Get an estimate signed online

Every Dispatch Bros estimate you send carries a public link where the customer can review and sign it online — no login, no app. The customer either draws a signature with a finger or mouse or types their full name; either one is a complete electronic signature. Signing marks the estimate Approved and, if you required a deposit, immediately walks the customer into paying it.

Before you start

• Create and send the estimate by email or text. Both deliver the same signing link.
• If you want a deposit collected at signing, set a Deposit Required amount before sending (collect a deposit).

How the customer signs

1. The customer opens the estimate link and reviews the document, any attached images, and the terms.
2. They click Approve Estimate in the top bar (on phones the button reads Approve).
3. The Sign to Approve form opens. They can:
   • draw in the signature pad — it shows "Draw your signature here" until they start, with a Clear link to start over, or
   • type their full name in the field below (the hint reads "Sign with your finger or mouse — or type your name below").
4. They click Confirm Approval.

The page then shows a green "Estimate Approved" banner with the signature and the date. If a deposit is due, the customer is taken straight to the Pay tab to pay it.

If the customer wants changes instead

The customer can click Request changes (shown as Decline on phones), optionally type a reason, and click Confirm Decline. The page shows an "Estimate Declined" banner, the estimate's status becomes Rejected, and the reason appears on your estimate page — useful as the starting point for a revised version.

What you see after signing

Open the estimate in Dispatch Bros:

• The customer's actual signature ink (or typed name) is shown with the signed date and time.
• The status pill reads Approved.
• New actions appear: Record Payment, Convert to Invoice, and Create project — see converting an approved estimate.
• On the Estimates list, the eye icon turns green when the customer has opened the link; hovering shows the exact viewed time, or "Not yet viewed".

Signing never converts the estimate by itself — a signature is not money. The estimate becomes an invoice only when a deposit is actually paid or when you convert it.

Troubleshooting

• The customer can't approve — approval only works while the estimate is in Draft or Sent status. If a newer version was sent, the page steers them to it with "An updated version of this estimate is available." and a View latest version button.
• The page says "Another version of this estimate was approved" — a sibling version of this proposal already won; this option is closed by design so two versions can never both be signed.
• The page shows "Estimate Expired" — the estimate passed its Valid Until date. Send a new version with fresh dates.
• The Confirm Approval button is grayed out — the customer must either draw something on the pad or type their name; an empty form can't be submitted.
• You opened your own estimate link and worried it counted as a customer view — it doesn't. Opens by a signed-in member of your company are recognized and never stamp the "viewed by customer" indicator or notify you.