Ongoing Systemic Problem with Formatting on Emailed Estimates

Welcome to the QuickBooks Community, RRSSPC. I'll be sharing details on how the estimate works in QBO, then ensure you can send a sad entry to your client differently.

Please know that QuickBooks Online provides you with the tools to create personalized and professional-looking estimates like your invoices. Customizing the appearance and layout of sales forms is a simple yet effective way to improve your business communications. However, when you send the estimate to your clients, they will receive simple and plain text. This is done to ensure that everything is clear and easy to read.

Additionally, QuickBooks Online's workflow has recently been updated. We're sending out estimates and invoices for a makeover, as well as introducing a new experience to some customers. That said, you can switch to a new interface so your clients will receive a format differently.Then, please keep in mind that this newly updated workflow is only available to new QuickBooks Online users. Any existing or old QBO companies with the feature are not affected and will continue to have old access.

Lastly, you may refer to this article to see details on how the Sales page gives you a great at-a-glance view of the status of your sales transactions, like open and paid invoices: View sales transactions.

You can always get back to us if you have any other clarifications or questions about managing the estimate in QBO. I'm always around to help, RRSSPC. Have a great day!

However, when you send the estimate to your clients, they will receive simple and plain text. This is done to ensure that everything is clear and easy to read.

Thank you for the response, however that statement feels like a big assumption on the part of QBO. This also implies that invoices and every other single item sent via QBO is not clear and easy to read. In my experience, Estimates are the only item / messaging pushing out as plain text. Furthermore, the plain text with no links provides no way for the client to approve an estimate.

While I can only speak for myself and our clients, the Estimate emails in plain text are the opposite of clear and easy to read along with attachments not being included. Our clients are used to a clean html format that provides the ability to click and review the invoice along with any applicable attachments. 

If there is any way to send an estimate using html formatting, please let me know how. 

Hello there, RRSSPC.

Thanks for getting back to us. Allow me to hop in and help ensure this is taken care of for you.

I can see how having the option to customize email format for estimates would be helpful for you and your business. While this isn't available yet, I highly suggest sending feedback directly to our product developers. They're always looking for ideas to consider on how to improve QuickBooks Online (QBO).

Here's how to submit feedback:

1. In QBO, go to the Gear (Settings) icon at the top right.
2. Click Feedback.
3. Enter your comments or product suggestions. Then select Next to submit feedback.

To know more about managing and customizing estimates and other sales form, consider checking out this article: Customize invoices, estimates, and sales receipts in QuickBooks Online.

I also recommend visiting our website for more tips and other resources you can use in the future: Self-help articles.

Please post again or leave a comment in this thread if you have more questions about estimates or anything else QBO. I'm always here to help. Stay safe.

For the first time I had an email for an Estimate sent with plain text.

It looks amateurish and started without changing any settings. What's the issue? Is this a glitch I can have fixed, or is it something I did?

I just tried to copy and paste it in this box, and it rejected it because it was in HTML format!!!