By Rachel Morgan, field-service billing implementation specialist with 9 years of experience configuring proposals, deposits, and customer payment workflows
Last reviewed: July 21, 2026
FieldPulse lets service businesses create estimates, offer customers several work options, request signatures, collect deposits, and present third-party financing choices. When a customer cannot accept or pay, check the estimate configuration before creating another document.
This independent guide is not operated by or affiliated with FieldPulse.
The most useful question is where the customer stopped: choosing an option, signing the estimate, opening the payment request, paying a deposit, or applying with a financing provider.
What FieldPulse estimates do
FieldPulse is field service management software that connects estimates and invoices with customers, jobs, scheduling, Pricebook items, payments, and accounting records. Estimates can be created in the office or from a mobile device, then converted into invoices after approval.
An estimate can contain labor, materials, services, terms, notes, and customer-facing design elements. FieldPulse also supports preset service pricing, editable line items, digital acceptance, invoice conversion, payment reminders, and QuickBooks synchronization for supported records.
One proposal can therefore produce several later records:
- Customer selection
- Estimate version
- Chosen option or add-on
- Signature
- Deposit request
- Payment record
- Invoice
- Accounting sync
Those stages should remain traceable.
A customer saying “I approved it” may mean they viewed the proposal, selected an option, signed it, or paid a deposit. Those actions are not automatically identical.
Use Preview before sending
FieldPulse’s documented sending process starts from the estimate or invoice record by selecting Preview. The preview screen shows the customer-facing document and provides controls for what will be included when it is sent.
Available controls can include:
- Request a signature
- Include a payment request
- Select accepted payment methods
- Request a specific amount or percentage
- Include a financing offer
- Attach a voice-over audio recording
- Send an SMS alongside the email
Review Preview first. Skip sending directly from memory after editing several versions.
This catches a practical mistake: the internal estimate looks complete, but the customer-facing preview excludes the signature request or asks for the wrong amount.
FieldPulse also allows account-wide defaults for estimate and invoice wording, currency, and layout. Those defaults apply to newly created documents going forward, rather than necessarily rewriting older records.
When one estimate behaves differently from newer ones, compare its individual settings with the current defaults.
Why a customer cannot accept an estimate
FieldPulse supports Estimate Options and Add-Ons for businesses that present several choices, such as repair versus replacement or good, better, and best packages.
An estimate can be configured so the customer must choose an option before acceptance. When that required choice has not been made, the signature or acceptance process may not finish.
Check the options first.
Do not duplicate the proposal or remove the signature requirement until the customer confirms which package was selected. The document may be functioning as configured.
Four common frictions are:
| Friction | What to inspect |
|---|---|
| No option selected | Confirm a required package was chosen |
| Add-on misunderstood | Check whether it is optional or included |
| Signature not requested | Review the Preview controls |
| Old estimate link used | Confirm the customer opened the current document |
Option labels should also be distinct. Two packages with nearly identical names can make customers hesitate because they cannot tell which selection changes the work or price.
Specific beats clever.
Options and add-ons serve different purposes
An option is generally an alternative path. An add-on is an extra item that can be selected in addition to the main proposal.
For example, a contractor might present:
- Option A: Repair the existing system
- Option B: Replace it with standard equipment
- Option C: Replace it with upgraded equipment
An add-on might cover an accessory or separate service that can accompany the selected option.
FieldPulse’s Estimate Options and Add-Ons feature is designed to present those customer choices inside the proposal.
Keep the distinction visible. Skip placing mutually exclusive packages in an add-on list unless the business has tested how the totals and acceptance record will behave.
The final accepted amount should match the selected package plus any chosen add-ons. Office staff should verify that result before converting the estimate into an invoice.
How FieldPulse requests deposits
FieldPulse supports deposits, partial payments, and progress payments through estimates and invoices. Its documentation describes three methods, including setting a requested dollar amount or percentage from the Preview screen and generating a progress invoice from the invoice’s Actions menu.
A payment request can be based on:
- Remaining invoice balance
- A fixed dollar amount
- A percentage of the total
This flexibility creates room for inconsistent records.
Suppose the contract calls for 30% at approval, another draw during the project, and the balance after completion. A user could accidentally request 30% of the original total again after a change order, rather than the amount required under the revised agreement.
Confirm the calculation before sending.
Do not manually reduce the estimate total to represent a deposit. Keep the full contract amount visible and use the payment-request control for the amount currently due, subject to the business’s documentation and accounting process.
A deposit is a payment toward the work. It is not the same as changing the selling price.
Payment request versus progress invoice
A payment request tells the customer how much to pay against an estimate or invoice. A progress invoice creates a separate billing record for a stage of the work.
FieldPulse documents Generate Progress Invoice under the invoice Actions menu. The user can request the remaining balance, a fixed amount, or a percentage of the total.
Choose based on the company’s accounting method.
A simple deposit may be handled through a payment request. A construction-style project with formal milestone billing may need separate progress invoices so each draw is recorded clearly.
Do X first: ask accounting which record it expects. Skip inventing a field procedure separately for each technician.
The correct treatment can vary by jurisdiction, contract, tax method, and accounting setup. FieldPulse supplies the workflow tools, but the business remains responsible for deciding how deposits and progress billing should be recorded.
