Approval Workflow

Once you send a proposal, customers review and approve it through the secure customer portal. DrillerDB's approval workflow captures legally binding digital signatures and optional down payments.

Quick Start: How Approval Works

1. Customer receives proposal email
2. Customer clicks secure link to view proposal
3. Customer reviews line items and totals
4. Customer signs digitally and optionally pays deposit
5. You receive instant approval notification

Customer Portal Experience

What Customers See

When customers click the proposal link, they access a secure portal showing:

Mobile-Responsive Design

The portal works on all devices:

• Desktop: Full layout with sidebar navigation
• Tablet: Optimized touch interface
• Phone: Single-column scrolling layout

Customers can review and approve from anywhere.

Step-by-Step: Customer Approval Process

Step 1: Customer Opens Email

1. Customer receives email with subject line containing project details
2. Email displays your custom message
3. Customer clicks the View Proposal button

Step 2: Customer Reviews Proposal

1. Customer sees your company branding
2. Line items display with descriptions and pricing
3. Totals show subtotal, any taxes, and deposit amount
4. Terms and conditions are visible for review

Step 3: Customer Signs Digitally

To approve, customers must:

1. Scroll to signature section at bottom of proposal
2. Type their full legal name in the signature field
3. Check the checkbox agreeing to terms and conditions
4. Click Approve Proposal button

Step 4: Payment Processing (If Required)

If you've configured a down payment:

Required Payment:

1. After signing, payment form appears
2. Customer enters credit card or selects ACH
3. Customer completes payment
4. Approval finalizes only after successful payment

Optional Payment:

1. Customer can choose to pay now or later
2. Approval completes with or without payment
3. Invoice sent separately if payment deferred

No Payment Required:

1. Approval completes immediately after signature
2. No payment form displayed

Down Payment Integration

Configuring Down Payment

1. Go to Settings > Billing & Invoicing
2. Set default deposit percentage or fixed amount
3. Choose payment requirement:

Payment Methods Supported

DrillerDB uses Stripe for secure payment processing:

• Credit/Debit Cards: Visa, Mastercard, Amex, Discover
• ACH Bank Transfer: Direct bank payment (lower fees)
• Apple Pay/Google Pay: Where available

Payment Security

All payments are processed through Stripe's PCI-compliant infrastructure:

• Card numbers never touch your server
• Bank-level encryption
• Fraud detection built-in

Approval Notifications

Instant Alerts

When a customer approves, you receive:

Notification Contents

Approval notifications include:

• Customer name
• Project ID and location
• Approval timestamp
• Payment status (if applicable)
• Link to view project

After Approval

Converting to Open Job

Once approved, advance the project status:

1. Open the approved project
2. Click Convert to Open Job or advance status manually
3. Project moves to scheduling queue
4. Triggers downstream workflows

What Happens Next

Tracking Approval History

Audit Trail Contents

DrillerDB maintains a full approval audit trail:

Viewing Approval Details

1. Open the project
2. Go to Activity tab
3. Find "Proposal Approved" entry
4. Click to view full details

Legal Protection

The audit trail provides:

• Proof of customer agreement
• Timestamped acceptance
• Terms accepted at approval
• Digital signature record

Voiding and Revising Proposals

When to Void

• Customer requests changes after viewing
• Pricing needs correction
• Scope changed before approval
• Error discovered after sending

How to Void a Proposal

1. Open the project
2. Go to Proposal tab
3. Click Void Proposal
4. Enter reason for voiding
5. Confirm the void action

Sending a Revised Proposal

After voiding:

1. Make necessary changes on Proposal tab
2. Review all line items
3. Click Send Proposal
4. Include message explaining revisions
5. New proposal replaces voided version

Best Practices for Revisions

• Always contact customer before voiding
• Explain changes clearly in new email
• Highlight what changed from original
• Set new response deadline if needed

Troubleshooting

Customer can't find signature field?

• Signature section is at bottom of proposal
• Instruct customer to scroll down
• Mobile users may need to scroll further

Approval not showing in system?

• Check Activity tab for status
• Verify customer completed all steps
• Check if payment was required but failed
• Refresh project page

Customer approved but payment failed?

• Approval is on hold until payment succeeds
• Contact customer about payment issue
• Customer can retry payment via same link
• Consider marking payment as received manually

Wrong person signed the proposal?

• Void the proposal
• Update customer contact if needed
• Resend to correct person
• Document in activity notes

Customer wants to change after approval?

• Approved proposals are legally binding
• Create change order for modifications
• Document all changes in writing
• Both parties must agree to changes

Related Topics

• Sending Proposals - Email delivery
• Customer Portal - Portal features
• Project Statuses - Status workflow
• Stripe Connect - Payment setup