Quick start
From sign-in to follow-up
August 2026
Current scopeThis guide covers the live hire quotation workflow. Sales quotations remain in development and should only be used when an administrator confirms they are ready.
- Sign in at https://alphaquotepilot.co.uk using your own QuotePilot account.
- Choose Build A Quote and start a Hire Quote.
- Select the customer and customer contact before choosing the machine.
- Check the rates, extras, delivery postcode, transport cost and customer message.
- Create the draft, review the preview and download the PDF if required.
- Send a test email when checking formatting or a new quotation setup.
- Send the live quote to a synced contact, adding optional CC recipients if needed.
- Use Quote Log and Chase View to record follow-ups until the quote is accepted, sold, lost or archived.
- Open https://alphaquotepilot.co.uk in a current browser.
- Enter your own username or email address and password, then select Log In.
- Use Keep me signed in only on a trusted work device that is not shared with other people.
- After signing in, use the top navigation for Build A Quote, Templates, Quote Log, User Guide and, for administrators, Catalog Sync.
- Use Log Out when leaving a shared device. Never send your password to a colleague by email or store it in a customer record.
Good practice
- The Admin link opens WordPress administration. Day-to-day quotation work should normally be completed in the front-end QuotePilot workspace.
- If your account is not recognised, check the spelling and ask the QuotePilot administrator to reset it. Do not create a second account.
- If a customer is missing, use Open Master Workbook from the quote builder.
- Add or update the customer in the Customers tab and the relevant people in the Customer Contacts tab. Complete all required identifiers and contact details without changing the column headings.
- Do not add machines, rates or catalogue items unless you are responsible for those master tabs.
- Return to QuotePilot and open Catalog Sync. This option is available only to authorised administrators.
- Run the synchronization and wait for the success message showing created, updated and unchanged records.
- Return to Build A Quote and search for the customer again.
Good practice
- Most staff may edit only the Customers and Customer Contacts tabs. Access to other workbook tabs is controlled separately by Alpha Power Cleaners.
- Never make the private master workbook publicly editable. Public view-only access is used only for approved customer documents such as the New Account Form.
- A saved quote is a snapshot. Later workbook changes do not silently replace the customer, machine or rates already saved on that quote.
- Select Build A Quote, then choose Hire Quote.
- Search for and select the customer. Select the correct customer contact and confirm the displayed Alpha Contact is you.
- Choose Existing Customer or New Customer. Add the lead source, follow-up date, customer-facing message and internal notes where relevant.
- Use the category, subcategory, brand or live search controls to select Machine 1.
- Check the 1 Day, 2 Day and Weekly rates. Rates may be a price, On request, Not Available or another approved plain-text status from the master workbook.
- If a discount applies, enter the percentage and minimum hire period. Discounts apply to the weekly rate only.
- Open Accessories, Consumables and Detergents to select the required items. Use Add Manual Item only for a genuine quote-specific extra that is not in the catalogue.
- Complete Site Requirements. Use Add Another Machine when the customer needs more than one machine on the same quotation.
- Enter the delivery postcode and transport cost each way. The transport value is one-way unless the quotation text states otherwise.
- Optionally save the completed setup as a reusable template, then select Create Draft and Preview.
Good practice
- Check that every selected machine belongs to the correct customer requirement; a machine image alone is not enough.
- Customer Message is shown to the customer. Internal Notes remain for staff and must not contain unnecessary personal information.
- The quote reference is allocated when the draft is created. Deleting the draft does not reuse or roll back that number.
- Read the customer, contact, Alpha Contact, quote date and delivery location at the top of the preview.
- Review every machine image, description, link, rate, discount, accessory, consumable, detergent and site requirement.
- Check the transport cost and VAT and validity terms.
- Select Edit Quote if anything is wrong, make the correction and save the updated draft.
- Select Download PDF to inspect or retain the customer PDF. Downloading a PDF does not send or accept the quote.
- Use Staff Status, Follow-up Date and Chase Notes to record the current internal position.
Good practice
- The preview includes Internal Notes for staff. The customer email and PDF use the customer-facing content only.
- Always correct a wrong price in the quote before sending. Update the master workbook as well if the underlying catalogue value is wrong.
- For a test, enter any valid address in Send Test Email To. Add optional test CC addresses and select Send Test Email.
- A test email has a TEST subject and does not mark the quote as sent or change the customer send history.
- For the live send, select a synced customer email from Send Quote To.
- Add optional external recipients in CC Other Recipients. Separate multiple addresses with commas or semicolons.
- Check the To and CC addresses carefully, then select Send Quote.
- The email is sent from hire@alphapower.co.uk and the staff member who created the quote is copied automatically.
- After a successful live send, the quote is marked Sent and the send date, recipient and send count are recorded.
Good practice
- Use CC only when the customer has asked for those people to receive the quotation. Check spelling before sending because CC addresses are ad-hoc and do not need to exist in the master workbook.
- Outlook may initially hide remote images. The recipient can choose Download Pictures or view the email in a browser. The PDF remains the most consistent printable version.
- Use Resend for a previously sent quote. Confirm that any edits have been saved before resending.
- The customer selects Review & Accept Quote in the email. This opens the confirmation page but does not accept the quote.