Card, bank transfer, or financing offer
When sending an estimate or invoice, FieldPulse can allow supported payment methods such as credit or debit cards and bank transfers through its payment setup. The sender can also adjust the payment request to a specific amount or percentage.
Financing is different.
A financing button does not mean that FieldPulse itself approved a loan. The customer applies through the connected financing provider, and any offer or approval is handled through that provider and its participating lender process.
Keep the language precise:
- Payment method: pays an existing amount due
- Financing application: requests credit from a third party
- Prequalification or offer: is not the same as funded payment
- Approved loan: still follows the provider’s closing and funding process
Do not mark an invoice paid merely because the customer opened a financing application.
FieldPulse financing choices
FieldPulse currently documents integrations including Acorn Finance and Wisetack for customer financing on estimates and invoices. Their eligibility ranges, approval procedures, lender terms, and business setup steps differ.
Acorn is enabled through Company Settings, Features & Plugins, and its integration tile. Customers apply with the financing provider, and the loan, when approved, is issued through the lender rather than the contractor.
Wisetack requires the service business to complete its provider setup and be approved before financing can be presented through the integration.
This difference matters during troubleshooting.
If one FieldPulse account can display a financing option and another cannot, compare the selected provider, integration status, company approval requirements, and estimate-send settings.
Skip quoting rates or monthly amounts manually. The customer should review the current terms supplied by the financing provider because offers depend on the application and can change.
What happens after a financing denial?
The contractor should not attempt to explain or reverse a lender’s credit decision.
In the United States, the Equal Credit Opportunity Act and Regulation B govern fair-lending requirements for covered credit transactions. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau also explains that applicants generally receive information about a lender’s decision and, after a denial, the main reasons or instructions for obtaining them.
Route the customer to the financing provider or lender shown in the application process.
Do not ask the customer to send financial records, credit reports, or denial notices to a field technician. The contractor’s role is to present the available financing route, not collect or adjudicate private credit information.
A denied application also does not invalidate the estimate. The customer may select another offered payment method, request a different scope, or decline the work.
Why the payment amount looks wrong
A wrong amount may come from the estimate, selected option, add-on, tax calculation, discount, deposit percentage, or a previous payment.
Check the sequence:
- Confirm the accepted estimate version.
- Confirm the selected option and add-ons.
- Review taxes and discounts.
- Check prior payments.
- Review the requested amount or percentage.
- Confirm the invoice balance.
Do not edit the payment request until the underlying total is verified.
A payment request for 20% can be mathematically correct but commercially wrong if it was calculated from an outdated proposal. Likewise, the current invoice balance can be lower than the original estimate because an earlier deposit was recorded.
FieldPulse’s payment tools support partial amounts precisely because the amount being requested may differ from the full document total.
Email, SMS, and audio do not behave alike
FieldPulse lets a business email the customer and optionally send an SMS at the same time. Its documentation states that this send-screen SMS is one-way, so customers cannot reply to that number.
That is an easy support trap.
The customer receives the estimate by text, replies with “approved,” and assumes the contractor received it. The documented one-way message does not support that response path.
Use the actual acceptance controls inside the estimate. Skip treating a text reply as the recorded signature or selection.
Voice-over audio can also be attached to explain the estimate or invoice. It may help clarify the proposal, but it does not replace written scope, pricing, terms, or the customer’s recorded selection.
Converting an approved estimate into an invoice
FieldPulse promotes one-click conversion of an approved estimate into an invoice.
Before converting, verify:
- Correct customer and service location
- Accepted estimate version
- Selected options
- Accepted add-ons
- Signature status
- Deposit received
- Change orders or scope revisions
- Remaining amount to bill
Do not convert every draft associated with the same job.
If several estimate versions were sent, archive or clearly distinguish the rejected versions according to the company’s process. The invoice should be generated from the accepted commercial record.
The invoice can then be sent with the appropriate remaining payment request, rather than requesting the original total again.
Pricing and support
FieldPulse currently directs prospective customers through its pricing process rather than publishing one universal amount for every account configuration. Estimates, invoices, payments, portals, and financing integrations may depend on the selected package and partner setup.
FieldPulse lists customer support at (469) 382-5668, with phone availability Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Central Time. Chat is also available.
Before contacting support, note the estimate reference, customer, selected options, requested amount, send method, financing provider, and the exact stage where the process stopped.
Do not include login credentials, authentication codes, or customer credit information.
Frequently asked questions
Can customers accept FieldPulse estimates digitally?
Yes. FieldPulse supports digital proposal acceptance and signatures.
Why can’t the customer sign?
A required estimate option may not have been selected.
Can FieldPulse request a deposit?
Yes. A fixed amount or percentage can be requested from an estimate or invoice.
Is a deposit the same as a progress invoice?
No. A deposit is a partial payment, while a progress invoice is a separate staged billing record.
Does FieldPulse approve financing?
No. Applications and credit decisions are handled through the connected financing provider and participating lender.
Why is the financing option missing?
The integration may not be enabled, the provider’s business setup may be incomplete, or the financing control may not have been selected when the estimate was sent.
Can customers reply to the estimate SMS?
FieldPulse says the SMS sent alongside an estimate or invoice from that workflow is one-way.
What should be checked before converting an estimate?
Confirm the accepted version, selected options, signature, deposit, revisions, and remaining amount before creating the invoice.
