1How Quotelatic works#
Quotelatic is a quote request form for service businesses. Your customers describe the job in a few taps, add photos and send it to you. You see everything in your dashboard and reply with your price.
What you get
- 30 ready-made niches (roofing, junk removal, moving, cleaning, courier and more). Each asks the right questions for that trade. See the niche guides.
- 3 themes: Classic, Minimal and Professional. Your colours and logo work in all of them.
- A dashboard for requests, quick assessments, quotes, notes, statuses, a PDF of each request and a spreadsheet export.
- Safe by design: daily backups, spam protection, consent records and private photo storage.
One installation runs one niche for one business. If you run two kinds of service, install Quotelatic twice, for example in /quote and /moving-quote, each with its own license.
2What you need#
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Hosting | Any normal web hosting with PHP 8.1 or newer (Hostinger, cPanel hosts, Namecheap, SiteGround and so on). No database to create: Quotelatic stores everything in a file. |
| PHP extensions | pdo_sqlite, sodium and curl are needed. openssl, mbstring, zip and dom are recommended. They are switched on by default on almost every host. The dashboard's System health page checks them for you. |
| A domain with HTTPS | Your website, with a free SSL certificate. HTTPS keeps your customers' details safe, and phones only allow "Use my current location" on HTTPS pages. |
| An email mailbox | For example [email protected], to send request emails reliably (see Email). |
| Your license key | From your purchase email or your Quotelatic account. It looks like QL-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX. |
3Install#
You upload one folder and open it in your browser. It takes about 5 minutes.
- Download QuotelaticSign in to your Quotelatic account (the link is in your purchase email), open Downloads and download the .zip.
- Upload it to your hostingIn your hosting's File Manager, open your website folder (usually
public_html), upload the zip and Extract it. You get a folder calledquotelatic. Rename it to what you want in the address, for examplequote. Your form will then be atyourbusiness.com/quote/. - Open the dashboard and create your passwordGo to
yourbusiness.com/quote/admin/. On your first visit you create your dashboard password (10 or more characters). Do this straight after uploading, so nobody else can do it first. - Your license activates by itselfThe download from your account has your key built in. If you downloaded it some other way, enter the key when asked. See License.
- Follow the setup wizardChoose your niche and enter your business details. See First-time setup.
Nginx hosting only: Nginx ignores .htaccess files. Ask your host to block web access to the data/ and quotes/ folders. The dashboard warns you if your database could be downloaded. Hostinger, cPanel and LiteSpeed hosts need nothing extra.
Folders data/, quotes/ and media/ must be writable. They normally are. If not, set them to 755 in the File Manager.
4License#
Your license keeps the dashboard and updates active. Your quote form always keeps working, even if a license ends.
- Usually nothing to doThe copy you download from your Quotelatic account has your key built in, so it activates itself the first time you open the dashboard on your live website.
- Or enter it by handFind the key in your purchase email or your account, then Dashboard → License → paste the key → Activate.
- DoneThe License page shows your plan, renewal date and website. Quotelatic checks the license quietly once a day.
Good to know
- One license, one live website. Test addresses (
localhost,*.local,staging.yourbusiness.com) never use up your license and don't need a key. - Your website is registered to the license. The first website you activate it on (or the one you enter in your Quotelatic account under Your website) is saved with the key, and the key then works only there.
- Moving to another website: change Your website in your Quotelatic account, then activate the key on the new website. Moving the same install to a new address (for example to a subdomain) is handled automatically.
- If your license ends: the dashboard shows a notice for 14 days, then only the License page opens until you renew. Your form, your requests and your settings are never deleted.
- If your hosting can't reach the license server for a while, nothing changes. Everything keeps working.
5First-time setup#
The first time you open the dashboard, a short wizard sets up the basics.
- Choose your nichePick the trade that matches your business (for example Roofing). Press Preview form on any card to see it first. Its questions, texts and pictures are loaded for you.
- Your business detailsBusiness name, country (this sets the phone format, currency, timezone and map), business phone, WhatsApp number for requests, email for requests and your brand colour.
- You're liveYour form address is shown with a Copy link button, followed by a short list of recommended next steps.
