AUTOMATICALLY make Estimates EXPIRE after a CONFIGURABLE Time Period & DECLINE if a Ticket is Resolved WITHOUT that Estimate being APPROVED
After several existing posts related to Estimate expiration/decline, RS implemented a "one-time" option to manually mark all estimates older than 30 days to become declined. This was helpful, but that meant that 2 days later, the estimates that were 29 days old (that would now be 31 days old) would AGAIN need to be manually declined. Tasks like this have to be done repetitively and can cause tons of issues if not maintained on a constant basis.
My proposed upgrades to this process:
1. Make estimates AUTOMATICALLY become expired after a pre-specified number of days; vs having to manually click the "Decline Estimates older than 30 days" box.
2. Allow us to specify the number of days before expiring (vs the default 30). We use 30 here, but not sure that works for everyone?
3. Instead of calling the old estimates "Declined", call them "Expired". They're only declined if the customer says "no".
4. Use a grey "-" icon in the customer portal for expired, instead of a red "checkbox" so we can visually differentiate between declined and expired.
Some additional upgrade ideas related to Estimates:
1. When a ticket is Resolved - all estimates that weren't converted/approved should be DECLINED.
2. Use a red "X" icon in the customer portal for declined, instead of a red "checkbox". Checks are confusing.
3. Make a one-time option to "Mark all current estimates older than 30 days as EXPIRED" instead of Declined.
4. Also make one-time options for "Mark all estimates linked to resolved tickets as DECLINED".
Ryan (CTO, Pinellas Computers)
shared this idea
There is an option in Estimate Preferences to Expire Estimates after X number of days. There is also a button to force expire all pending Estimates as well in Estimate Preferences.
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Ryan (CTO, Pinellas Computers)
commented
Beg your pardon @RS: This was Completed (after years of waiting and being once Declined), not “Already Works”.
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Ryan (CTO, Pinellas Computers)
commented
Just found out that was secretly completed without notice -_- Pretty much exactly what I originally suggested, so nothing further to detail. There's now a field to "auto expire estimates after X days" hidden under Estimates > Preferences.
@Admin: Please mark as resolved so everyone who voted will be alerted.
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Ryan (CTO, Pinellas Computers)
commented
@Daniel: Agreed!
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Daniel Koster
commented
I'm not sure I'd consider this 'complete'. The two buttons on the Estimates Settings page are action buttons, meaning one-time on demand events. Not a setting so that estimates will automatically expire on their own. It's still a nice addition, but I'd like to see a setting that will automatically decline/close an estimate after a chosen number of days.
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Ryan (CTO, Pinellas Computers)
commented
Lots of votes here. I don't see making another simple automation check run at the end of each night to be too much work. Any chance this can get completed?
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Chris
commented
YES YES and YES. Save LOTS of time and estimated are almost NEVER without an expiration anywhere. IE the terms at the bottom we say 30 days but can change depending on product and market fluctuations
Chris.
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Ryan (CTO, Pinellas Computers)
commented
I still think this is a really good set of ideas that will resolve many issues users are having with the Estimates module. It fixes old estimates that are past their valid dates for approval, and automatically handles all non-approved estimates upon ticket resolution. With just a little bit of work, the Estimates feature could work so much better :)
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Richie Schut commented
Agree, and will add I would like to see an option for quotes instead of estimates. Estimates often make my clients nervous.