these guidelines ensures optimal alignment with your business needs.
How do I automatically apply terms and conditions to all defect quotes?
Navigate to the Control Panel, open the Defect quoting tab, and enter terms in the Defect Quote template terms and conditions field. To address specific requirements like one-off installations or ownership changes, selecting the appropriate quote type—defect or service—ensures functional accuracy.
Is it necessary to display every product and price on the defect quote?
Visibility of the products and prices depends on the selected Defect Quote template:
Itemised w/ Prices: Displays the remarks and associated products with price and quantity.
Itemised w/ Qty: Displays the remarks and associated products with prices, but without quantities.
Description: Contains the information about remarks and the total price of the quote. Example Scenario: If fire extinguishers are removed during a property ownership change and new installations are required to restore the asset list, a service quote should be used since this involves new projects rather than addressing pre-identified defects.
Where can I set up a default template for Defect Quotes?
Navigate to the Control Panel > Defect Quoting and select the template in the Defect Quote default template field.
Can defect quote templates be set at a client level?
Defect quote templates cannot be set at a client level, you can only set one default defect quote template in the control panel.
You can update the template for each specific defect quote in the draft status. Click Update > Set template ... to change the template.
Why are suggested products missing from the Quote Builder?
Suggested products from field users may be missing if the asset was not supposed to be serviced (not part of the service tasks). When creating a defect quote from a task, the Source filter in the Quote Builder defaults to Active remarks attached to assets serviced on task [ID]. To view all remarks and suggested products linked to the task, regardless of whether the assets were listed in the service tasks, change the filter to Active remarks added on task [ID].
Why, when a technician/engineer adds an internal note on a task, doesn't it appear in any field when we start to do a defect quote?
Internal Notes added to a task will stay on the task as they relate to the task as a whole - they do not go on the quote, as not all internal notes are relevant to quoting.
To have notes appear during quoting, please consider adding a remark instead.
What happens when a quote expires?
When a Defect Quote or Service Quote passes its expiry date, its status automatically changes to Expired. Once a quote is expired:
It cannot be approved or declined by the client.
It cannot be edited or have its status changed directly to
DeclinedorApproved.Expired defect quotes will not appear in the "Awaiting Approval" section of the Customer Portal, as no action can be taken.
How do I renew or resend an expired quote?
You cannot directly edit an expired quote. The correct process is to either revert it to a draft or duplicate it.
Option 1: Revert to Draft (Recommended for resubmitting the same quote)
Open the expired quote.
Change the status from
Expiredto Revert to Draft.Update the Expiry Date to a future date.
Make any other necessary changes to the quote details or line items.
Resubmit the quote to the client. It will now appear as
Submittedand be actionable again.
Option 2: Duplicate the Quote (Recommended for creating a new version)
If you prefer to keep a record of the original expired quote, you can duplicate it.
Open the expired quote.
Click the Duplicate button. This will create a new quote in
Draftstatus with all the same details.Set a new Expiry Date.
Submit the new quote to the client.
Can I change an expired quote's status to "Declined"?
You cannot directly change an Expired quote to Declined. You must first revert it to a draft and resubmit it.
Follow the steps above to Revert to Draft.
Resubmit the quote so its status is
Submitted.Once it is in
Submittedstatus, you can then select Mark Declined.
Can I do this in bulk?
No, you cannot bulk-transition quotes from Expired to Declined. Each quote must be individually reverted to a draft and resubmitted before it can b
Configuration and Settings
How do I change the default expiry window for defect quotes?
While you cannot disable quote expiration completely, you can adjust the default validity period:
Navigate to Control Panel > Defect Quoting.
Locate the setting for the quote expiry period (the default is 90 days).
Enter a new number of days for the expiry window.
Click Save.
For individual quotes that have expired, you can revert them to "Draft" status, update the expiry date, and resubmit them to the client.
How do I set up client-specific pricing for defect quotes?
You can apply special pricing for different clients using Price Tiers:
Create a Price Tier:
Go to Control Panel > Price Tiers.
Click Add Price Tier and give it a descriptive name (e.g., "Major Client Discount").
Assign the Price Tier to a Client:
Navigate to the client's profile page.
