Approval Workflow

Step-by-step guide to customer proposal approval and digital signatures

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

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

Customer Portal Experience

What Customers See

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

Section	Contents
Header	Your company logo and contact info
Project Details	Location, well type, and project description
Line Items	Complete breakdown with descriptions and pricing
Totals	Subtotal, tax, deposit required, and grand total
Terms	Your terms and conditions
Signature	Digital signature capture field

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

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

The proposal link is unique to each customer and project. It cannot be forwarded to work for others without your permission.

Step 2: Customer Reviews Proposal

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

Step 3: Customer Signs Digitally

To approve, customers must:

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

Step 4: Payment Processing (If Required)

If you've configured a down payment:

Required Payment:

After signing, payment form appears
Customer enters credit card or selects ACH
Customer completes payment
Approval finalizes only after successful payment

Optional Payment:

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

No Payment Required:

Approval completes immediately after signature
No payment form displayed

Down Payment Integration

Configuring Down Payment

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

Setting	Customer Experience
Required	Must pay to approve
Optional	Can skip payment
None	No payment displayed

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 Type	Where
Email	Project manager's inbox
Push Notification	Mobile app
In-App Alert	Bell icon in header
Dashboard Update	Project card updates

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:

Open the approved project
Click Convert to Open Job or advance status manually
Project moves to scheduling queue
Triggers downstream workflows

Your company can do this step for you

If an admin turns on Move the project to Open Job when a proposal is accepted in Settings > Notifications, an accepted proposal moves the project to Open Job on its own and you can skip the step above. It works the same whether the customer signs in the portal or someone in the office records an acceptance that came by phone or on paper. It applies only to proposals, and only while the project is still a Proposal. The switch is off until someone turns it on, so the manual step above is what happens by default.

What Happens Next

Action	When It Occurs
Status Update	Immediately
Scheduling Queue	Immediately
Invoice Created	If configured
Crew Notification	After assignment

Tracking Approval History

Audit Trail Contents

DrillerDB maintains a full approval audit trail:

Data Point	Purpose
Signer Name	Who approved
Timestamp	Exact date/time
IP Address	Location verification
Device Info	Browser/device used
Payment Details	Transaction ID if paid
Proposal Version	Which version was signed

Viewing Approval Details

Open the project
Go to Activity tab
Find "Proposal Approved" entry
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

Open the project
Go to Proposal tab
Click Void Proposal
Enter reason for voiding
Confirm the void action

Voided proposals cannot be restored. The customer can no longer approve the voided version.

Sending a Revised Proposal

After voiding:

Make necessary changes on Proposal tab
Review all line items
Click Send Proposal
Include message explaining revisions
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

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