RA Group Estimate Builder — FAQs

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Client wants changes — do I make a new estimate with a new number?
No. Open the same estimate, edit, save — it becomes Rev 2 under the same number. The old version is preserved automatically.
I sent the estimate and then noticed a mistake. What now?
Edit and save — it saves as a revision, and the printout clearly shows (Rev 2) so the client knows it supersedes the earlier one. Then resend.
My save was rejected / it says NOT SAVED.
Something compulsory is missing — the alert names it and the screen jumps to that field (usually the contact phone or an HSN). Fill it and save again; nothing you typed is lost while the tab stays open.
Why is the Estimate No. box empty? Should I type our register number?
Leave it empty — the system issues the next number in your company's series. Typing your own risks clashes with jobs and other estimates. The paper register is retired; the app IS the register now.
The item I need isn't in the dropdown.
Just type it — the app will suggest an HSN code automatically (change it if wrong). HSN is compulsory on every line (except Cash Memos) — the estimate won't save without it. If you use an item repeatedly, add it in the Rate Card tab once so everything autofills next time.
The rate that auto-filled is wrong for this job.
Change it right there in the estimate — the prefill is only the reference. Rates are your call, job by job.
What is the small "Ref" code at the bottom of the PDF/Excel?
The document's identity: estimate number, revision, date and a short Ref code computed from the number, revision and amount. If a client ever forwards an estimate back and something feels off, open that estimate in the app — the Ref shown there must match the one on their copy. A changed amount or an edited PDF won't match.
Why does the Date column on the Estimates list read like 01-08-2026?
That's day-month-year (DD-MM-YYYY) — the same style as the PDF, Excel and cash-memo outputs. It's only how the date is shown; the stored date, sorting and financial-year grouping are unchanged.
Where does the "this client: last ₹…" hint come from?
From your own past estimates for that client. Rates vary client to client, so the client's history is the reference that matters — the shared Rate Card figure is just the fallback for first-time combinations. Diageo FB items always keep their contracted rate.
How do I price a wall bay / SIS unit (cubic feet)?
Fill W, H and D — the total becomes W×H×D cubic feet × rate. Without D it's square feet.
One event covers several brands — where do I put them?
Each line has its own Brand box (before Particulars) — an event can carry Chivas on one line and Jameson on the next. Suggestions follow the client's linked brands; type freely if it's new. The brand prints with the item on the PDF.
How do I put transportation or packaging as one amount?
Leave W/H/Qty empty on that line and type the amount directly in the Amount column.
Why can't I see Diageo's rates / another company's estimates?
By design. Diageo's contracted rates are confidential to RA's work and show up only when the estimate's client is USL/Diageo. Each company's estimates and clients are visible only to its own estimators. Aashutosh sees everything.
Client's name is not in the list.
Type it. It gets remembered and appears in the list from then on. For one-time showroom customers use client "Retail" + their name in Contact.
Where do I put the client's GST number?
The Client GSTIN box in the composer (next to contact email). It prints in the To block on the PDF and Excel, and the app remembers it for that client — fill it once, it prefills next time. Our own company's GSTIN is always on the letterhead automatically.
My client is not GST-registered — what do I put in the GSTIN box?
Leave it empty. Words like "not registered" in that box cause an error — blank simply means the client has no GSTIN, which is perfectly valid.
Where does the client's office address go?
The Client office address box in the composer — it prints under the client's name in the To block, and the app remembers it per client like the GSTIN.
Why does the printout show CGST and SGST separately?
For Maharashtra-registered clients GST splits into CGST 9% + SGST 9% — the summary now shows both lines, exactly as a GST document should. Outside Maharashtra it shows a single IGST 18% line.
Does the contact's phone/email print on the estimate?
No — by design. The printout carries the contact person's name (and GSTIN if given); their phone and email stay in our database only, for follow-ups and records. Client documents should never expose someone's personal contact details.
Which tax do I pick?
Client GST-registered in Maharashtra → CGST+SGST. Registered outside Maharashtra → IGST. Ask Rajesh if unsure about a client.
