Sending an estimate for approval

Once your estimate is built, getting a fast "yes" is all about making it easy for the customer to say it. Pista sends estimates by text or email with a link the customer opens on their phone, reviews line by line, and approves in a tap. No phone tag, and every action is timestamped.

Send the estimate

1. On the repair order, open the estimate and give it a final review.
2. Click Send for approval.
3. Choose the delivery method: Text, Email, or both. Text gets the fastest response for most shops.
4. Confirm the customer's mobile number or email. Pista pulls these from the customer profile (Customers and CRM).
5. Optionally add a short message, or use a saved template. Click Send.

The customer receives a secure link to a mobile-friendly view of the estimate. They see each job, the parts and labor, any Good / Better / Best options, photos from the inspection, and the total with tax.

What the customer can do

From the estimate link, the customer can:

• Approve all of the work in one tap.
• Approve or decline individual jobs, so they can green-light brakes and hold off on tires.
• Choose a tier on any job you offered options for. See Good, Better, Best tiers.
• Sign to authorize the work. See Customer e-signature authorization.

Track the response

The RO header shows the estimate status at a glance: Sent, Viewed, Approved, Partially approved, or Declined. You will see a notification the moment the customer responds, and the Job Board reflects the new status so the team knows what is cleared to start.

Tip: If a customer opens the estimate but does not respond, send a friendly nudge from the Inbox. A simple "Any questions on the estimate I sent?" recovers a surprising number of approvals.

Resending and revising

• Revise after sending: edit the estimate, then click Resend. The customer gets the updated version, and the prior one is superseded so there is no confusion about which is current.
• Resend the link: if the customer lost the text, click Resend to deliver the same link again.
• Approve in person: if the customer is standing at the counter, you can capture approval and signature directly on your device.

Good to know

• Estimate links are unique to each customer and RO, so totals and approvals stay private to that job.
• Every send, view, and approval is logged with a timestamp on the RO. That record protects you if a customer later disputes what they authorized.
• You can send updated estimates as the job evolves, for example after a tech finds additional work during a repair.

What is next

After the customer approves, move into Handling approved vs declined work to stage parts and start the job.