SimpleFlow help center

How to use SimpleFlow

Follow a job from the first estimate through completed work and final invoicing. Choose a task below for a step-by-step walkthrough.

01 Estimate Define and price the work
02 Job Track work in progress
03 Invoice Bill for completed work
Getting started

Your first workflow

Most work follows these three stages. SimpleFlow carries the customer, pricing, and line-item details forward for you.

You can also start at any stage.

An accepted estimate can become either a job or an invoice. Jobs and invoices can also be created directly when you do not need an estimate or source record.

Workspace overview

Use the dashboard and document lists

The dashboard keeps current work in view, while the Estimates, Jobs, and Invoices pages provide the complete history.

Focus on work needing attention

The dashboard shows open estimates, open jobs, and pending invoices. Use View All to open the full list for a document type.

Find and act on records

Search each list by its visible record details, move between result pages, and use the row Actions menu for the next available step. Select a document number to open it.

Open Dashboard
Before your first document

Set up your company profile

Your company details and colors are used throughout the app and on professional customer documents.

  1. Open your user menu

    Select your avatar in the upper-right corner of the app.

  2. Choose Profile & Company

    Review your personal information, company contact details, reply-to email, website, address, and default tax rate. The default tax rate becomes the starting rate on new estimates and jobs.

  3. Apply your brand

    Choose a primary and secondary color, check the preview, and save. SimpleFlow automatically keeps text readable in both light and dark mode.

Set a reply-to email before sending documents.

SimpleFlow uses this address for customer replies. Company settings can only be changed by an owner or administrator.

Open Profile & Company
Reusable information

Maintain customers and saved line items

Save repeat customers for reuse and reporting, or enter one-off customer details directly on an estimate, job, or invoice.

Customer directory

Open Customers to add or update contact, company, email, phone, and billing-address details. A customer linked to document history is retained so past records remain accurate. Select its document count to review up to ten recent estimates, jobs, and invoices; expand an invoice status to see recorded payments. Customers without document history can be deleted. Customer reports include saved customers only; one-off customer details entered directly on a document are not included in customer reporting.

Manage customers

Saved line items

Save frequently used services or products with a default description, quantity, unit price, and tax setting. Archive an item to remove it from document dropdowns without deleting it. Turn on Show archived to find and restore it later.

Manage saved items
How to

Create an estimate

Use an estimate to describe the work and give the customer a clear price.

  1. Start a new estimate

    Open Estimates and select New Estimate.

  2. Add the customer

    Choose an existing saved customer, type one-off customer details directly, or select New Customer. When adding a new customer, choose Create Customer to save it for reuse and reporting, or Use Without Saving for this estimate only.

  3. Add the work

    Add line items with a name, description, quantity, price, and taxable setting. Use the item dropdown to reuse saved items.

  4. Review pricing and save

    Add tax, a discount, and customer-facing notes as needed. Confirm the total, then select Create Estimate.

Tip: Preview the PDF after saving to see exactly what the customer will receive.
Create an estimate
Estimate workflow

Manage an estimate after saving

  1. Open the Actions menu

    Find the estimate in the table and use the menu at the right of its row.

  2. Choose the next outcome

    Preview, edit, send or resend, duplicate, accept, decline, void, or delete the estimate. Available actions depend on its current status. A draft can be accepted or declined without being emailed, which is useful when approval happens by phone or in person. Only eligible drafts can be deleted.

  3. Choose the next stage

    When an estimate is accepted, choose Convert to Job to track the work, or Convert to Invoice to bypass the job stage and bill immediately. Customer details, line items, pricing, tax, discounts, and notes are copied forward. An estimate can follow only one of these conversion paths. Immediately after acceptance, choose Create Invoice, Create Job, or Not Now in the prompt.

Changes to a sent estimate create a new revision.

When you edit and save a sent, delivered, or delivery-failed estimate, SimpleFlow archives the previous version, increments the revision number, and returns the current estimate to Draft. Expand the revision number in the Estimates list—or use Revision History on the estimate—to open a PDF of an earlier version.

How to

Track a job

Jobs keep active work separate from the sales and billing stages.

  1. Create or open the job

    Convert an accepted estimate, or open Jobs and select New Job to create one directly.

  2. Confirm the scope

    Choose a saved customer or enter one-off customer details, then review the job name, dates, line items, pricing, and notes. Save any changes while the job is editable.

  3. Move the job forward

    Use the table Actions menu to start, complete, reopen, close, or cancel the job.

  4. Create the invoice

    When you mark a job complete, SimpleFlow asks whether you want to create an invoice. You can also create or view its invoice from the job Actions menu.

View jobs
How to

Create an invoice

Create one from an accepted estimate, a completed job, or prepare it manually.