Go-live checklist
- License activated (License)
- Niche chosen and previewed (Niche)
- Logo, colours and business phone added (Branding)
- WhatsApp number and request email set (Receiving requests)
- Email server (SMTP) set up and a test email received (Email)
- Banner texts and FAQ read through and adjusted to your business (Page texts)
- Region and map start position set to your city (Region & photos)
- One test request sent from your phone, and received
- Form linked from your website, Google Business Profile and social media (Share & embed)
- Optional: business page filled in and switched on (Business page)
The dashboard's Help & support page shows the same checklist with your progress.
6Niche#
A niche is a ready-made set of questions, texts, pictures and assessments for one trade.
- Choosing: you pick your niche in the setup wizard. Press Preview form on any card to compare before choosing.
- Dashboard → Your niche then shows your niche, the questions it asks, a link to its guide and Edit questions.
- Changing niche is only for when your business changes trade: Your niche → Change niche. Choose the new niche, then confirm by typing its name. A full backup is made first. You choose whether to keep your existing requests (they stay readable with their original questions) or delete them and start fresh. Question edits made for the old niche are cleared, and the new niche's starter texts can be loaded.
- Import niche (in change mode) adds a niche file (
.json) from your supplier. It's checked before it's added. Building your own niche file? See the niche file format.
Each niche has its own guide with the questions it asks, recommended settings, pricing tips and ready-to-use reply messages: open the niche guides.
7Themes#
Dashboard → Themes. Three designs for your quote page. Questions, photos and sending work the same in all of them.
Colourful banner, tiles with icons and a side column with trust and contact cards. Friendly and familiar. Suits most trades.
A calm white page in one centred column, underlined fields and light pill choices. Suits cleaning, painting, solar and premium services.
A structured business form: section titles on the left, radio-style choices, square fields, a slim progress bar and navy accents. Suits contractors, logistics and specialist work.
Press Full preview to see a theme with your own niche, logo and colours. Use this theme switches instantly and changes nothing else.
8Branding#
Dashboard → Settings → Branding.
| Setting | Tip |
|---|---|
| Business name & tagline | Shown at the top of the page and in emails. Keep the tagline short, for example "Repairs · Replacements · Waterproofing". |
| Business phone | Shows the call button at the top right and in the "Need help?" box. |
| Logo | A PNG with a transparent background works best. Empty shows your niche's icon. |
| Banner photo | A real photo of your work or team builds trust. Wide images (about 1200 × 500) look best. |
| Colours | Brand colour is used for buttons, accent for steps and links, banner for the top section. Use your logo's colours. |
9Page texts & legal#
Dashboard → Settings → Page texts. Every niche comes with good starter texts. Make them yours.
- Banner title: wrap words in curly braces to highlight them:
Get a {Free Roofing Quote}. - Header badges: three lines in the form
Title | subtitle, for exampleFree Quote | No obligation. - Why choose us: one point per line. Use real strengths you can stand behind.
- FAQ: one per line,
Question | Answer. It's shown under the form and given to Google as FAQ data. - Consent: a required tick box (recommended) or a notice. Each request stores a consent record with the time and wording.
- Terms & Privacy: link your own pages, or edit the built-in page text.
Only promise what you can prove. Avoid words like "licensed", "insured", "certified" or "guaranteed" unless they are true for your business and allowed in your country.
Extra landing pages
Some niches include a second page with its own banner text for ads, for example yourbusiness.com/quote/?lp=same-day for Courier. You can edit their texts in Page texts too.
10Form fields#
Dashboard → Settings → Form fields, grouped by the steps of your form.
- Show or hide any question, and make it required or optional.
- Change wording: the question labels and placeholders.
- Edit choices: open "Edit choices" under a pick-type question to rename choices, or remove the ones you don't offer. Keep the key at the start of each line (
key = Label): the quick assessment uses it. Dropdowns where customers can also type a number keep their choices. - Add your own questions to any step (up to 10): short answer, long answer, number, pick one, pick several, yes/no or date. Tick Highlight to show the answer in each request's quick assessment.
- Removed questions are kept in the background, so older requests still show their answers.
Fewer questions means more requests. Keep only what you really need to give a first price; ask the rest by phone.
11Region & photos#
Dashboard → Settings → Region & photos.
