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Quoting and Scope Configuration

This category defines the data behind quote generation and service pricing logic. If your quote outputs feel inconsistent, this is usually the first place to review.

Who Can Access This​

RoleAccess Level
AdministratorFull access (admin)
OfficeView, create, edit, and delete (except Training Pay, Payroll Load Factor, and the Office quote default)
SalesView, create, edit, and delete (except Training Pay, Payroll Load Factor, and the Office quote default)
HR AdminView, create, edit, and delete (except Training Pay, Payroll Load Factor, and the Office quote default)
Payroll AdminView, create, edit, and delete (except Training Pay, Payroll Load Factor, and the Office quote default)
TechnicianView only

Office and above can delete scopes of work, scope groups, service sets, and rate modifications, not only create and edit them. Training Pay and Payroll Load Factor on a scope's Pay / Technician card are labor cost figures, so only Administrators see and change them.

Main sections​

  • Scopes of Work: grouped service definitions with pricing and quoting behavior
  • Scope Groups: shared goals, online-quoting settings, and the group's Applicable Skills
  • Rooms: room definitions used in quote and service modeling
  • Rate Modifications and Discounts: configurable adjustments that influence pricing outputs
  • Questions and Conditional Logic: quote flow inputs and branching logic
  • Scope Application: rules for applying scope templates

Scope management workflow​

The Scopes of Work section is one of the most advanced settings surfaces in the app. It supports:

  • Group-level organization
  • Drag-and-drop ordering
  • Bulk actions (edit, activate, deactivate, move, delete); see Change several scopes at once
  • Inline toggles for internal/external quoting
  • Search and inactive filtering

For governance, restrict update permissions to users who own pricing strategy.

Set the scope group a new office quote starts on​

A new office quote starts on the scope group chosen in the Office quote default card at the top of Settings → Quoting & Scopes → Scopes of Work. Open Default scope group, pick a group, and click Save Default. Choose None if you don't want any group pre-selected.

  • The list shows None, then every active scope group in the same order as the groups on the page. Inactive groups are not listed.
  • Only Administrators can change it. Office, Sales, HR Admin, Payroll Admin, and Technician users see the card read-only.
  • If the chosen group has no scope turned on for office (internal) quoting, a new quote skips it and starts with no group selected.

Change several scopes at once​

Check the boxes next to the scopes you want to change, then use the bar that appears above the list: Edit, Activate, Deactivate, Move, or Delete. Edit opens Bulk Edit Scopes. Check each field you want to apply (Pricing Type, Hourly Rate, Minimum Cost, Team Size, Efficiency Factor (%), Active Status, Internal Quoting, External Quoting), set its value, and click Apply to N Scope(s). Fields you leave unchecked are not changed. Bulk Edit uses the same limits as the Pricing & Fees card: Team Size is a whole number from 1 to 20, Hourly Rate is from 0 to 1,000, and Minimum Cost is from 0 to 10,000.

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Choosing Square Foot Based for Pricing Type asks you to confirm, then resets every frequency Factor to 1 on each selected scope that was not already Square Foot Based.

If a change fails for some of the scopes, the message says how many were updated; the others keep their old values.

Duplicating a scope​

To copy an existing scope of work, open the scope and click Duplicate. The copy keeps the original's pricing settings, rate modifications, pricing factors, and default quote question settings, and you choose which of the rest to bring along. Anyone who can add scopes of work can duplicate one.

  1. Go to Settings > Quoting & Scopes > Scopes of Work and open the scope you want to copy.
  2. Click Duplicate.
  3. Enter a New Name. It starts as the original's name with "(Copy)" on the end.
  4. Choose the Target Group the copy goes into. Only active groups are listed, so if the original's group is inactive, pick another one.
  5. Under Include, tick what to bring along: Frequency configurations, Room configurations, Skill assignments, and Square footage ranges.
  6. Click Duplicate.
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  • The name must be 1 to 50 characters and can't match another active scope of work.
  • With Frequency configurations unticked, the copy starts with the same frequencies as a brand-new scope instead of the original's.
  • Questions you added to the original scope yourself are not copied. Apply them to the copy again.
  • The copy has no QuickBooks Item, so set one if you sync with QuickBooks.
  • The copy has no Cutoff Time under Internal Booking Cutoffs or External Booking Cutoffs, so set them again if the original used them.
  • The copy appears at the top of its group. Drag it to where you want it.

