End-to-end workflow
Revise an estimate and obtain replacement approval
Use this workflow when a customer changes requested scope or the advisor must revise price, quantity, service or scheduling before work begins.
Written by the VMOTEK Product Team · Updated August 14, 2026
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1. Confirm roles and prerequisites
Run this workflow with named users and representative test data before using it with a customer. An owner or manager configures the policy; operational staff execute only the actions their role and shop access permit. Confirm the active shop in the header before creating a transaction because appointments, work orders, inventory movements, purchasing and invoices retain that location.
- Advisor: records the request, revises the estimate and sends the replacement decision link.
- Customer or fleet approver: accepts, declines or defers the current version.
- Technician: sees only executable scope after the current decision.
- Open the existing estimate from the customer, appointment or work order rather than creating an unrelated proposal.
- Confirm the estimate has the correct customer, vehicle, shop and current line-level decision state.
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2. Execute the workflow from beginning to end
Follow the sequence below in order. Continue from the record already created instead of recreating the customer, vehicle, estimate, appointment or work order. At every handoff, reopen the destination record and confirm its source relationship, shop, status and amounts before proceeding.
- Open Estimates → select the original estimate and review its decision and linked appointment/work order.
- Record what the customer requested to add, remove or change and why the original decision can no longer govern that scope.
- Create the supported revision or replacement, change labor, parts, quantities, fees or discounts and recalculate tax and total.
- Review inventory availability and any reservation consequence caused by changed quantities or appointment shop.
- Send the new secure decision link. Confirm the public document identifies the current total and does not present the superseded version as actionable.
- After the new recorded decision, update the linked work order with only currently approved lines and continue normal readiness and execution.
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3. Test the blocked and exception paths
A workflow is not ready merely because its normal path succeeds. Repeat the test using the conditions below. VMOTEK should explain why an action is unavailable, retain the existing record and prevent duplicate, stale, unauthorized or physically impossible activity. Do not bypass a business control by creating an unrelated replacement record.
- A superseded or stale link must not approve executable work.
- A material price or fitment substitution requires a new decision rather than an internal note.
- Do not overwrite historical evidence of the earlier proposal or decision.
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4. Verify records, inventory and financial effects
Open the related records after execution and reconcile them. The customer and vehicle remain company-wide identities, while the appointment, estimate, work order, inventory activity, purchase or transfer, invoice and payment retain the responsible shop. Status labels are operational evidence—not substitutes for checking quantities, totals and source links.
- Estimate history distinguishes the original and replacement proposal and retains both totals.
- The work order contains the current approved scope only.
- Reservations and shortages reflect current quantities, not the superseded request.
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5. Confirm customer communication
Use the customer's permitted contact channel and preserve delivery status. A sent message does not equal approval, payment or receipt. Continue only from the authoritative decision or transaction status. Email and SMS availability depends on the shop's connected providers, customer contact data and consent settings.
- Tell the customer that a revised estimate replaces the previous request and identify the reason plainly.
- Treat message delivery as separate from the approval status.
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6. Completion checklist
The journey is complete only when the final business outcome and the expected audit trail agree. Record any failed check, correct configuration or source data, and rerun the scenario from a clean test record.
- Only the latest valid estimate can authorize current work.
- The work order, inventory commitment and expected invoice agree with the new decision.
- The prior estimate remains readable for audit but cannot drive execution.
Related product areas
Understand the capability behind the task
Continue to the applicable platform page for workflow behavior, role differences and connected operating consequences.
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Need help with your configuration?
Existing customers should use in-product support for account-aware assistance. Evaluation teams can contact us to discuss requirements.