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| Default country code | Local numbers like (212) 555-0123 or 07700 900123 become international automatically (needed for WhatsApp). |
| Distance unit | Kilometres or miles, for route niches (moving, courier and so on) and lengths. |
| Timezone | For the dates and times on requests, for example America/New_York. |
| Map start position | Where the map opens when a customer picks their location. Right-click your city in Google Maps to copy its coordinates. |
| Quick date buttons | How many upcoming days show as one-tap buttons. Customers can pick any later date in the calendar. |
| Furthest bookable date | How far ahead the calendar goes, for example 365 days. |
| Satellite view | Lets customers switch to satellite photos when drawing an area or a line (lawns, roofs, fences, driveways). |
| Photos | Minimum photos (0 makes them optional), extra photos allowed, and maximum size. Photos are resized on the customer's phone before upload. |
The currency is under Settings → Requests. It's used for your quotes and for any price choices on the form.
13Business page#
Dashboard → Business page. A public page about your business at yourbusiness.com/quote/business/, with a clear "Get a free quote" button. Useful when you don't have a website, or as a page for your Google Business Profile and social media.
| Part | Where it comes from |
|---|---|
| About | Your own text. Empty uses your banner text. "Why choose us" from Page texts is shown beside it. |
| Services | One per line, Name | short description. Use suggestions fills the list from your niche. Each service links to your quote form. |
| Photos of your work | Up to 12 photos (JPG, PNG or WEBP, 8 MB each). |
| Opening hours | Times for each day, plus an optional note such as "Emergency repairs 7 days a week". The page shows Open now or Closed now using your timezone. |
| Contact | Phone and WhatsApp from Branding and Requests, address and service area from SEO & tracking, plus a public email, website and social links. |
| FAQ | The same FAQ as your quote form. |
Press Preview to see it before switching it on. Once it's on, it gets an "About us" link in the form's footer, a place in your sitemap and business details for Google. It uses your theme and colours.
Page address
The page starts at yourbusiness.com/quote/business/. In Page address you can choose your own, for example yourbusiness.com/quote/acme-roofing/. Quotelatic checks that the new address opens before saving it, and the old address forwards to the new one. If your hosting can't use custom addresses (some Nginx hosts don't run .htaccess), the page simply stays at /business/.
Real photos of finished jobs and honest opening hours build more trust than long texts.
A page on quotelatic.com too
You can also publish a free page at quotelatic.com/business/your-name: sign in to your Quotelatic account, open Business page, fill in your details, add your logo, a cover photo and up to 9 photos of your work, and switch on Show my page. Its "Get a free quote" button opens your own quote form. It's handy if you don't have a website yet, and it's listed with other Quotelatic businesses. It's shown while your license is active.
14Receiving requests#
Dashboard → Settings → Requests.
- Your WhatsApp number (international, digits only). With "Send via WhatsApp" on, the customer's WhatsApp opens with the full request ready to send to you. It's the fastest way to get a reply.
- Your email address(es). With "Send via Email" on, the request arrives in your inbox with its photos. Separate several addresses with commas.
- Also email me requests sent via WhatsApp: recommended, so every request is also in your inbox.
- Copy to the customer: they can receive their own copy with a link to their request page.
Every request is always saved in the dashboard under Quote requests, whichever way it was sent.
15Handling a request#
Dashboard → Quote requests → open a request.
- Quick assessment: coloured flags show what matters at a glance, such as size, urgency, access or photos. Each niche guide explains its flags.
- Details and photos: every answer, the photos (tap to enlarge) and maps with directions for addresses.
- Contact buttons: call, WhatsApp or email the customer in one tap.
- Internal notes: only you see them.
- PDF: a printable copy of the request.
- Activity: a timeline of everything that happened.
Statuses
New Contacted Quote sent Booked Completed Lost / declined
Set the status as the job moves along. The Overview page shows your numbers, and the requests list can be filtered by status.
16Sending your quote#
- Enter your priceIn the "Your quote" box of the request.
- Check the messageIt's written from your niche's message template, with the customer's name, the job and your price filled in.
- Send on WhatsAppWhatsApp opens with the message ready. The status changes to "Quote sent".
Change the message template in Settings → Page texts. Placeholders: {name} {title} {ref} {amount} {business} {phone}.
Reply within the first hour when you can. The first business to send a clear price usually wins the job.
Export
Export CSV on the requests page gives a spreadsheet of all requests (or the filtered ones) for Excel or Google Sheets.
