On this page
A clear quotation format has your details and the customer’s, a quotation number and date, a valid-until date, each item with its quantity, rate and amount, the tax and the total, how it is to be paid, and how the customer says yes. Everything else is optional. Below is a quotation format you can copy into a document, a spreadsheet or your billing app, a sample message to send it with on WhatsApp or by email, and what to do when the customer goes quiet.
What a quotation is for
A quotation is a written offer: this work or these goods, at this price, until this date. It is not a bill. The customer owes nothing until they accept it and you bill them. A good quotation answers every question before it is asked, so that the only thing left for the customer to say is yes.
People also call it an estimate. A proforma invoice is different: it is a draft of the bill for something already agreed, often sent so that the customer can pay an advance.
The quotation format, section by section
| Section | What to write |
|---|---|
| Your details | Business name, address, phone, email, and your GSTIN if you are registered |
| Title | “Quotation”, so it is never taken for a bill |
| Number and date | A number of its own, such as QUO-0007, and the date it was made |
| Valid until | A date, not “30 days” the customer has to work out |
| Customer | Name, company and address, as they should appear on the bill |
| Items | Each item or service on its own line: description, quantity, rate, amount |
| Optional items | Listed apart, marked optional, left out of the total |
| Tax | The tax on each line and in total, if you charge it |
| Total | The amount the customer will pay if they accept |
| Payment terms | The whole amount, an advance, or parts on dates or stages |
| Timeline | When the work starts, how long it takes, or when goods arrive |
| Terms | What is included and what is not, and what changes the price |
| How to accept | Reply, sign, or press a button on a link |
Note: What a quotation or a tax invoice must carry for your business is a question for your accountant. This guide is about a quotation a customer can read in one go and say yes to.
A sample quotation
Quotation QUO-0007, dated 14 October 2026, valid until 28 October 2026, for Arjun Mehta, 12 Lake Road, Pune.
Swipe the table sideways to see every column.
| Item | Qty | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Modular kitchen, base and wall units | 1 set | ₹1,40,000 |
| Quartz counter top | 24 sq ft | ₹36,000 |
| Fitting and finishing | 1 | ₹9,000 |
| Total | None | ₹1,85,000 |
| Optional: chimney, fitted | 1 | ₹18,000 |
- Payment: 50% on acceptance, 50% on handover.
- Timeline: 3 weeks from the advance.
- Not included: civil and plumbing work.
- To accept: reply “Yes” on WhatsApp, or press Accept on the quotation’s link.
Use the same layout for a PDF, a Word file or a spreadsheet. A PDF is best to send: it looks the same on every phone and nobody can change it by accident.
How to send a quotation to a customer
Send the PDF, and put the essentials in the message itself, because many people read the message and never open the file.
On WhatsApp:
“Hi Arjun, here is quotation QUO-0007 for your kitchen: ₹1,85,000 in all, valid until 28 October. It is 50% on acceptance and 50% on handover. The chimney is listed as optional. Reply here with any change you would like, or say yes and we will book the fitting.”
By email:
Subject: Quotation QUO-0007 for your kitchen, valid until 28 October
“Dear Arjun, please find attached our quotation QUO-0007 for the modular kitchen, for ₹1,85,000. It is valid until 28 October 2026. The payment terms and what is included are on the second page. If you would like anything changed, reply to this email and I will send a revised quotation. Regards, [your name], [Business name], [phone].”
Following up on a quotation
Most quotations that go unanswered were never refused: the customer got busy. A follow-up is part of the job.
- Two days before the valid date: “Hi Arjun, a reminder that quotation QUO-0007 is valid until 28 October. Happy to answer any question.”
- After a no: “Thank you for letting us know. If anything changes, we will be glad to quote again.”
- One follow-up is enough. Several in a week reads as pressure.
- Revise with a new number or a version, and say which one replaces which, so nobody pays against the old one.