- The customer may select Review PDF First. Opening or downloading the PDF does not accept the quote.
- The customer selects Yes, Accept This Quote only when they intend to proceed.
- QuotePilot marks the quote Accepted and emails hire@alphapower.co.uk and the staff member who created it.
- The customer receives a thank-you email requesting the delivery date and time, delivery address, site contact, phone number, hire duration, access restrictions and purchase order or reference.
- New customers are also directed to the public view-only Alpha Power Cleaners New Account Form. They complete it and return it to sales@alphapower.co.uk.
Good practice
- If the customer says they clicked the first button accidentally, check the Quote Log. The quote remains Sent until the final confirmation button is used.
- If acceptance happened outside QuotePilot, staff can update the status manually and record the agreed outcome in Chase Notes.
- Open Quote Log. Default View shows the full quotation history with the newest quote references first.
- Use Status, View, Type, Customer, Sort By, Follow-up Date and Search to narrow the list. Search supports quote references, machines, postcodes and phone numbers.
- Use Chase View for sent quotes only, with the oldest follow-up dates first. Drafts are intentionally excluded.
- Select Manage to update the status, follow-up date and Chase Notes.
- Use Preview, Edit Quote, Resend, Download PDF or Duplicate for a new quote as required.
- For eligible sent hire quotes, use Send Chase 1, 2 or 3. Confirm the recipient before sending. Successful sends are added to Chase Notes.
- Delete moves a quote to WordPress Trash. It does not reset the quote-number sequence.
Good practice
- Every active sent quote should have a clear follow-up date and a short note describing the latest contact or next action.
- Duplicate creates a new quote reference and editable snapshot. Use it for a genuinely new quotation, not as a substitute for correcting the existing draft.
| Status | When to use it |
|---|
| Draft | Created but not yet issued to the customer. |
|---|
| Previewed | Reviewed internally and still awaiting a live send. |
|---|
| Sent | Successfully emailed to the customer and ready for follow-up. |
|---|
| Revised | Changed after an earlier version; review and resend as required. |
|---|
| Accepted | Accepted by the customer or recorded as accepted by staff. |
|---|
| Sold | Completed commercial outcome with final value and details recorded. |
|---|
| Lost | Customer did not proceed. Add a useful outcome note. |
|---|
| Archived | Closed historical record that no longer needs active follow-up. |
|---|
Good practice
- Sending a live quote sets Sent automatically. Customer confirmation sets Accepted automatically.
- Use Sold only when the completed value, date and outcome details are known.
- Build a complete quotation setup and select Save this quote as a reusable template.
- Give the template a clear name that describes its intended customer need or machine combination.
- Open Templates to start a new quote, edit a saved template or remove one that is no longer useful.
- After starting from a template, choose the correct customer and recheck every price, extra, message and delivery detail.
- Create the draft normally. The new quote receives its own reference and history.
Good practice
- A template is a starting point, not a guaranteed current price list. Review it every time.
- Use descriptive names and avoid multiple templates that serve the same purpose.
| Issue | What to do |
|---|
| Customer or contact missing | Update the correct master workbook tabs, run Catalog Sync, then search again. |
|---|
| Recipient not available | Use a synced customer contact for a live send. Use Send Test Email only for testing another address. |
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| Wrong or old rate | Create or edit the quote and reselect the machine. Correct the master workbook if the catalogue value is wrong. |
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| Machine image or brochure missing | Check the machine record in the master workbook and its approved Google Drive link, then synchronize. |
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| Email formatting looks unusual | Check the PDF, try View in Browser or Download Pictures, and record the Outlook version with a screenshot. |
|---|
| Send button unavailable | An administrator should check QuotePilot SMTP readiness. Do not send from a personal mailbox as a workaround. |
|---|
| Quote was not accepted | The customer must use the final Yes, Accept This Quote button. The email button and PDF link do not accept it. |
|---|
| Login problem | Check the username carefully and request a password reset from the administrator. |
|---|
| Unexpected error | Record the quote reference, exact steps, time, browser, visible message and screenshot before reporting it. |
|---|
Good practice
- Do not share customer data, login credentials or the private master workbook outside authorised staff.
- Do not use WordPress administration to bypass a normal QuotePilot workflow unless an administrator has diagnosed the problem.
- When reporting an email issue, forward the original email as an attachment where possible so its formatting can be inspected.
Before sending
- Correct customer and contact selected
- Customer email address checked
- Every machine, rate and discount checked
- Accessories, consumables and detergents checked
- Delivery postcode and one-way transport cost checked
- Customer Message contains customer-safe wording
- PDF inspected when the quotation is complex
- To and CC recipients checked
After sending
- Quote status is Sent
- Sent date and recipient are recorded
- Follow-up date is appropriate
- Chase Notes state the next action
- Acceptance notification is acted on
- Booking information and new-account form are followed up
- Final outcome is recorded as Sold, Lost or Archived
Good practice
- The quality of Quote Log depends on every user recording clear follow-up dates and notes.
- When in doubt, send a test email and ask another staff member to review the PDF before the live send.
Getting help
Report the evidence, not just the symptom
If something does not behave as expected, record the quote reference, the page you were using, what you clicked, and a screenshot before contacting the QuotePilot administrator.