  1. Start the invoice

    Open Invoices and select New Invoice. A source job is optional. You can also choose Convert to Invoice from an accepted estimate to copy its customer, pricing, and line items directly into a draft invoice.

  2. Copy a completed job—or build it manually

    Select a completed job to copy its customer and items. For a manual invoice, leave Source Job empty, choose a saved customer or enter one-off billing details, and add the items yourself.

  3. Set billing details

    Review the due date, prices, tax, discount, balance due, and customer-facing notes.

  4. Create and review

    Select Create Invoice, then preview the PDF. Draft invoices remain editable until they are sent. If you deliver the invoice outside SimpleFlow, choose Mark as Sent instead of emailing it. You can later choose Mark as Delivered when appropriate.

  5. Record customer payments

    On a sent, partially paid, or overdue invoice, choose Record Payment from the invoice or its table Actions menu. Enter the amount, date, method, and optional reference. Partial payments update the remaining balance; the final payment marks the invoice paid.

Review payment history

Recorded payments appear on the invoice and can also be expanded from the invoice status in the Invoices list. Each entry includes its date, method, reference, notes, and amount.

Finish or correct billing

Sent, delivered, or delivery-failed invoices can be resent. Available actions also let you void an unpaid invoice or mark an eligible paid invoice as refunded. Financial documents are only editable while they are drafts.

Create an invoice
Customer documents

Preview PDFs and send documents

Preview a PDF

Save the document first, then select Preview PDF from its page or table Actions menu. The preview opens in a new browser tab using your company branding.

Send to the customer

Confirm that the customer email is correct and all changes are saved, and make sure a company reply-to email is configured. Select Send, review the confirmation, and SimpleFlow attaches the PDF to the email. Use Resend when another copy is needed.

Check before sending.

Sending changes the document status. Invoices can only be edited while they are drafts; editing a sent estimate creates a new draft revision. Preview the PDF and verify the recipient first.

Email is optional: If an estimate was approved or declined outside SimpleFlow, update the draft directly from its Actions menu. For an invoice delivered another way, use Mark as Sent and optionally Mark as Delivered. Payment status should still be updated by recording payments rather than manually changing it.
Business reporting

Understand how the business is performing

Reports turn your existing estimates, jobs, invoices, and payments into useful summaries.

  1. Open Reports

    Select Reports from the main navigation.

  2. Choose a period

    Use a preset such as This Month or enter a custom date range, then select Run Report.

  3. Review or export

    Switch between overview, receivables, payments, pipeline, and customer activity. Select Export CSV to download the report currently on screen. Pipeline conversion includes accepted estimates converted to either jobs or invoices; accepted estimates following neither path remain listed for attention.

Receivables are a current snapshot.

The selected period controls activity reports. Outstanding balances and aging always reflect what is collectible now.

Customer reports include saved customers only.

Documents with one-off customer details still appear in document and financial reports, but their activity is not attributed in the customer report unless a saved customer was selected.

Open Reports
Settings

Manage sign-in, account, and subscription

Account security

You can sign in with a six-digit code sent to your email or with a passkey you previously created. Open the avatar menu and choose Account Management to change the account email or manage passkeys. An email change verifies the current address first and the new address second, then signs you out so you can continue with the new address. Add passkeys for passwordless sign-in and remove ones you no longer use.

Subscription access

Review the plan, renewal date, and status here. Select Manage Billing to open Stripe, where you can update the payment method, download receipts, change plans, or cancel renewal. After cancellation, paid features remain available through the displayed subscription end date.

Open Account Management
Existing records remain available without paid access.

If a subscription is missing or its paid period has ended, you can still review existing records, but document creation, email delivery, reporting, and other paid actions are unavailable.

Quick reference

What the statuses mean

Estimates

Draft Still being prepared

Sent Accepted by the email provider

Delivered Accepted by the customer's mail server

Delivery Failed The email could not be delivered

Accepted Approved and ready for a job or invoice

Declined / Void No longer moving forward

Jobs

Open Setup is in progress

In Progress Work is underway

Completed Work is done and can be invoiced

Closed / Canceled Work is finalized

Invoices

Draft Editable and not yet delivered

Sent Accepted by the email provider

Delivered Accepted by the customer's mail server

Delivery Failed The email could not be delivered

Overdue Payment is past due

Partially Paid A balance remains

Paid / Refunded / Void Billing is finalized

Ready to work?

Continue from your dashboard

Your recent estimates, jobs, and invoices are all in one place.

Get Started
An unhandled error has occurred. Reload 🗙

Rejoining the server...

Rejoin failed... trying again in seconds.

Failed to rejoin.
Please retry or reload the page.

The session has been paused by the server.

Failed to resume the session.
Please retry or reload the page.