Service templates
Set out a service's usual lines, prices, taxes and charged costs once, then start every quotation, job or subscription for it in a click.
What it is
A service template is a ready-made, priced bundle for one service: the usual work and materials as lines (price, discount and taxes), plus any other costs you charge the customer. You set it out once. Then you start each quotation, job or subscription for that service from it, instead of typing the same lines again.
Using a template fills a new editor with its lines. Nothing is saved until you save the new document, and that document remembers which template it came from.
Who it is for
- Service businesses that sell the same packages again and again (a boiler service, a site survey, a monthly maintenance visit)
- Sales staff who need consistent prices on every quotation
- Managers who want to change a package in one place
Before you start#
- Switch Service templates on in Settings › Sales › Services.
- Each template belongs to a Service item. Add the service on the Products page with the type Service first. A template can only be made for a Service item of your business.
- Making and editing templates needs the right on the Service templates page. Using one needs the right to add quotations or jobs.
Step by step#
- Open Services › Templates and choose New template.
- Pick the Service the template is for. The template takes that service's name.
- Choose Add the usual work and materials and add the items or services with their quantities. Each line starts at its sell price and tax; set what you usually charge, and a discount if you give one.
- Under Other costs charged, use Add a cost for costs you pass on to the customer, with a tax on the charge if needed.
- Choose Save template.
- To use it, choose Start a quotation, Start a job or Start a subscription from the template, or pick it in the quotation or job editor.
- Enter How many times over if the work is a multiple of the usual package, check the lines, and save the new document.
How templates behave#
- Prices and taxes are worked out again on the quotation or job the template starts, using today's tax settings. A template never brings old tax rates with it.
- How many times over multiplies the quantities and amounts; the prices stay the same.
- Active and inactive. Choose Make inactive to stop a template being offered without losing it. An inactive template can't be used until you make it active again.
- Deleting a template doesn't touch the quotations and jobs already started from it. They keep their own lines. Deleting can't be undone.
- Editing a template changes only what is started from it afterwards.
Other kinds of templates#
Quotations and jobs also have their own Templates view in their lists, for documents you keep to copy from. Any quotation or job can also be copied with Make a copy. A service template is the better choice when one service should always start from the same lines.
Questions#
Why can't I pick the service I want?
The template must belong to a product of type Service. If the page says there is no Service item by that name, add it on the Products page with the type Service first.
If I change a template's price, do old quotations change?
No. Quotations and jobs keep the lines they were made with. Only documents started from the template after the change use the new price.
Can a template carry costs the customer pays, like travel?
Yes. Add them under Other costs charged. They print on the customer's documents as charges, with their tax.
Can a subscription start from a template?
Yes. Start a subscription opens a new subscription with the template's lines, and the subscription stays linked to it.