Client said "start the work, PO will come later" — what do I do?
Mark it Approved and leave the PO box empty, then press Create job in Tracker — production starts immediately. The estimate shows an amber PO awaited tag and appears in the ⏰ Follow-up tab (and the Monday email) until someone enters the PO. When it arrives, open the estimate, press Approved again and type the number.
What happens after I mark Approved?
Enter the PO number, then press "Create job in Tracker". Production gets the job under the same code and runs it through their stages. You'll see it in 💰 To bill once it's DONE.
I pressed something wrong / deleted by mistake?
Estimates can't be deleted by estimators — worst case an estimate gets a wrong revision, which is recoverable. Tell Aashutosh or use 💬 Feedback; history is kept.
How do I pull up just the cancelled estimates?
Press the Cancelled filter button at the top of the Estimates list, next to Approved. It shows only cancelled estimates/POs — same as the Draft / Sent / Approved buttons. Press All to go back to the full list.
How do I see if an estimate is billed?
The Status column: BILLED badge = fully billed; a green "₹X billed of ₹Y" line under the status = partly billed (bulk orders billed in parts). No green line and not BILLED = no bill recorded yet. Bills are recorded by Rajesh via 💰 To bill.
What is the 📊 Dashboard tab?
Admin only. The current financial year segregated properly: Draft / Sent / Approved (split into PO received vs PO awaited) / Billed / Cancelled, with the same picture per company. This is the clear-picture view — the header numbers are just a quick glance.
Why does the Dashboard's "Billed" look smaller than our real billing?
Two different measures. "Invoiced" (header and first Dashboard tile) is the truth: every invoice in the ledger by bill date — this matches the sales register. Status "Billed" counts/values estimates by their own date and value, so quotes from last FY and older jobs without line items don't add up the same way. When in doubt, trust "Invoiced".
How do I see one client's rate card?
Rate Card tab → pick the client in the dropdown. You'll see every item ever priced for them: times used, last rate, median and range — mined from their actual estimates, updating itself with every new one. The shared catalogue remains the fallback for first-time items.
Where did the total value in the header go?
The estimate count stays for everyone. On the admin login the header shows the value split by status — Draft / Sent / Approved / Billed, cancelled excluded — because one blended total mixes old imports, drafts and live pipeline into a number that means nothing. Sent = quotes awaiting the client, Approved = won work heading to billing.
Can I use this on my phone?
Yes — same link, same login. Excel/PDF downloads work on phones too.
What are the old estimates marked "Imported from Business Tracker"?
Your pre-app history (317 estimates) brought in for the record. Search them, check statuses, but day-to-day work happens on new estimates.
Can I create a job directly in the Job Tracker, without an estimate?
The one-line test: will we ever raise an invoice for this work? If yes → it starts as an estimate (ask your estimator — 2 minutes), then "Create job in Tracker". If no invoice will ever exist — samples (RASAM/WHSAM/BTSAM), recce visits, internal work, redo-at-our-cost — use the sample/special codes as you always have. The tracker refuses a hand-typed billable-series code (RA/WH/BT + number) with a message pointing you to the estimate flow. Sample/special codes and extra line-item rows of an existing job work as before.
How do I make a cash memo for a counter sale?
Make the estimate normally but set Output format = Cash Memo. GST is not added, the total rounds to the rupee, and the printout says CASH MEMO with a Memo No. — same number series, so the sale stays in the register.
Is the estimate number the same as the job code?
Yes — one number from quotation to job to bill. That's the backbone of the whole system.
I opened an estimate and it has no line items — is it broken?
No — that's a backfilled estimate (an older job that predates this system). It's waiting for its owner to add the items and rates from their records. Check the note on it; if it's yours, filling it completes the billing picture.
Can I still make entries in the old Excel tracker?
Read it, yes. Create new job codes in it, no — codes come only from this app now, otherwise two jobs can end up with the same number (it nearly happened with WH527).
Who sees my feedback and weekly emails?
