What an approval is
An approval is the customer’s written yes to the estimate before you start. You send a branded link — your name and logo on it — and they open it on their phone, read the itemized work, look at the photos, and tap Approve. Before they can, they type their name, and that stands as a real signature printed on the document.
The moment they approve, SideWRK logs it: who approved, the exact time, and the amount they agreed to. That record lives on the job. If the work changes and the price moves, the customer is asked to approve the new total — so you’re never doing work nobody signed off on.
What you can use it for
Get a real yes, not a maybe
A texted “ok sounds good” isn’t much to stand on. A tapped Approve with a typed name and a timestamp is — it’s the customer agreeing to a specific number, on the record.
Protect yourself when memories change
If a customer later says they never agreed to the price, the logged approval — their name, the time, the amount — settles it without an argument.
Re-authorize when the job grows
Find more rot, more corrosion, a second problem? Add the work and the customer approves the new total before you keep going. No surprise-bill blowups at the end.
Close the add-ons at approval
Mark lines optional and the customer checks the ones they want as they approve, with the total updating live — the upsell, handled without a sales pitch.
How to get a job approved
- 1
Build the estimate and send it
Add the work and photos, then send the branded approval link by text or email straight from your phone.
- 2
They review it on their phone
The customer opens the link, reads the itemized estimate, and sees the photos of what needs doing — everything in one clean page.
- 3
They sign and tap Approve
They type their name — a real e-signature that prints on the document — and tap Approve. You can require a deposit or offer optional add-ons right here.
- 4
The yes is logged
SideWRK records who approved, the time, and the amount, and attaches it to the job so you have proof of the authorization.
- 5
The job grows? They re-approve
If you add work, the customer is asked to authorize the new total before you continue — so every dollar was agreed to.
Why a logged approval matters
The fastest way a good job goes bad is a fight over what was agreed to. “I never said yes to that price.” “That’s not the work we talked about.” A logged approval — a name, a timestamp, and the exact amount — ends that conversation before it starts, and it does it without you having to be the bad guy.
It also makes you look like a pro. Sending a branded link the customer signs feels a world away from a number scribbled on the back of a card. Pair it with a deposit at approval so you’re not buying materials on faith, and the whole start of the job is buttoned up.
Approvals — common questions
Is a typed name a real signature?
Yes. The customer types their name to approve, and it prints on the document as their e-signature, alongside a logged record of the time and the amount they agreed to.
What happens if the job gets bigger?
Add the extra work and the customer is asked to approve the new total before you keep going. You end up with an authorization for the final number, not the original guess.
Can I require a deposit when they approve?
Yes. You can ask for a deposit by card as part of the approval, so material money is in hand before you buy. See the deposits page for how that works.
Where is the approval record kept?
On the job. The name, time, and amount are logged and stay attached to that job, so you can always show what was authorized and when.