Applicable Skills on a scope group​

Editing a scope group opens a drawer with accordion sections for Basic Information, Revenue/Hour Goals, Online Quoting Settings, Testimonial Settings, and Applicable Skills. The Applicable Skills section lists every active skill as a checkbox — check the skills a technician must have to be scheduled for any scope inside that group. Skill selections save together with the rest of the group when you click Save Changes. Hour goals are optional. Leave a day blank and Pulse uses the hours your technicians are scheduled; a value replaces them for that day.

Timing Method & Configuration​

Editing an individual scope of work now shows a single Timing Method & Configuration card that replaces three separate cards used previously. Pick the Timing Method — By Room, Simplified, or Square Foot Based — from the dropdown at the top of the card, and the matching configuration appears directly beneath it:

  • By Room — the same Wet/Dry/Other room toggles and allowed-time inputs described in Room Settings.
  • Simplified — two reference homes, Small Home Reference and Large Home Reference, each with Square Feet and Hours. All four values are required; a scope starts at 1,000 sq ft / 2 hours and 4,000 sq ft / 5 hours until you change them. Quotes draw a straight line between the two points, so a larger home gets more hours and a higher price. The Pricing Preview under the fields shows the hours and price per frequency at each square footage, and says when a value is missing. Click Save Calculator Settings to save.
  • Square Foot Based — a Square Footage Pricing Bands table. Choosing Square Foot Based asks you to confirm, then resets every frequency's Factor to 1, and sets this scope's factor for each square footage answer to 1, because the band rates already account for frequency and home size; set a factor again afterwards only if you want it applied on top of the band rate. Add square-footage ranges (Min Sqft / Max Sqft, or check Largest range on the last row for an open-ended top tier) and set the time for each quoting frequency in that range. The table takes hours per band when the scope's Sq. Foot Input is Select List, which is how a new scope starts, or when its Sq. Foot Calculation Method is Max Value of Range; otherwise it takes a production rate (sq. ft./hr). Change Sq. Foot Input on the Pricing & Fees card. A cell left blank prices homes in that band at the scope minimum (or the frequency's minimum) for that frequency, the same as a home below your smallest band or between bands. Click Add Band to add a range and Save Bands to persist changes. Square Footage Pricing Bands must be enabled for your company — if it isn't, choosing Square Foot Based pricing shows a message directing you to By Room or Simplified pricing instead.

Efficiency Factor moved out of Pricing & Fees into the Pay / Technician card, alongside pay type and training pay. The Training Pay and Payroll Load Factor values on that card are shown only to Administrators. The rest of the Pricing & Fees card is described in the next section.

Pricing and fees​

A scope's Pricing & Fees card ("Rates, minimums, skip and lockout fees") holds the scope's base pricing and its skip and lockout fees. Changes are saved when you click Save Pricing & Fees.

Core Pricing

  • Hourly Rate, Minimum Cost, and Team Size: the base values used to price jobs for this scope.
  • Billing Type: Fixed or Hourly, which sets how customers are billed for this service. See Fixed or Hourly billing type.
  • QuickBooks Item: the QuickBooks item this scope's invoice lines use by default. Skip, lockout, and customer-portal reschedule fees are sent to QuickBooks on this item too.
  • Sq. Foot Input: Textbox or Select List, which sets how the square-footage question is shown to the customer. A new scope starts as Select List. With Select List, the Square Footage Pricing Bands table takes hours for each band and frequency; with Textbox it takes a production rate (sq. ft./hr) unless the Calculation Method below is Max Value of Range. The bands table's description always names the unit it takes. An older scope whose Pricing & Fees card was never saved can show Select List while its table still asks for sq. ft./hr. To switch it to hours, choose Textbox and click Save Pricing & Fees, then choose Select List and save again, then check every band: the values are now read as hours and quotes snap to the top of each band.
  • Sq. Foot Calculation Method: Actual Value or Max Value of Range. Shown only for Square Foot Based and Simplified scopes that use the Textbox input.
  • Apply Frequency Factor Last: applies the frequency factor after all other calculations.

