AI Natural Language Invoice & Estimate Creation

Overview

Instead of clicking through dropdowns and typing line items manually, just type what you want in plain English at the top of New Estimate or New Invoice. AI matches customers from your list, maps items to your catalog with prices, and pre-fills the entire form. Uses Claude Haiku for speed - costs 1 AI credit per parse.

How to Use It

Creating an Estimate or Invoice with AI

1. Go to Finance > New Estimate or New Invoice
2. Find the AI bar at the top of the form (blue sparkles icon)
3. Type your request in plain English:
   • Example: "Estimate for Zabrina, 2 outlets, 1 panel upgrade"
   • Example: "Invoice for John Smith, HVAC tune-up, $250"
4. Click the sparkles button or press Enter
5. AI fills the form - customer, line items, prices, and descriptions appear automatically
6. Review and adjust - Edit any details AI got wrong
7. Save or send your invoice/estimate as usual

What AI Can Parse

• Customer names - Matches from your existing customer list
• Line items - Maps to your catalog items or creates new ones
• Quantities - "2 outlets" becomes quantity: 2
• Prices - Uses catalog prices or interprets amounts you specify
• Descriptions - Adds detail to line item descriptions
• Notes - Converts context into invoice notes

Tips

• Be specific - "2 outlets, 1 panel upgrade" is better than "electrical work"
• Use customer names - AI searches your customer list for matches
• Include prices if custom - "HVAC tune-up, $250" sets the price directly
• Review before saving - AI is fast but not perfect - always check the details
• Edit after parsing - You can adjust anything AI fills in

Cost

• 1 AI credit per parse - Deducted from your monthly AI credit allocation
• Fast model - Uses Claude Haiku for near-instant results
• Check your credits - Go to Settings > AI Usage to see remaining credits

Questions

Q: What if AI doesn't find my customer? A: Select the customer manually from the dropdown after AI parses. AI only matches existing customers - it won't create new ones.

Q: Can I use this for change orders? A: Not yet - AI parsing only works on New Estimate and New Invoice forms currently.

Q: What if AI gets the price wrong? A: Just edit the unit price in the line item table after AI fills it in. You have full control to adjust anything.

Q: Does this work on mobile? A: The AI bar appears on mobile New Estimate and New Invoice pages - same workflow, smaller screen.