Quotes sent through a booking platform

When a request comes from a booking platform, the quote often travels through the platform too: you upload it there, the client reads it there, and signs it there. Joinways never owns that document, but it still belongs in the event's history.

A platform quote is therefore a record, not a working document: it shows what was transmitted, through which platform and for how much, with the PDF you received attached. This article explains where it comes from, what you can do with it, and how it differs from a quote you built in Joinways.

Where a platform quote comes from

Two routes create one, and neither asks you to retype anything.

• From the platform's own emails. When the platform tells you a quote has been transmitted to the client, Joinways records it on the right event, with the amounts read from the attached PDF.
• From the Chrome extension. Open the request on the platform and the extension records the quote it reads on the page, without you filling anything in.

Either way the quote lands on the event tied to that request, so an event never ends up with a duplicate of a document it already has.

For a few seconds, the Proposals tab shows that the proposal is being read. If the same proposal matches several events, Joinways does not choose for you: it shows it on each one and you click File the proposal here on the right one.

How to recognise one

A platform proposal does not speak the same language as yours. Where a Joinways proposal says Sent then Signed, this one names the platform: Sent via the platform, then Accepted on the platform when it announces that the client accepted, and Signed on the platform once the signed copy is fetched. The wording is deliberate, since none of these actions happened here.

The page carries a short strip with these steps and their dates, and under it a line recalling where the client acts. When the platform announces a refusal, a cancellation or an expiry, the proposal moves to Rejected on its own.

What you can do from the page

Three actions, and only three, because the original lives elsewhere.

• View the received PDF: the document as the platform sent it to you.
• Open on the platform: jumps straight to the request on the platform's own site, where the client's actions happen.
• Fetch the signed proposal: brings the signed version back into Joinways once the client has accepted.

That last one only appears when the platform has actually signalled an acceptance. A request the platform refused, cancelled or let expire is not waiting for a signature, so Joinways does not pretend it is.

What it does not have

• No public signature link. The client signs on the platform, under the platform's own terms.
• No chasing. A follow-up rule would push the client towards a page they are not meant to use, so platform quotes are left out of it.
• No editable lines. The amount comes from the PDF. The line-by-line detail read from that PDF is shown for information and never becomes a proposal line (see below).
• No versions you create. When the platform sends a revised version, it arrives as a new record and the old one shows Replaced version.

Treat a platform quote as a copy kept for the record. Everything you would normally change on a quote is changed on the platform, then comes back here on its own.

The detail read from the PDF

On the proposal page, the “Quote detail” section shows the lines read from the platform's PDF: by day and by heading, with quantities, options and discounts. The lines total is compared with the proposal total; a gap means part of the document was not read.

These lines are read-only and count in no total: the proposal amount and the confirmed amount remain the ones on the document.

Reading starts on its own when a platform proposal is accepted, signed, invoiced or paid, and again if the PDF arrives later. For a proposal that was only sent, click “Read the detail”. The detail shows up within a few minutes; “Read again” restarts the reading. Without a received PDF, the detail can't be read.

These lines are used elsewhere too: the “Proposal” panel of the BEO and BEO generation from the proposal use them instead of the overall amount, and the API and the MCP connector return them.

Bringing the signature back

Once the client has signed on the platform, Fetch the signed proposal attaches the signed PDF to the quote. Joinways reads it to prefill the signature date and the signer, and you confirm before recording.

From there the quote behaves like any signed quote: the event confirms, the confirmed amount is recalculated, and the signed PDF stays attached. If the document carries no visible signature, Joinways says so rather than recording it silently.

Edge cases

• Platform not recognised: Joinways records the quote without naming it, and the labels fall back to the platform rather than a name.
• Amounts look wrong: they were read from the PDF. Open the received PDF to check, and treat the platform as the reference.
• You also want a Joinways proposal: nothing prevents it on the same event, for example for extras sold directly. Both coexist; only accepted or signed proposals count in the confirmed amount.
• New version on the platform: it arrives as a new record and the old one moves to Replaced version. Do not edit the old record by hand.

Platforms that require their own proposal

Some platforms, such as Kactus and Funbooker, only accept the proposal filed with them and forbid offering a service to the client outside the platform. On an event that came from one of them, a Joinways proposal not yet accepted shows To file on followed by the platform's name, instead of Send and the signature links. Open the request on the platform: the Joinways extension fills in its proposal form. Send by email anyway remains possible after a confirmation. Workflows never send an email outside the platform's addresses, and the compose window warns you as soon as a recipient is off the platform.

Best practices

• Install the Chrome extension if you work from platforms daily: it is what keeps these records arriving without effort.
• Fetch the signed proposal as soon as the platform reports an acceptance, so the event confirms the same day.
• Keep your chasing rules for your own quotes, where you control the link the client opens.

Troubleshooting

Fetch the signed proposal is not offered

Cause: the platform has not reported an acceptance yet, or reported a refusal. Solution: check the request on the platform; if it really is signed there, import the signed PDF with Add proposal, then Import a signed proposal.

There is no received PDF

Cause: the quote was recorded from the platform page rather than from an email carrying the document. Solution: open the request on the platform to read it, the record stays valid without the file.

The quote landed on the wrong event

Cause: two requests from the same client were treated as one. Solution: check the requests in the Inbox and merge or separate them there, the quote follows.

Real-world example

A seminar request arrives through a platform and you quote it there. The platform emails you that the quote has gone to the client; Joinways records it on the event as sent via that platform, with the PDF attached. Four days later the platform reports the acceptance, you click Fetch the signed proposal, and the event confirms with the right amount. Nothing was typed twice, and the event's history reads the same as one quoted from Joinways.

FAQ

Can I edit a platform quote?

No. It is a record of a document that lives on the platform. Change it there and the new version comes back.

Why is there no signature link?

Because the client signs on the platform. A Joinways link would put two signing routes in front of them.

Does it count in my revenue?

Yes, as soon as the platform has accepted it or it is signed: it then feeds the event's confirmed amount like any accepted proposal.

Will a chasing rule follow it up?

No. Chasing is reserved for quotes whose signature link you own.

Do I need the Chrome extension?

Not strictly: the platform's emails are enough. The extension simply catches what the emails do not say.

See also

• Get a quote signed online
• The Chrome extension
• Understand the unified Inbox