What sending for approval does
When the estimate is ready, you tap Send for approval and SideWRK turns it into a private link. Your customer opens it — no app, no account, no PIN — and sees an itemized, branded document with your line items, your photos, and your total. They type their name and tap Approve — $X or Decline.
That typed name is a lightweight e-signature, right on the document, and the approval is stamped with the time and the amount. If you add work later that pushes past what they approved, the app warns you and re-shows the customer a supplemental "authorize the new total" button — so a change order is documented, not assumed.
What you can use it for
Look legit, not like a hobby
A branded, itemized estimate the customer approves on their phone beats a number scribbled on a napkin — and it’s the difference between winning the job and losing it to the shop that looked more professional.
Get a yes you can prove
The approval carries their name, the time, and the amount. If there’s ever a "I never agreed to that," you have the record.
Sell up without pushing
Mark any line optional and the customer checks or unchecks it on the approval page, with the total updating live — the good-better-best close, without a pushy pitch.
Cover yourself on change orders
Add work mid-job and the app flags that you’re over the approved total and asks the customer to authorize the new number, so scope creep is signed off, not eaten.
How to send an estimate for approval
- 1
Build the estimate
Add your work, parts, notes, and photos on the job so the customer sees exactly what they’re paying for.
- 2
Tap Send for approval
SideWRK generates a private link. Text it, email it, or hand them your phone — no account required on their end.
- 3
They approve from their phone
The customer reviews the itemized doc, toggles any optional add-ons, types their name, and taps Approve. It’s logged with the time and the amount.
- 4
You get notified and invoice
A push tells you the moment they approve. The approved estimate becomes the invoice, ready to collect on.
- 5
Handle changes cleanly
If the job grows, add the work — the app asks the customer to authorize the new total so the change order is on the record.
Why a documented approval matters
Most side-work disputes come down to "that’s not what we agreed to." A verbal yes at the truck evaporates the second there’s a disagreement about money. A branded estimate the customer approved, with their name and the time on it, doesn’t.
This is included — no per-estimate fee, no upsell tier for the approval flow or the e-signature. It’s the backbone of estimate → approve → get paid.
Estimates — common questions
Does the customer need an account or the app?
No. They open a private link on their phone, review the estimate, type their name, and approve. No login, no PIN, no download.
Is the typed name a real signature?
It’s a lightweight e-signature — the customer’s typed name on the document, stamped with the time and the amount they approved. It’s a record of their agreement, not a notarized contract.
What if I add work after they approve?
The app warns you that you’re over the approved total and re-shows the customer a supplemental button to authorize the new number, so the change is documented before you do the extra work.
Can I offer optional add-ons?
Yes. Mark a line optional and the customer checks or unchecks it on the approval page, with the total updating live — a clean way to present good-better-best.