Commercial Proposal Templates

Proposal templates save time when you create similar commercial proposals repeatedly. Instead of configuring services, pricing, line items, and terms from scratch for every new deal, you start from a template that has everything pre-filled. Navigate to Admin > Commercial > Templates to manage your templates.

What Templates Save

A template captures the full configuration of a commercial proposal. When you save a template, it stores:

Templates capture the "what and how much" of a proposal while leaving the "who and where" to be filled in each time. This means you can use the same template for any customer without editing the core pricing and service configuration.

Creating a Template

There are two ways to create a template, depending on whether you are starting from an existing proposal or building one from scratch.

Method 1: Save from an Existing Proposal

This is the fastest approach. Build one proposal exactly the way you want it, then save the configuration as a reusable template.

1. Open a completed commercial proposal at Admin > Commercial > Proposals > [select proposal].
2. Click Save as Template in the proposal actions.
3. Enter a descriptive template name (e.g., "Standard Office Building Wash - Full Service" or "Fleet Wash - 20 Vehicles Monthly").
4. Click Save.

The template is created immediately and appears in the templates list. The original proposal is not affected.

Method 2: Create from the Templates Page

Use this approach when you want to build a template without creating an actual proposal first.

1. Go to Admin > Commercial > Templates.
2. Click New Template.
3. Fill in the proposal configuration fields:

• Select services and configure line items.
• Set pricing and quantities.
• Add any standard add-ons.
• Enter default terms and conditions.
• Configure multi-option pricing if applicable.

1. Enter a template name.
2. Click Save.

Template Variables

Templates support variable fields that are populated automatically or manually when you create a proposal from the template.

Auto-Populated Variables

These fields are filled in automatically based on the customer and property information you enter when creating the new proposal:

Manually Adjusted Variables

These fields carry over from the template but can be adjusted for each proposal:

This design means the template provides a strong starting point, but every proposal remains fully customizable.

Applying Templates to New Proposals

When creating a new commercial proposal, you can start from a template instead of building from scratch.

Step-by-Step Process

1. Go to Admin > Commercial > Proposals > New.
2. On the first step of the proposal builder, locate the Start from Template dropdown.
3. Select a template from the list. Templates are listed by name with their type (Commercial Building or Fleet) indicated.
4. The proposal builder pre-fills with all of the template's configuration: services, pricing, quantities, add-ons, terms, and multi-option setups.
5. Enter the customer and property details as you normally would.
6. Review and adjust any pricing, quantities, or terms that differ from the template defaults.
7. Continue through the remaining proposal steps and send.

Important Behavior

• The template is a starting point, not a constraint. You can change anything after applying the template. Adding services, removing line items, adjusting prices -- all modifications are allowed.
• The original template is never modified. Edits you make to the proposal do not change the template. Each proposal created from a template is independent after creation.
• You can switch templates. If you select a template and then decide to use a different one, select the new template from the dropdown. The builder resets and pre-fills with the new template's configuration. Any manual changes you made will be replaced.

Managing Templates

The templates page at Admin > Commercial > Templates provides a list of all saved templates with management actions.

Viewing Templates

The template list shows:

• Template name -- The descriptive name you assigned.
• Type -- Commercial Building or Fleet.
• Date created -- When the template was first saved.
• Last used -- When the template was last applied to a new proposal.
• Services count -- How many services are configured in the template.

Click any template name to open it for viewing or editing.

Editing a Template

Open a template to modify its configuration. You can change:

• Services and line items.
• Pricing and quantities.
• Add-ons.
• Terms and conditions.
• Multi-option configurations.
• The template name itself.

Click Save to apply the changes. Future proposals created from this template will use the updated configuration. Existing proposals that were previously created from this template are not affected.

Duplicating a Template

Click the duplicate icon on a template row to create an exact copy. This is useful when you need a variation of an existing template. For example:

• Duplicate "Standard Office Wash" and adjust quantities upward to create "Large Office Wash."
• Duplicate "Fleet Wash - 10 Vehicles" and change the vehicle count to create "Fleet Wash - 25 Vehicles."
• Duplicate a template and modify the pricing for a different market or region.

The duplicate is created with the name "[Original Name] (Copy)." Rename it immediately to avoid confusion.

Deleting a Template

Click the delete icon to remove a template. A confirmation dialog appears before deletion. Deleting a template does not affect any proposals that were previously created from it, since proposals are independent after creation.

Template Organization Best Practices

As your template library grows, organization becomes important.

Naming Conventions

Use descriptive names that include the job type, scope, and any distinguishing characteristics. Good names make it easy to find the right template quickly.

Template Categories

Consider organizing templates by service line:

• Commercial Building templates -- Office buildings, retail centers, restaurants, warehouses, HOA communities.
• Fleet templates -- Vehicle fleet washes by fleet size (small, medium, large).
• Specialty templates -- Parking garages, industrial facilities, healthcare facilities.

Template Maintenance

Review your template library quarterly to keep it current:

1. Update pricing. When you change your rates, update the affected templates so new proposals reflect current pricing.
2. Archive unused templates. If a template has not been used in six months, consider whether it is still relevant.
3. Add new templates. When you notice yourself building the same type of proposal repeatedly without a template, save one for next time.

Multi-Option Templates

Templates can include multi-option configurations for proposals that present the customer with tiered choices (e.g., Basic, Standard, Premium).

How Multi-Option Templates Work

A multi-option template saves:

• The number of options (e.g., 3 tiers).
• The service configuration for each option.
• The pricing for each option.
• The option names and descriptions.

When you apply a multi-option template to a new proposal, all options are pre-filled. You can then adjust individual options for the specific customer.

When to Use Multi-Option Templates

Multi-option proposals are effective for commercial deals where:

• The prospect's budget is unknown, and you want to offer a range.
• You want to anchor the customer's perception with a high-value option.
• Different service levels are genuinely appropriate for the property.

Create a template for each multi-option structure you commonly use.

Tips

• Create templates for your most common jobs. If you quote the same type of work every week, a template cuts proposal creation time significantly.
• Name templates clearly and consistently. Descriptive names save time when selecting from a long list.
• Review templates quarterly. Pricing changes over time. Update your templates when you adjust rates so new proposals reflect current pricing.
• Use duplicate to create variations. Start with a base template and duplicate it for small, medium, and large versions of the same job type.
• Save winning proposals as templates. When a proposal leads to a closed deal, its configuration is proven. Save it as a template for similar future opportunities.
• Include standard terms. Pre-filling terms and conditions in templates ensures consistency and reduces the risk of omitting important contract language.

Troubleshooting

Template dropdown is empty when creating a new proposal

No templates have been created yet. Create your first template from an existing proposal (using Save as Template) or from the templates page (using New Template).

Template prices are outdated

Templates store fixed pricing values from when they were created or last edited. They do not update automatically when you change your default pricing in Settings. Open the template, update the prices, and save.

Changes to a template did not affect existing proposals

This is by design. Templates are applied at creation time. Once a proposal is created from a template, it is fully independent. Changes to the template only affect new proposals created from it going forward.

Template is missing services I recently added

If you added new services to your pricing configuration after creating the template, the template will not include them automatically. Open the template, add the new services, and save.