How to Find Out When a Client Approves a Quote in CrmLeaf
All editions for the quote status and the invoice. The automation option needs the WorkflowAutomation add-on module, which ships off.
Availability: All editions for the quote status and the invoice. The automation option needs the WorkflowAutomation add-on module, which ships off.
Overview
When a client approves a quote you want to hear about it and move straight on to the invoice. This article sets out the signals CrmLeaf gives you for an approval, which of them are certain, and how to add a notification of your own. It is deliberate about what is confirmed: CrmLeaf changes the quote status and creates an invoice on approval, but the documentation reviewed for this manual does not confirm a built-in alert for the approval itself. Test it in your account and use the reliable signals below in the meantime.
How It Works
Client approves → Status becomes accepted → Invoice created → You are told
| Signal | Certain? | Where you see it |
|---|---|---|
Quote status changes to accepted | Yes | Quotes list and the quote itself. |
| A signature is stored against the quote | Yes | The quote. |
An unpaid invoice is created | Yes | Invoices list. |
| Email, Slack or push alert on approval | Not confirmed | Depends on the notification types in Notification Settings. Verify in your account. |
| Automation alert you build yourself | Yes, once built and tested | An in-app notification or email from a Workflow Automation rule. See INT-15. |
Who Can Use This Feature?
User
- Check quote status and the invoices list.
Administrator
- Choose which notification types go out by email, Slack and push.
- Build an automation that alerts a person or channel when an approval creates an invoice.
Access depends on the modules and role assigned by your Administrator.
Prerequisites
- A sent quote, so you can watch for its status change.
- For alerts by email, Slack or push: the channel configured under Notification Settings.
- For an automation alert: the Workflow Automation module enabled.
For Users
Step 1: Watch the quote status
What to do: Open the quotes list and use Filter to show quotes by status. Check waiting quotes to see which have changed to accepted.
What to verify: An approved quote shows accepted.
Step 2: Confirm the invoice
What to do: Open the invoices list and look for the newest unpaid invoice for that client.
What to verify: The invoice exists and matches the quote. Its presence is your proof that the approval went through.
For Administrators
Step 3: Check which notifications are switched on
What to do: Open the Email, Slack and Push Notification tabs. On each tab, read the checklist of notification types and look for any item about quotes, estimates or invoices. Switch on the ones your team wants. See PLT-12 for how the tabs work.
What to verify: The items you want are ticked on the channels your team reads.
Step 4: Test it with a real approval
What to do: Send a test quote to a test client, approve it from the client's mailbox, and watch which channels fire.
What to verify: Note whether any email, Slack or push message arrived at the moment of approval. Record the result for your team.
Step 5: Add an automation if no alert arrives
What to do: Follow the “notify when the invoice is created” recipe in INT-15. Because approval creates an invoice, a rule on the Invoice record is the closest supported way to be told.
What to verify: After you repeat the test approval, the rule's execution log shows a run and the person you chose received the notification. If the log shows no run, an invoice created by an approval does not trigger rules in your account, and you should rely on Steps 1 and 2.
Expected Result
You know which signal tells your team about approvals: the accepted status and the new invoice are always available, and you have tested whether an alert or an automation also notifies you.
Important Notes
- Menu names and their position can differ between product editions and can be customised for your account, so your sidebar may not match these paths exactly. Use Search or your Quick Access items if you cannot find a screen.
- Workflow Automation cannot be built on the quote record itself. The Invoice record is the nearest point, because approval creates an invoice.
- Whether an invoice that CrmLeaf creates on approval counts as a “created” event for automation is not confirmed. Always test with a real approval before relying on it.
- A test run in the automation builder shows how a rule treats an existing record, but it does not prove the rule fires on an approval. Only a real approval does.
- Automations run when a record is created or updated. They cannot remind you about a quote that nobody has touched.
Common Scenarios
Example: a morning check. A sales lead opens the quotes list each morning, filters for accepted, and sends the invoice for anything approved overnight. It takes a minute and needs no configuration.
Example: alert the account owner. An Administrator builds a rule on the Invoice record that notifies the account owner when an invoice is created. The Administrator confirms it fires by approving a test quote and reading the execution log.
Troubleshooting
| Issue | Possible Cause | Resolution |
|---|---|---|
| The quote was approved but nobody was alerted | No approval notification is switched on, or none exists for this event | Use the status and invoice signals, check Notification Settings, or add the automation in INT-15. |
| The automation did not run on approval | The invoice was created by the approval process and does not count as a created record for rules, or a condition did not match | Check the execution log. If there is no entry, rely on the quote status and the invoices list. |
The status is still waiting | The client has not completed the approval | See QTC-18. |
| Email alerts are not arriving at all | Email is not configured or the notification type is not ticked | Complete the Email tab and use Send Test Notification. See PLT-12. |
Frequently Asked Questions
Does CrmLeaf notify me when a client approves a quote?
The status change and the invoice are certain. A built-in alert is not confirmed in the documentation reviewed for this manual, so test it in your account and use an automation if you need a guaranteed alert.
Can I build an automation directly on a quote?
No. Workflow Automation covers Lead, Deal, Client, Task, Ticket, Proposal, Invoice and Project records. A quote is not one of them.
How can I be told about approvals without checking a list?
Build a rule on the Invoice record that notifies you when an invoice is created, and test it with a real approval.
Does an approved proposal create an invoice or an alert?
No invoice. A proposal is a Workflow Automation record type, so you can build a rule that fires when its status changes to accepted.
Related Articles
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