Submit a request

How can we help?

Articles in this section

Quotes: documents & templates

Updated

Templates pull field values out of records and produce documents: Quote PDFs for pricing, merge documents for everything else.

On this page:

Plan availability

Merge documents can be created on any plan, for any supported record type, except Products, which is Enterprise only. Quote PDFs and Quotes themselves are Enterprise only. Templates can be added on any plan.

Quote PDFs and merge documents

Quote PDFs come with a standard template Insightly provides. It cannot be deleted, though it can be edited. Extra templates have to be created and uploaded.

Merge documents have no standard template, so you upload your own before you can produce one. They can be created for contacts, organizations, leads, opportunities, products, projects, and custom objects.

Download a finished document at any time by clicking the file name. Errors in the output usually trace back to the template’s formatting.

Building a template

⚠️ Use the Field Name, not the Field Label. The label is what the field is called on a record; the name is the internal identifier, and it is unique, which is what guarantees the right data is pulled. The First Name field has the label First Name and the name FIRST_NAME.

To find field names, go to System Settings > Objects & Fields, select the object, click Object Fields, and read the Field Name from the field you need.

Merge fields go into the document as {{Object.Field_name}}, so a contact’s first name is {{CONTACT.FIRST_NAME}}.

Quotation Template with Merge Field Variables — This image shows a sample quote document template containing dynamic merge fields (enclosed in double curly braces) that automatically populate with CRM data such as organization name, billing address, contact details, and shipping information. Understanding these field placeholders helps users correctly set up and customize their quotation templates in Insightly CRM.

Quotation Template with Merge Field Variables

Insightly’s Standard Quotation Template is a working example. Go to System Settings > Document Templates, select Standard Quotation Template, and click the file beside the Template File field to download it. It opens in any program that reads Word documents.

⚠️ Only standard fonts are supported in document templates.

Uploading a template

  1. Go to System Settings > Document Templates.
  2. Click New Document Template.
  3. Give it a name and description.
  4. Select the Related Object from the dropdown.
  5. Click Upload File and select your template.
  6. Check Active and click Save Template.
Creating a New Document Template in Insightly — The image shows the Document Templates section under System Settings, with an arrow pointing to the “New Document Template” button in the upper right. This helps users locate where to create new templates, which can be Word documents linked to records like Quotes or Contacts.

Creating a New Document Template in Insightly

Add New Document Template Form in CRM — The screenshot shows the “Add New Document Template” form in Insightly CRM’s System Settings, with fields for Template Name, Description, Related Object (set to “Contact”), and a file upload option. A red arrow highlights the Related Object dropdown, indicating it is an important step when configuring a new document template.

Add New Document Template Form in CRM

Editing and managing templates

Fixing an error means editing the original file and re-uploading it; templates cannot be edited in place.

The three-dot menu edits, clones, deletes, and downloads templates you have created.

Document Template Actions Dropdown Menu Options — A dropdown menu appears when clicking the three-dot actions icon next to a document template, revealing four options: Edit, Clone, Delete, and Download. This helps users understand how to manage existing document templates from the templates list view.

Document Template Actions Dropdown Menu Options

⚠️ Deleted templates are gone permanently. A deleted template does not go to the recycle bin and Insightly cannot recover it.

Adding Product fields to a Quote PDF

Quote PDFs support any Quote field, plus standard and custom Product fields. Product fields need a template of your own.

  1. Open your Quote document. Without a template, download the Standard Quotation Template first from System Settings > Document Templates > Standard Quotation Template, using the download link in the Template File field.
  2. Return to System Settings > Document Templates and click New Document Template.
  3. Select Quotations in the Related Object field.
  4. Scroll to Merge Fields for Quotes. The Product field names are towards the bottom.
  5. Copy the Product field you need.
  6. Paste it into your Quote document and save.
  7. Return to Document Templates > New Document Template.
  8. Name the template, click Upload in the Template File field, and select your saved document.
  9. Check Active and click Save Template.
Insightly Product Field Template Variables List — This image shows a table mapping template merge tags (like {{Product.PRODUCT_NAME}}) to their corresponding field labels (like “Product Name”) in Insightly CRM. This reference helps users correctly insert dynamic product data into templates or documents.

Insightly Product Field Template Variables List

Conditional statements in Word

Templates can carry IF THEN logic, so a section only appears when a field is filled in. Word is the easiest tool for this, though other programs can produce templates too.

Windows. Open Word, go to the Insert tab, click Quickparts and select Field.... Choose If from the Field names list, enter your conditional statement under Field Codes, and click OK.

Mac. Open Word, go to the Insert tab, click Insert Field. Choose If from the Field names list, enter the statement under Field Codes, and click OK.

An example statement:

IF “{{ADDRESS_BILLING_CITY}}” = “San Francisco” “Home” “Away”

⚠️ Conditional statements are case and space sensitive.

To edit a statement afterwards, press Alt + F9 on Windows or Fn + Option + F9 on Mac to reveal the contents of the IF field.

Microsoft Word Insert Field Menu Navigation — The screenshot shows the Microsoft Word ribbon with the Insert tab open, highlighting the path to access Field settings via Quick Parts > Field. This is relevant for users who need to insert dynamic fields, such as merge fields, when working with document templates in Word.

Microsoft Word Insert Field Menu Navigation

Microsoft Word IF Field Dialog Box — This shows the Field dialog box in Microsoft Word with the IF field selected, displaying its syntax as “IF Expression1 Operator Expression2 TrueText FalseText.” This field allows users to conditionally display different text based on a comparison, which is useful for creating dynamic merge documents in Insightly CRM.

Microsoft Word IF Field Dialog Box

Creating documents

A merge document. Open the record, click Actions, select Generate Merge Document, choose a template, and click Generate Document.

A Quote PDF. Open the Quote record, click Actions, select Create PDF, choose a template, and click Generate Document.

Emailing a Quote PDF. Emailing a quote generates the PDF as part of the process. Open the Quote, select Email This Quote from the Actions menu, choose a template and click Generate Document, compose the email in Insightly, click Next to preview and Next again, then set the schedule and click Finish.

Deleting

A PDF or merge document

  1. Open the record and go to the Related tab.
  2. For a Quote PDF, scroll to Quote PDFs. For any other record type, scroll to Files.
  3. Click the three-dot menu beside the document and select Delete Quote Document or Delete This File.
Deleting a Quote PDF in Insightly — The image shows a list of saved Quote PDF documents in Insightly CRM, with a dropdown menu open on the last entry displaying options to “Email This Quote Document” or “Delete Quote Document.” This is relevant for users who need to manage or remove previously generated quote PDFs from a record.

Deleting a Quote PDF in Insightly

⚠️ A deleted PDF cannot be restored.

A Quote

Open the Quote, click Actions, select Delete This Quote, and confirm on the warning. A confirmation message follows.

Deleting a Quote also deletes every PDF attached to it. Unlike the PDFs, the Quote itself can be restored from the Recycle Bin.

Deleting a Quote Using Actions Menu — The screenshot shows an open Actions dropdown menu on a quote record called “Sixth Quote,” with the “Delete This Quote” option highlighted by a red arrow. This helps users locate the exact menu and option needed to delete a quote in Insightly CRM.

Deleting a Quote Using Actions Menu

Related to

Related articles

Powered by Zendesk