Skip Fee: charged when a customer skips a visit with less notice than the skip window.

  • Skip Window (Hours): how close to the visit a skip has to be before the fee applies, up to 168 hours (one week). For example, with a 24-hour window, a skip made 30 hours ahead is free and one made 12 hours ahead is charged.
  • Calculation Type: Flat Amount, or Percentage of the job's bill rate (its price, including any price adjustments).
  • Skip Fee: the dollar amount, or the percentage when Calculation Type is Percentage.
  • Technician Split: the share of the skip fee meant for technicians. Pulse doesn't pay technicians from skip fees, so this value has no effect when a job is skipped in Pulse.

The Skip Window and Skip Fee also set the fee customers are shown when they reschedule or cancel a visit in the customer portal. See Customer Access.

Lockout Fee: charged when technicians arrive but can't get into the property. There's no notice window for lockouts.

  • Calculation Type: Flat Amount, or Percentage of the job's bill rate.
  • Lockout Fee: the dollar amount, or the percentage when Calculation Type is Percentage.
  • Technician Split: the share of the lockout fee paid to technicians. When a lockout is recorded, that share is divided equally among the Captains and Team Members on the job by default, and the office can adjust it. See Skip, Cancel, and Lock Out Jobs.

There's no separate sales tax setting for skip or lockout fees. See Sales Tax on Skip and Lockout Fees.

What is the difference between Fixed and Hourly billing type?​

A scope's Billing Type, on its Pricing & Fees card, sets how customers are billed for jobs on that scope:

  • Fixed: the customer is charged the quoted price for each job, whatever the time on site.
  • Hourly: the quoted price becomes an hourly rate (the price divided by the allowed hours), and each job is billed on the hours worked.

Every scope must have a Billing Type, as in MaidCentral V2. Save Pricing & Fees won't complete, and Internal Quoting and External Quoting can't be turned on, until one is chosen. Scopes you add start as Fixed. A scope that was quoting before it had a Billing Type keeps quoting.

Existing customers still pay the old hourly rate after I changed a scope​

Saving a new rate on a scope does not change what existing customers pay unless you choose to update them. When the scope's Billing Type is Hourly and you change its Hourly Rate or switch its Billing Type to Hourly, clicking Save Pricing & Fees asks Update existing customers?

  • Yes, update customers saves the scope and sets the new hourly rate on every customer's current and future base fee entries for this scope. Their base fees and older entries don't change.
  • No, save scope only saves the scope. Existing customers keep their current hourly rate.

Scopes with Fixed billing never ask. This option may need to be turned on for your company. If you don't see the question, existing customers keep their rate; change it on each customer's service set (see Editing the Base Fee).

Frequencies: what a new scope starts with and what Reset to Defaults does​

A new scope starts with every frequency factor at 1.0, so every frequency is priced the same until you change it. Every frequency except Every Three Weeks is on for office quoting. If you turned on External Quoting when adding the scope, the same frequencies are also on for online booking; otherwise none are until you turn them on. These are the same starting values as a scope created in MaidCentral V2, apart from following the External Quoting choice.

A scope's Frequencies card lists each frequency with an Int switch (office quoting), an Ext switch (online booking), a Factor multiplier (0.8 is a 20% discount, 1.3 a 30% premium), and an optional Min Cost and Rate override for that frequency. Reset to Defaults sets every factor back to 1.0; it does not change the Int or Ext switches. Nothing is saved until you click Save Frequency Settings.

