How to create your proposal template

Summary:

OpenSolar allows you to create and tailor proposal templates to align with your business branding, pricing strategy, and customer engagement goals. These templates define how your proposals appear—both online and in PDF format—giving you control over layout, content, tone, and interactivity.

This guide outlines how to create a proposal template, adjust design elements, and fine-tune customer-facing details.

Creating a New Proposal Template:

To create a new proposal template:

1. Navigate to Control > Purchase Experience > Proposal Template.

2. To modify an existing template, click the edit pencil next to the template you wish to update.

3. To create a new template, click + Proposal Template.

Initial Template Setup:

• Title: Give your template a descriptive name for easy reference.

• Default Template: Toggle “Is Default” if you want this template to automatically apply to all new projects.

• Click Save to proceed to the template editor.

Template Editor Sections:

Once saved, the proposal template editor will appear with six customizable sections:

1. Proposal Settings

2. PDF Content

3. Cover Page Template

4. Standard Page Template

5. Proposal Content

6. Advanced Settings

Each section offers detailed control over how proposals look and behave.

Section Overview:

Proposal Settings:

Customize the core structure and default behavior of your proposal:

• Enable/Disable Sections - Use checkboxes to toggle proposal content sections on or off.

• Reorder Sections - Use the arrow icons to change the order in which sections appear.

• Default Proposal Validity - Set the number of days the proposal remains valid for customer acceptance (default is 30 days).

• Featured Figures - Select up to four key metrics to display prominently at the top of the proposal (e.g., system size, savings, cost).

• Video Link - Add a YouTube video link to showcase in the proposal.

• Hardware Selection - Choose the types of hardware displayed (useful for creating battery-only proposals, for instance).

PDF Content:

This section controls the content included specifically in the downloadable PDF version:

• System and Payment Options: Choose to display selected systems and all payment options.

  Tip: Selecting "all" system options may overcrowd the PDF; using "selected" is recommended for clarity.

• QR Codes: Enable QR codes for:

  • Accessing the online proposal.

  • Accessing the finance application.

Cover Page Template:

Customize the first page of your proposal PDF:

• Upload a cover image (half or full size).

• Add a co-branding logo if needed.

• Create a cover page message for the customer.

• Configure header and footer information specific to the first page.

Standard Page Template:

Modify the footer used across all pages of the PDF proposal (except the first page).

Proposal Content

This section allows deeper customization:

• Content Blocks 1, 2, and 3: Add custom images or text to personalize proposals.

• Section Headings: Customize the titles of different sections (e.g., rename "Quotation Table" to "Pricing Section").

• Disclaimers: Add specific disclaimers or additional information below each section of the proposal.

Advanced Settings

Configure what happens once the proposal reaches its validity date:

• Disable After Expiry: The accept proposal button becomes inactive once the proposal expires.

• Always Enabled: The accept proposal button remains active regardless of expiry.

• Always Disabled: The accept proposal button is always disabled, even before expiry.

You can also create a custom message to display to customers once the proposal validity period has expired.