Click Update and select the new price tier from the Price Tier dropdown menu.
Set Custom Pricing on Products:
Go to Customer Data > Products.
Select a product and click the Pricing tab.
You will see your new price tier listed. Enter the client-specific sell price for that tier.
When you create a defect quote for a client with an assigned price tier, Uptick will automatically use the custom pricing for any products included in that tier.
How do I use snippets effectively in defect quoting?
Snippets are reusable blocks of text that can save significant time when creating quotes:
Creating Snippets:
Go to Control Panel > Snippets.
Click Add Snippet.
Give the snippet a clear, concise Name so it's easy to find.
Enter the full text content in the Body field.
Click Save.
Using Snippets in a Defect Quote:
When creating or editing a defect quote, click into a text field like Scope of Works or Terms and Conditions.
An Insert Text Snippet button will appear.
Click it and select the desired snippet from the list to insert it into the field.
Tips for Effective Snippet Use:
Keep names short and descriptive to make them easier to find in the dropdown list.
Use snippets to ensure consistency in the information you provide to all clients.
Regularly review and archive old or duplicate snippets to keep your list clean.
How do I group defect quote line items by product?
By default, you can sort line items in the Quote Builder, but for more advanced grouping:
Standard Sorting: In the Quote Builder, you can sort remarks and products. However, this sorting may not always translate directly to the final PDF output.
Custom Grouping: For logical grouping by location (for large commercial sites) or by asset type/routine, you will likely need a custom document template. This is a billable service provided by our Professional Services team.
Field Users
When a product is under "Suggest for quote", how do they indicate the time required for the job?
You can store an estimated duration against your products in your product catalogue. Once the product/s have been allocated to the remark, you will see the estimated duration for the job add up within the quote. You can then add a labour charge to reflect the time taken to do the work.
Can a technician/engineer delete a remark if they add the wrong one by mistake?
No, remarks can only be removed by someone at the office with access to your Uptick workspace on the web.
If a technician/engineer adds a product as Use and Charge, does it pull onto the invoice?
Yes, if the technician/engineer selects the product under 'Use and Charge' and then toggles that they've used it, it will automatically add the product onto the invoice when one is created for the task.
When you have listed batteries how would you specify the size of battery?
On the app, if you click into the product, you can add a note to specify the size of the battery.
Is the technician/engineer able to change the product if a different product should be added?
The technician/engineer can select the product that is relevant for that specific asset in the product catalogue.
Improve the field experience by allocating different product types for that specific remark type; further minimising human error and saving time when selecting products to use/suggest for quote out in the field.
Can a technician/engineer overwrite a product, if a different part is needed than what was originally quoted?
If a part was originally quoted and brought onto the repair task, a field user cannot overwrite it, as this was approved on the originating defect quote.
Instead, the field user can add the correct product as a Use and Charge product against the remark and mark that as performed by toggling it on.
They should leave the originally quoted item unperformed (do not toggle it on) to communicate that they did not use that product.
Sending Defect Quotes
Do materials in the documents tab of a task automatically get sent to a client when submitting the quote via email?
No, materials in the documents tab do not automatically get sent to a client. You will need to click Send Email to Customer, select which documents you'd like to send with the quote, and submit the email.
If I am sending (cc) quotes to a person that is not the primary contact, do I need to type in contact details on each occasion, or can I save contacts somewhere to populate more easily?
You can set up a contact on the property and enable Requires a quote to CC this contact to receive future quotes.
Is there any place I can add a contact list? We have clients that will require emails to be sent to different people depending on the requirements
On the client, you can add additional recipients for various things such as reports, invoices and defect quotes. You can find this under Client > Requirements and add recipients into the CC section.
Once added, you can simply remove any unnecessary recipients on each defect quote you send.
Can we change email address for clients when we don't have backend access?
You should be able to update the email address for clients in their client profile on the web before creating the defect quote. On the rare occasion that the client email may differ from the original client, you can edit the client in the defect quote > update section on a draft defect quote.
What is the purpose of 'Duration' on each product in the Quote Builder?
The Duration added to each line item will be added together and brought across as the estimated duration on the subsequent repair task.
The duration won't be added to the labour costings. To account for labour, please add a labour charge as a separate line item on the defect quote.