On the WhatsApp Business API, mind how such a message is sent. Meta keeps utility messages for orders and transactions a customer already has, and says they should not promote anything or include offers (Meta: template categories). Meta’s page does not name quotations; an offer for something not yet ordered reads as marketing, so expect a quotation sent as a template to be priced as one.
How quotations work in Fliok
Quotations are part of Invoices & receipts on the Basic plan and above, with a monthly allowance of bills (invoices, proformas and quotations): 300 on Basic, 1,500 on Pro and unlimited on Enterprise. Receipts, reminders and statements do not count. A quotation counts once, when it is first sent, and each bill raised from it counts as one of its own.
- 1Make it. Press New quotation on the Invoices page. It gets its own number, such as QUO/26-27/0007, and says “This is a quotation, not a tax invoice.” under its title.
- 2Add the lines. Mark a line Optional and the customer can add it when they accept; it stays out of the total until they do.
- 3Choose how it is paid for: Full amount, Advance or In parts, from 2 to 8 parts, each due on acceptance, on a date, or when something you name happens.
- 4Send it. The customer gets the PDF with a link, valid for 15 days unless you change it.
- 5The customer answers on the link. They tick any optional items, type their full name and press Accept quotation, or choose Ask for a change or Decline. Your team is told each time.
- 6Bill it in one tap. Once accepted, raise the bill for each part as an invoice or a proforma. Or choose Raise and send the bill by itself in the settings: what falls due on acceptance is billed at once, and a dated part on its day.
A few things worth knowing:
- It records the yes, with the name typed, the date and time, and which version was accepted. It is not a digital signature. If you revise it, the customer accepts the new version.
- One follow-up goes 2 days before the valid date to a customer who has not answered, and nothing is sent after that date.
- On WhatsApp, a quotation goes as an ordinary message while the customer’s chat is open; otherwise as a marketing message, at Meta’s marketing rate. A customer who has stopped marketing messages, or who got another one from you in the last 48 hours, gets it by email only. The form tells you which before you send.
- A quotation never takes money. Each bill raised from it has its own page with your UPI QR, bank details and, if you connected it, your own Razorpay account.
Step by step in how to send a quotation, and more on the quotations page. For the bill that follows, see how to send an invoice on WhatsApp, and for chasing it, payment reminder messages.
Mistakes to avoid
- No valid-until date, so an old price is held up months later.
- Optional items added into the total.
- “Approx.” amounts with no line that says what changes them.
- Two versions in the chat, and nobody sure which was accepted.
- A discount that ends tomorrow, to push a decision.
Frequently asked questions
What is the format of a quotation?
Your details and the customer’s, a quotation number and date, a valid-until date, each item with quantity, rate and amount, the tax and the total, the payment terms, the timeline, what is included, and how to accept. Send it as a PDF, with the total and the valid date in the message too.
What is the difference between a quotation and an invoice?
A quotation is an offer: the customer owes nothing until they accept it. An invoice is a bill for something sold or agreed, with a due date. A proforma invoice sits between them: a draft of the bill, often sent so that the customer can pay an advance.
How long should a quotation be valid?
Long enough for the customer to decide, and short enough that your own costs have not changed: often two to four weeks. Write a date, not a number of days. In Fliok a new quotation is valid for 15 days unless you change it.
How do I send a quotation on WhatsApp?
Send the PDF in the customer’s chat, and put the total, the valid date and the next step in the message, since many people never open the file. With Fliok the customer also gets a link where they accept the quotation, ask for a change or decline it.
Can a customer accept a quotation online?
In Fliok, yes: on the quotation’s link they tick any optional items, type their full name and press Accept quotation. Fliok records the name, the date and time and the version accepted. It is a record of the yes, not a digital signature.
Written by the Fliok team
The team that builds the product. Plain explanations of Meta's rules and of what Fliok does with them.
Try it on your own number
The Free plan connects one WhatsApp number, with no time limit. Questions first? A person replies within one business day.