Feedback: Aashutosh and the Claude agent (which answers how-tos automatically). Weekly emails: only you.
Where are the production / phone-app questions?
They have their own page now: Job Tracker & Production FAQs — install, stages, photos, lineup, sab wahan. This page is for estimates only.
Why can I only see my own estimates now? Someone else's is missing.
Each estimator now sees the estimates they raised, not the whole company's. It keeps one company's rates and clients out of another's view. Rajesh and Aashutosh still see everything. If you genuinely need an estimate that isn't yours, ask the person who raised it — or ask Aashutosh to open it up for you.
What is the ⚠ To complete tab?
Your estimates missing something that will be needed later — no items priced, no contact phone, or approved without a PO / mail / verbal record. Old imported history is not counted, so this list is only work you can really finish. Most rows are a two-minute fix.
My Job Tracker shows a job in amber saying "no target date".
That job is running but missing something. Without a target date it can never appear on an overdue list; without a vendor it can't be costed or billed properly. Open it, fill the blank, save. Use the ⚠ To complete button to see all of yours together, and 👤 Mine to see just your jobs.
Can other people still see my jobs on the Job Tracker?
Yes, and that's on purpose — production has to see servicing's jobs to make them. Only amounts are hidden from the floor. The per-person split applies to estimates, not to the production board.
The rates I see changed when I picked a different client.
That's correct — rates vary client-wise. The list now shows what that client has been quoted before at their own rates (marked "this client") ahead of the standard catalogue (marked "standard"). Every rate is still editable.
My client is new and has no rates. What do I quote?
You'll see a note saying so, and the standard list. Quote normally — what you save becomes that client's rate card, so next time it comes up first for you and everyone else on that client.
Why do I not see the Diageo FB rates any more?
The FB contracted rates only appear when the estimate's client is USL/Diageo. They used to show for every client, which was wrong — those are contracted rates for one customer. Pick USL/Diageo and they return.
I forgot my password.
Type your name on the login screen and press "Forgot your password?". If we have your email you'll get a link — it works once and stops working after an hour. If you're on the floor or team login (no email on file) the request goes to Aashutosh, who will reset it for you. You never need to borrow anyone's login.
How do I change my password?
On the Estimates page, press change password next to your name at the top. It asks for your current password first, then the new one twice. Minimum 6 characters.
I can't tell what I'm typing into the password box.
Tick Show password under the box. It shows exactly what you typed — handy on a phone. Untick it to hide it again.
I asked for a reset link twice — which one works?
Only the newest. Asking again cancels the earlier link straight away, so if you got two emails, use the most recent one.
Can other people see how many estimates I've made?
Only Aashutosh and Rajesh, in the Team view. Other estimators cannot see it and cannot reach the data. You get your own figures every Monday by email.
The Team view says my win rate is blank. Why?
Because there isn't enough settled history yet to say anything honest. A quote only counts once it has had three weeks to be answered, and the figure stays blank below three such quotes — a percentage built from one or two quotes is noise, not performance.
How do I see just one person's estimates or jobs?
Use the name dropdown — next to the search box on the Estimates list, and next to the company filter on the Job Tracker. It works together with the other filters, so you can look at one person's overdue RA jobs, or one person's estimates still to bill. Available to Aashutosh and Rajesh.
Who can see other people's estimates?
Aashutosh, Rajesh and Renu, across all three companies. Everyone else sees their own. Seeing colleagues' estimates and seeing the group's finances are separate rights: the Dashboard needs access to all companies, so it follows automatically for anyone who has that.
A job is already DONE but the client now wants a change — how do I send it back to Installation?
Nothing special is needed — the app already allows this. On the desktop Job Tracker, open the job, change the Stage dropdown from DONE back to INSTALLATION (or whichever earlier stage the rework starts from) and Save. The move is accepted and the system automatically records it as rework, so nothing is lost and the job's history shows it reopened. On the phone, tap ↩ Back to step it back one stage at a time. You do not raise a new job or a new code for this.
I added a line but it added ₹0 to the total — why?