You can store an estimated duration against your products in your product catalogue to prepopulate the Duration when adding that product to the quote builder.
Approval/Decline Process
How to manually approve or decline a defect quote?
View the defect quote in either the Finalised or Submitted status, click the dropdown next to the status, then select Mark approved or Mark declined.
What happens if I receive approval via email or phone call?
Click the approval link to approve the defect quote on behalf of the client, or select Mark as approved in the status dropdown for the Finalised or Submitted defect quotes.
If a customer declines a defect quote, does it give them an option to explain why?
When a customer declines a quote using the link in the email they received, there's a mandatory field (Comment) for them to complete, where they can leave a reason for the decline.
Managing Repair Tasks
How to create multiple repair tasks from a single approved defect quote while providing one invoice for all works?
Start by creating partial repair tasks from the approved defect quote and then consolidate the tasks for invoicing purposes.
Why is the 'Create Task' button missing on an approved defect quote?
The Create Task button will not appear on an approved defect quote if the associated property is inactive. An inactive property indicates the site is no longer being serviced, preventing tasks from being created for work that may not be billable or approved by the client.
Troubleshooting
Why can't my client view the defect quote link?
If your client cannot view the defect quote link, check the following:
Email Delivery Issues:
Verify the client's email address is correct in their profile.
Check if the email went to their spam/junk folder.
Ensure your domain is not blocked by their email provider.
Link Expiry:
Defect quote links expire based on the quote's expiry date.
If the quote has expired, revert it to "Draft" status, update the expiry date, and resubmit.
Browser Issues:
Ask the client to try opening the link in a different browser or incognito/private mode.
Clear browser cache and cookies.
Permissions:
Ensure the client contact has the appropriate permissions to view quotes.
Check that the contact is set up correctly on the property with "Requires a quote" enabled.
Why can't I see expired quotes in the Customer Portal?
Expired defect quotes are automatically hidden from the Customer Portal to prevent confusion. This is by design to ensure clients only see active quotes they can respond to.
To make an expired quote visible again:
Navigate to the expired quote in your Uptick workspace.
Click Revert to Draft.
Update the expiry date to a future date.
Resubmit the quote to the client.
Can I create a defect quote in a Word document format?
Uptick generates all documents, including defect quotes, in PDF format to ensure they are secure, professional, and cannot be easily altered by the recipient.
There is no built-in functionality to export a defect quote directly to a Microsoft Word (.docx) file.
The standard output is a PDF, and any customization of the quote's appearance must be done by editing the HTML document template within Uptick. If you require a different format for internal purposes, you would need to manually copy the content from the generated PDF into a Word document.
Can I bulk download defect quotes as PDFs?
Currently, there is no built-in bulk download feature for defect quotes as PDFs directly from the user interface. However, you can:
Export Quote Data:
Navigate to the Defect Quote list page.
Apply filters to refine the list (e.g., by status, client, or date range).
Look for the option to Download CSV.
The downloaded file will contain detailed information about your quotes.
Individual Downloads:
Open each defect quote individually.
Use your browser's print function to save as PDF.
For bulk PDF generation, this may require a custom solution or API usage. Contact our Professional Services team for assistance with advanced reporting needs.
Permissions and Access
Understanding defect quote permissions: Viewing and editing drafts
Access to defect quotes is controlled by security group permissions:
Required Permissions:
Can create quotes - Allows creation of new defect quotes
Can change quotes - Allows editing of existing quotes
Can view defect quotes - Allows viewing of quote lists and details
Can change site configuration settings - Required for template and settings changes
Draft Quote Access:
Only users with "Can change quotes" permission can edit draft quotes
Draft status is the only stage where you can edit details and line items
Once a quote moves beyond draft status, you must "Revert to draft" to make changes
Status Change Limitations:
Some status changes require specific permissions or authorization limits
Users may be restricted from approving quotes above their authorization limit
Contact your system administrator if you cannot change quote statuses as expected
Troubleshooting Permission Issues:
Check your security group assignments in Control Panel > Security Groups
Verify you have the necessary permissions listed above
Ensure you're not exceeding authorization limits for quote values
Contact your system administrator for permission updates