Estimates are not created separately from the job ticket.  

Instead, estimates are an integral part of the job and its tasks. Estimates are based on the tasks you’ve added to a job; in fact, tasks are the basis of the estimate. So the details you enter for a task -- the task name, group, sort -- is what the client sees on the printed estimate. This is very important: Jobs are estimated by job task only. Unless a job ticket has tasks, you can’t edit its estimate.

A job ticket has only one estimate, but that estimate is flexible. Since a job can have many tasks, you’ve got the ability to make very detailed estimates for your clients. An estimate can be revised any number of times as needed (estimate revisions are numbered automatically, and appear at the top of the printed estimate). Revisions are retained, so previous estimates can be reprinted.

Estimates can be revised and reprinted as many times as needed. Printing an estimate doesn’t affect its production or billing status. Estimates print on letterhead, and have several customizable options.

Estimates feature three different customizable estimate amounts. All three columns can be used when estimating large jobs with either phases or differently-priced options.

Or they can be used to show revisions (e.g., Original, Revised, Final). Or, they can offer a client a choice of qualities (e.g., 1-color, 2-color, 4-color). For flexibility, any one of the three amounts can be shown on the printed estimate. Or, you can show all three amounts on the same page -- giving your client an easy way to choose which estimate to authorize. In addition, all three amounts can be combined together to show a total estimate.

Estimates also have a unique, powerful feature: the estimate pop-up worksheet to speed up estimating. The worksheet lets you budget time for up to four different staff members and up to four different costs for each task. The task’s estimate is calculated automatically based on your entries, replacing your calculator.

An estimate’s column headings can be included as part of the job type/spec sheet. When a new job is opened with this spec sheet, the column headings are copied automatically. (The estimate’s column headings can be fine-tuned while you’re editing the estimate amounts, which only affects the job being edited).



Budget amounts

Each job task can have budget amount. The budget amount represents the agency’s cost to produce the task. It is the amount of money and time you’re planning to spend to finish the work. Unlike estimate amounts, budget amounts don’t include fees, markups, or commissions. Clients don’t see budget amounts -- only estimate amounts. So they’re used for internal cost tracking only. Job reports compare budget vs. estimate to calculate the job’s gross margin. Also, budget alerts use this amount to warn user when they’re near or over budget on a job task.

Each task only has one budget amount. Even if three estimate amounts are entered, enter the budget amount as the agency’s actual cost to finish each task.

Estimate Worksheets

The estimate worksheet is like a calculator for figuring a job task’s estimate. The worksheet contains amounts for up to four staff members (including their own billing rates) and up to four kinds of expenses (including markups). You’ll get subtotals for the labor portion of the estimate as well as the expense portion. The total of the labor and expense amounts is copied onto the estimate. Clients don’t see the amounts from the estimate worksheet. Estimate worksheets aren’t required. They are strictly for internal use only, so you can experiment freely until the estimate is perfect. The estimate worksheet can be used for each column on the estimate.

Revising estimates

Clients & Profits X automatically tracks the various revisions to a job’s estimate. The job starts with an original estimate, which can be changed many times before it is presented to the client. But once the client sees the estimate, any changes requested by the client should be reflected in “revised” estimate. Each official revision gets its own revision number, which is generated automatically. The revision number appears on the printed estimate to help you and your client keep track of the various versions of the job’s estimate. Once the client approves it, no more revisions are made to the estimate.

A job’s original estimate can be changed many times before it is printed for the client’s approval. To make the first official revision, choose New Revision from the Show Est Rev pop-up menu. The original estimate is saved, but the new revision becomes the current estimate. When the first revision’s estimate amounts are saved, they’ll appear on the printed estimate. Every time the estimate is edited, users can decide whether the changes should be a new revision; if so, they’ll choose New Revision from the pop-up menu each time.

Choosing a final estimate

Although a job can have up to three different estimates, only one is considered the final estimate. It is the one of which the client approves. The final estimate’s amounts appear on the job ticket window, job summaries, and other reports. The Final Estimate pop-up menu shows the names of your estimate columns, along with options for ?none? (i.e., no estimate) and ?all? (i.e., when all estimate amounts are combined). Choosing one of the three estimates makes it final. This selection isn’t saved unless the estimate is saved.

Approving estimates

Each job estimate can be approved online to indicate that the client has approved the estimate. Estimate approval is a user-defined access privilege, so only certain people can be allowed to approve estimates. Anyone with the access privilege can approve estimates. If a user can approve estimates, they can approve estimates for any client. Once the client approves it, no more revisions can be made to the estimate.

An estimate can only be approved if it has amounts. Estimates can also be unapproved if, for some reason, the client balks and changes its mind. For better security, an estimate can only be unapproved by the person who original approved it. A diary entry is saved automatically whenever an estimate is approved or unapproved. Also, the job’s traffic assignments are notified via e-mail whenever an estimate is approved or unapproved.