A quote is a commercial document by which a business offers a customer the supply of products or services, detailing their nature, their quantities, their unit prices and the total amount (excluding tax, VAT and including tax). It serves as a precise estimate and, once dated and signed “approved” by the customer, it binds both parties to the agreed price and scope.
A quote is optional for most transactions, but becomes mandatory in certain cases set out by French regulations: home repair and call-out work above a certain amount, healthcare services, removals, and so on. In those cases it must carry prescribed information — the business's identity, an itemised breakdown of the services, the period of validity, and whether drawing it up is free or chargeable.
A period of validity is usually stated: once it expires, the quoted prices are no longer guaranteed. When accepted, the quote naturally turns into a purchase order and then an invoice, with no re-keying of the line items — securing continuity between the commercial offer and the accounting records.
The quote is thus the first stage of the sales cycle, at the boundary between the customer relationship and invoicing. In eyeot, it is managed by the CRM and invoicing, which let you convert it into an order or an invoice.