17Email (SMTP)#
Dashboard → Settings → Email. SMTP makes sure request emails arrive and don't go to spam.
| Provider | Server | Port / encryption |
|---|---|---|
| Hostinger | smtp.hostinger.com | 465 / SSL |
| cPanel hosting | mail.yourbusiness.com | 465 / SSL |
| Google Workspace / Gmail | smtp.gmail.com | 465 / SSL (needs a 16-letter App Password) |
| Microsoft 365 / Outlook | smtp.office365.com | 587 / TLS |
| Zoho Mail | smtp.zoho.com | 465 / SSL |
- Choose a presetor enter your provider's server, port and encryption.
- Username and passwordUsually your full email address and its mailbox password.
- From addressUse the same address as the username.
- Send testThe dashboard explains any problem in plain words, with the fix.
18Backups & restore#
Dashboard → Settings → Backups. Automatic, once a day.
- Each backup saves your requests, settings, photos, logo and imported niches. Choose how many days to keep (up to 30).
- Back up now, Download (one .zip) and Restore. A restore first saves the current state, so you can undo it.
- For guaranteed daily backups, add the cron link shown on that page as a daily cron job in your hosting panel.
Download a backup now and then and keep it somewhere other than your hosting.
19Password & security#
- Change your dashboard password in Settings → Password. After that, the password in
config.phpis no longer used. - Forgot your password? In
config.phpset a newadmin_password(not the samplechange-me-now) and'reset_password' => true, sign in, set a new password in Settings → Password, then setreset_passwordback tofalse. - Spam protection is built in: a hidden trap field, a minimum time to fill the form and a limit of requests per visitor (Settings → Advanced).
- Photos are stored privately, request pages need a secret link, and the dashboard can't be shown inside other websites.
20Updating#
When a new version is available, your dashboard's Overview shows a notice with a link to your account.
- Back upSettings → Backups → Back up now.
- Downloadthe new version from your Quotelatic account → Downloads.
- Upload over your filesExtract the zip and upload its files over your current ones, except config.php. Your requests, settings and photos (in
data/,quotes/andmedia/) are kept. - Open the dashboardIt finishes the update by itself. Check System health.
21System health#
Dashboard → System health checks your PHP version and extensions, the license, folder permissions, the database, backups, email and your form settings. Each line says what to do if something needs attention, with a link to the right setting.
22Troubleshooting#
Request emails don't arrive
Set up SMTP (Settings → Email) and press Send test. The message tells you exactly what's wrong. Check the spam folder, and use a From address on your own domain.
WhatsApp doesn't open, or opens the wrong number
Your WhatsApp number must be international, digits only, for example 14155550123 (US) or 447700900123 (UK), without + or spaces.
"Use my current location" doesn't work
Your form must be on HTTPS, and the customer must allow location in the browser. They can always type the address or pick it on the map instead.
The embedded form says "refused to connect"
Check Settings → Advanced → Websites allowed to embed the form (empty allows all). Re-upload the latest .htaccess and index.php, and clear your Cloudflare or LiteSpeed cache.
The dashboard only shows the License page
The license isn't active on this website: the key was never entered here, it was moved, or it ended more than 14 days ago. Enter or renew your key. If you changed your website address, activate it again.
Photos fail to upload
Check that quotes/ is writable (System health). If very large photos fail, raise the maximum photo size in Region & photos, or ask your host to raise PHP's upload limit.
Changes don't show on the form
Clear your browser cache and any Cloudflare or LiteSpeed cache. The form itself is never cached by Quotelatic.
23FAQ#
Do my customers need an account?
No. They fill in the form and send it. They can open their request again with the private link they receive.
Can I use it in another language?
Most texts customers see can be changed: page texts in Settings → Page texts, and questions and choices in Settings → Form fields. Set the page language code in Settings → SEO & tracking.
Where is my data stored?
On your own hosting, in the data/ folder (the database) and quotes/ (photos). Nothing is sent to us except the daily license check (your license key, website address and Quotelatic version). Maps and address search use OpenStreetMap services.
Can I run two niches?
Install Quotelatic twice in two folders, each with its own license.
What happens to old requests if I switch niche?
They keep their original questions and answers. Nothing is lost.
24Support#
Email [email protected] with your website address, what you did and what you see (a screenshot helps). Please include the last 4 characters of your license key. The Help menu in your dashboard has the same links, and your Quotelatic account has answers to common questions.