What pricing does a new scope start with?​

A new scope starts with an hourly rate of $60, a minimum cost of $120 and a planned team size of 2. Change them on the Pricing & Fees card. A scope created in MaidCentral V2 starts with a planned team size of 1, and its rate and minimum are blank until you set them. (Pulse reference D-13)

Rate Modifications and Discounts​

The Rate Modifications and Discounts grids share the same table and drawer, with a mode-specific label and field set. Both support:

  • Search and a Show Inactive toggle to bring hidden rows back into view.
  • Row grouping — group the grid by scope or type using the grid's row-group panel.
  • Multi-select checkboxes on each row. Selecting one or more rows opens a floating action bar at the bottom of the grid with Edit (bulk edit), Activate, and Deactivate actions. The bar shows an inline hint pointing at the row checkboxes the first time you enter selection mode.
  • Bulk Edit — opens a dialog titled "Bulk Edit N Items" where you can set Calculation Method, Cost Value, Time Value, Type, Scope, and the quoting-channel checkboxes (Internal Quoting, External Quoting, Customer Portal) for every selected row at once. Fields left blank ("No change") are not modified.

What do Measurement and One Time / Recurring mean on a rate modification? Measurement (Quantity or Per Sq. Ft.) sets how the add-on is counted on a quote. One Time applies the add-on to the first visit only; Recurring applies it to every visit. New add-ons start as Quantity and One Time. Discounts have the One Time / Recurring choice but no Measurement. An older add-on saved without a Measurement is saved as Quantity the next time you edit and save it.

In Discounts mode, the drawer hides the Time Configuration card and collapses Display Options down to Displayed for Office and Displayed for Online — Required, Default, Portal, and Itemized are not applicable to discounts and are hidden in both the single-item and bulk-edit drawers. Displayed For Office lists the discount in the scope's Discount Code list on the estimate's Pricing step, not in the estimate's add-on tabs. To lower a booked service's price, see How do I change the price of a booked service?.

Permission behavior in this area​

UI editing controls depend on service-set permissions. For example:

  • Adding a scope needs permission to add scopes. Dragging, the quoting toggles, and bulk changes need permission to update scopes; scope-group update alone is not enough. Editing a scope in its drawer, including the Appearance & Quoting switches, also needs permission to update scopes; without it the drawer opens view-only with a Close button, and you can still expand each card to read its settings. The Frequencies card is saved separately and needs permission to update frequency settings.
  • Without update claims, users can still view records but cannot apply structural changes.

Adding, editing, and removing rooms requires permission to manage settings, so room changes can be more restricted than other quote-supporting screens.

Best practices​

  1. Keep scope groups aligned to clear service lines.
  2. Use a naming pattern that matches sales language.
  3. Validate one end-to-end quote after structural updates.
  4. Use bulk edits for consistency, then spot-check edge cases.
  5. Limit room and pricing edits to trained office/admin users.

Troubleshooting​

Why can't I see Add Scope, drag scopes, bulk edit, toggle quoting, or edit a scope?​

You are likely missing a scope permission. Add Scope appears only with permission to add scopes. Dragging, the quoting toggles, and selecting scopes for bulk changes need permission to update scopes; scope-group update alone is not enough. Editing a scope in its drawer, including the Appearance & Quoting switches, also needs permission to update scopes; without it the drawer opens view-only with a Close button, and you can still expand each card to read its settings. The Frequencies card is saved separately and needs permission to update frequency settings. The Delete button in the bulk bar also needs permission to delete scopes.

I can't turn on quoting or save Pricing & Fees for a scope​

The scope has no Billing Type yet. Open the scope, choose Fixed or Hourly under Billing Type on the Pricing & Fees card, and click Save Pricing & Fees. Then turn on Internal Quoting or External Quoting. Turning quoting off never needs a Billing Type. If the quoting icons do nothing at all, you may be missing update permission for scopes (see the first entry above).

Rooms list loads but add/edit is blocked​

Your role may not include permission to manage settings, which room changes require.

Quote outputs changed unexpectedly after settings updates​

Review recent scope group edits, rate modifier updates, and room definition changes.