What you lose without it
Quotes take an evening. Two people quote the same job differently. A margin gets forgotten on materials. The quote that would have won goes out three days late, and the one that was under-priced gets accepted immediately.
What it holds
The price book: labour rates by role, materials and markups, standard inclusions and exclusions, travel and minimums, package prices, and the terms that go on every quote. A quote log: number, client, value, date sent, status, follow-up date. The template in your format.
What it reads from
The price book and your past quotes at setup. Then a voice note or a few typed lines from the site or the call: "Two-day install, four fixtures, Kiama, client supplies tiles." The draft comes back priced from the book, in your wording, for you to check and send.
What the morning check says about it
"Three quotes over $5k with no reply after 10 days" with the follow-up drafted. "Quote 1042 accepted; deposit not yet invoiced."
Where a spreadsheet stops being enough
When you need quotes to flow straight into job scheduling and invoicing inside a platform such as ServiceM8, Tradify or Simpro. The price book still belongs to you; the module then feeds the platform rather than replacing it.
Problem: my quotes go quiet · With ServiceM8
Starts at: From the Board (as a connected area). Levels → · Get a price →
All modules: Compliance and registers · Jobs, bookings and schedule · Money view · Clients and pipeline · Knowledge base and procedures · Staff onboarding and training · Morning brief and reports · Inbox and admin · Suppliers, stock and purchasing · Marketing, reviews and content · Handover and owner-away
Written by Christian Stewart, Stewart Systems, Wollongong. Published 2026-09-29. Records and flags, not legal, WHS or insurance advice; rules change, check the regulator for the current one.