A line only counts once it has an Amount — either typed straight into the Amount column, or worked out from Rate × size/quantity. A line with just a description or a quantity but no Amount adds nothing. To catch this, when you Save the app now highlights any such line and warns you before it goes through, so you can fill the figure (you can still Save at ₹0 if that's deliberate).
I sent the estimate but there's no "Create job in Tracker" button.
The job button switches on once the estimate is Approved, not when it's Sent — production shouldn't start before the client has said yes. Press Approved (PO received / promised) and the button becomes live straight after. If it's only a verbal go-ahead, leave the PO number blank: the work can start and the estimate stays on the ⏰ Follow-up list until the PO arrives. The button now tells you this on screen instead of simply not being there.
How do I download the whole list to Excel? (company-wise data)
Every tab of the estimates list has a ⬇ Export to Excel button next to the search box. It downloads exactly the rows you are looking at — same tab, same search, same person filter — with the company on each row, so you can sort or filter it company-wise in Excel. The ⬇ xlsx button on a single row is different: that one is just that one estimate.
The PDF keeps saving in portrait even though I choose landscape.
Use ⬇ Download PDF on the print screen, not the browser's own "Save as PDF". The browser's print box offers a Portrait setting that the page cannot obey, which is what produced sideways files. The ⬇ Download PDF button builds the file on our server and is always landscape, identical for everyone. 🖨 Print on paper is only for printing.
Why does my Follow-up list show WH, RA and BT estimates made by other people?
Because you are an admin — admins see every company and everyone's work by design, and Follow-up is one shared chase queue: every SENT quote going quiet, plus every approved job still waiting for its PO. Each row is tagged "by renu", "by namrata" and so on. Estimators only ever see their own.
Where do I type the quantity so Amount calculates itself?
In the Qty box (or W and H for area work). The Unit box holds the unit's name — sq.ft, no.s — not a number, so typing your quantity there means nothing multiplies. With Qty and Rate filled, Total and Amount fill in on their own. Amount always stays editable if you want to override it.
The item is charged per piece, but the app multiplies my size in. How do I stop that?
Tick Per pc on that line. The rate is then taken as the price of one piece, and the W and H you typed stay on the estimate as the specification instead of being multiplied into the amount. Example: a decorative table-top piece is 2 × 1 ft and costs ₹8,500 each — tick Per pc and one piece is ₹8,500, not ₹17,000, with "2 × 1" still printed for the client. Leave it unticked for anything priced by area (W × H × Qty × rate), which is most signage. If you have been typing the size as 1 × 1 to stop the multiplication, you no longer need to — enter the real size and tick the box.
Does the Unit box (sq.ft / no.s) change how the Amount is worked out?
No. Unit is only a label that prints on the estimate; it never affects the maths. What decides the amount is the Per pc tick: on, it is Qty × Rate; off, it is W × H (× D) × Qty × Rate. This is deliberate — the Unit box is free typing and different people have written no.s, Nos, nos, Qty and Lot for the same thing, so it is not safe to price from.
How do I record a bill against an estimate?
Open the 💰 To bill tab, find the job, and press ₹ Record bill on that row. Enter the bill number, date and amount. Until that is done the job keeps appearing as installed but not invoiced, even if accounts have already raised the invoice.
Can I add a line in the middle of an estimate, like Excel?
Yes. Every line has a small + next to its ✕. Pressing it inserts a blank line directly above that row and renumbers everything for you. "Add line" still adds at the bottom.
The same place appears twice in Location (GOA and Goa).
Fixed — the suggestion list now shows each place once, in capitals. Nothing already saved on an old estimate was changed.
What does "installed but not invoiced" mean on my panel?
The job is finished on the floor and no bill has been recorded against it in the app. It is work already earned that has not turned into money yet. Record the bill (see above) and it drops off the list.
Why does it say an estimate is waiting on the client?
It was sent a week or more ago and no PO has been recorded. The app is not judging the client — it is just making sure a quote nobody chased does not quietly die. Call them, or record the PO if it has arrived.