Meera received an enquiry on Monday morning.

A customer wanted to know how much a two-day photoshoot would cost and asked for something they could share with their business partner before confirming the work.

Meera had created plenty of invoices, but this time, the customer wasn't ready to pay yet.

They just wanted to know the price.

That's where a quote comes in.

The Usual Way To Do This  

The common setup is covered in our Quotes FAQ.

A quote lets you share the expected cost of your work before creating an invoice. Once the customer agrees, you can convert the quote into an invoice without entering everything again.

To create a quote:

1. Go to Quotes from the left sidebar.

2. Click + New.

3. Select the customer or create a new one.

4. Add the items or services you are quoting for.

5. Enter the quantity, rate, tax, and any applicable discount.

6. Set an expiry date if the quoted price is valid only for a particular period.

7. Add any important terms or conditions.

8. Save the quote and send it to your customer.

Once the customer accepts, open the quote and use Convert to Invoice to create an invoice using the quoted details.

Refer Creating and Sending Quotes and Converting Quotes to Invoices.

For most businesses, the process is simple: Create Quote → Send → Customer Accepts → Convert to Invoice

But your situation may be a little different.

You May Be Facing One Of These:  

• I want my customer to accept the quote online.

• I need an advance payment before starting the work.

• I want to invoice the customer in stages.

• My customer expects a delivery note along with the invoice.

I want my customer to accept the quote online

Instead of exchanging several emails to confirm the price, you can let your customer accept or decline the quote online.

1. Create the quote with the required items and amounts.

2. Save and send it to your customer's email address.

3. Make sure the customer has access to the online quote or customer portal acceptance option.

4. Ask the customer to review and accept the quote.

5. Open the quote in Zoho Invoice and check its updated status.

6. Once accepted, proceed with creating the invoice.

See Accepting Quotes.

This is especially useful when you want a clear record of what the customer agreed to.

And if the customer declines, you can review the quote and make the necessary changes instead of starting from scratch.

Some businesses cannot confirm a booking or begin work without collecting part of the payment upfront.

For example, Meera might request a 30% advance before reserving the dates for a photoshoot.

Start by deciding how much you need to collect.

1. Create the quote for the full value of the work.

2. Mention the advance payment requirement in the quote's terms and conditions.

3. Send the quote and obtain the customer's confirmation.

4. Once the customer pays, go to the Payments Received module and record the advance payment against the customer without associating it with an invoice. A payment receipt will be generated, and the amount will be available as Unused Credit.

5. When creating the final invoice, apply the customer's unused credit against the invoice amount.

6. Check the remaining balance before sending the final invoice.

For example:

Total project value: 10,000
Advance received: 3,000
Balance to collect: 7,000

The important thing is to keep the full project value and the money already received clearly accounted for.

Want to create a separate invoice for the advance payment?

If collecting advances is a regular part of your business, you can consider Zoho Billing, which supports Retainer Invoices.

A retainer invoice allows you to request an advance payment from your customer before starting the work. Once the customer pays, the advance can be recorded and later applied to the final invoice created from the quote.

This helps you manage advance payment requests and final billing without manually adjusting the project value.

If your business issues a separate invoice for the advance, make sure the final billing does not charge the customer twice for the same amount.

I want to invoice the customer in stages

Not every project is completed in one go.

You might collect payment when the project starts, another amount when a milestone is completed, and the balance when the work is delivered.

For example:

Project value: 30,000

• Initial stage: 10,000

• Second milestone: 10,000

• Final delivery: 10,000

If you need separate invoices for each milestone:

1. Create a quote showing the complete project scope and agreed value.

2. Clearly mention the payment milestones in the quote's terms.

3. Once the customer accepts, convert the quote into an invoice for the first milestone.

4. Edit the line items in the invoice to reflect only the portion you wish to bill at this stage. For example, if the quote is for 30,000, adjust the invoice amount to 10,000. Include the quote number or project reference for clarity.

5. Create separate invoices for the remaining amounts as each milestone is completed.

6. Review the total billed against the agreed project value to ensure you do not invoice more than the agreed amount.

One thing to keep in mind: In Zoho Invoice, once you convert a quote into an invoice, the quote will be marked as Invoiced, even if you have billed only a portion of the total amount. You will need to manually create the remaining milestone invoices and track the outstanding project value.

Keeping the descriptions consistent with the original quote makes it easier for the customer to understand what each invoice covers.

Want to generate multiple invoices from a single quote?

If milestone-based billing is a regular part of your business, you can consider Zoho Billing, which supports Progress Invoice.

With progressive invoicing, you can create multiple invoices from a single accepted quote instead of manually creating a new invoice for every milestone.

You can invoice your customer for a portion of the total project value as the work progresses, while keeping track of how much has already been billed and how much remains.

This helps businesses manage milestone payments while keeping all invoices connected to the original quote.

My customer expects a delivery note

A quote confirms the proposed price. An invoice records the amount being billed.

A delivery note serves a different purpose: it helps document the goods being delivered to the customer.

If your customer requires one, you can configure and generate a delivery note in Zoho Invoice.

1. Go to Settings > Delivery Note.

2. Configure the fields and information you want to display on the delivery note based on your business requirements.

3. Save the changes to ensure the required details are included.

4. Once the quote is accepted, convert it into an invoice.

5. Open the invoice and click on More to generate the delivery note.

6. Review the document to ensure the item details, quantities, and delivery information are correct before sharing it with your customer.

One thing to keep in mind: In Zoho Invoice, a delivery note can only be generated from an invoice. You cannot generate it directly from a quote, so the quote must first be converted into an invoice.

A delivery note documents the goods being delivered, but it does not automatically confirm that the customer has received or accepted them.

On your phone: You can handle much of the everyday quoting and invoicing work from the mobile app. If you frequently use specific terms, templates, or approval-related settings, configure them on the web first so you don't have to repeat the setup while working on the move.

If It Still Is Not Working  

1. Check the quote status. Make sure it has been accepted before treating the work as confirmed.

2. Check the customer's email address. If they never received the quote, verify where it was sent.

3. Check the quote amount. Make sure the invoice reflects the agreed scope and price.

4. Check advance payments. Confirm that money already collected is accounted for.

5. Check the invoice before sending. Especially when billing a project in stages.

If you still need help, send support@zohoinvoice.com the quote number, customer details, and a short description of what you expected to happen.

Over To You  

Do you send a quote before every job, or only when the project is above a certain value?

And if you collect advances, do you prefer a fixed amount or a percentage?