Managing General Information

Table of Contents

Why This Matters

The General Information section defines the key details that appear at the top of every quote in BigTime Quotes. These fields summarize the most important project and client information—such as expiration dates, payment terms, points of contact, and project timelines.

By setting up General Information properly, your organization ensures that all quotes follow the same structure and contain the same essential data. This improves accuracy, consistency, and transparency across teams—from sales to delivery and finance.

User Rights Requirements

Managing General Information is an admin-level feature within BigTime Quotes. Only users with the right permissions can edit or configure which fields appear in this section.

Quotes Admin

• Has full access to create, edit, and remove fields from the General Information view.
• Can define which global fields are displayed and set access levels (Public, Hidden, or Required).
• Can rearrange field order and define default values.
• Controls visibility rules that determine what team members see in the quote header.

Quotes Manager

• Can view all fields defined in General Information while creating or editing quotes.
• Can update field values for specific quotes but cannot add, remove, or reorder fields.
• Cannot change access settings or default configurations set by Admins.
  
   

Quotes Contributor

• Can view and complete visible General Information fields when creating quotes using templates.
• Cannot modify field settings or visibility rules.
• Must fill in all required fields before submitting a quote.

Note: Changes to General Information setup affect all users and all quotes. For this reason, editing rights are limited to Quotes Admins to maintain consistency and data integrity across the organization.

General Information Setup Location

To access the General Information tab: 

1. Go to Sales › Quotes.
2. Click Admin Panel.
3. Open the General Information tab.

Set Up General Information 

Follow the steps below to configure the General Information section in BigTime Quotes.

Step 1: Add a New Field
 

Click Add Field to start adding a new data element.

This opens a blank row where you can define which Global Field should appear in the General Information area.

Step 2: Select a Field from the Global Fields Library

From the Field dropdown, choose an existing field from your Global Fields Library.

This ensures that your General Information area uses standardized data points (for example, Quote Expiration Date, Payment Terms, or Project Timeframe).
 

Step 3: Set up Access Level

In the Access dropdown, choose one of the following visibility settings:

• Public – Visible to all users who can view quotes.
• Private – Visible only to Admins and Managers.
• Required – Must be filled before a quote can be saved or submitted.

Setting access levels helps define which information is essential for every quote and who can edit it.

Step 4: Add Default Values

For each field, you can enter a Default Value to speed up the quote creation process.
Defaults ensure that commonly used information—like standard payment terms or default project descriptions—auto-fills automatically, reducing manual input.

Step 5: Adjust Fields Order 

Use the Order field to arrange the sequence of items displayed in the General Information section.

A lower number means the field appears higher in the list. Organizing fields by logical order (for example: Expiration Date, Payment Terms, Project Timeframe, Point of Contact) helps users navigate quotes more easily.

Step 6: Save Changes

Click Save Changes to apply your updates.
Once saved, the configuration becomes active across all new quotes created in BigTime Quotes.

What It Looks Like for Managers

When Managers create or edit a quote, the General Information section appears at the top of the quote page. It displays the fields defined by Admins—typically including:

• Quote Expiration Date
• Payment Terms
• Project Timeframe
• Point of Contact
• Description

Managers can fill in or update these details to ensure that each proposal includes accurate, client-specific information. Fields marked as Required must be completed before moving to the next step.

This setup provides a consistent quote layout that helps managers focus on key business data while maintaining professional, standardized documentation for clients.

Example Use Cases

1. Quote Expiration Date (Date Field)

Purpose: Ensures every quote includes a clear validity period.
Value: Helps sales teams maintain control over pricing timelines and avoids confusion about outdated proposals.

How to set it up:

1. In the General Information tab, click Add Field.
2. From the Field dropdown, select Quote Expiration Date from the Global Fields Library.
3. Under Access, choose Required so the field must be completed before a quote can be saved or submitted.
4. (Optional) Add a Default Value — for example, a specific number of days after creation, if your company uses a standard expiration period.
5. Click Save Changes. Once configured, every new quote will include this field at the top of the General Information section, prompting users to define when the quote will expire.

2. Payment Terms (Dropdown Field)

Purpose: Allows selection of standard payment terms such as Net 15, Net 30, or Due Upon Receipt.
Value: Standardizes financial expectations and reduces billing disputes between clients and the finance team.

How to set it up:

1. Click Add Field in the General Information tab.
    
2. From the Field dropdown, choose Payment Terms from the Global Fields Library.
    
3. Under Access, select Public so it’s visible and editable for all users creating quotes.
    
4. In the Default Value dropdown, choose your most commonly used payment term (for example, Net 30).
    
5. Click Save Changes. This ensures that all quotes display consistent payment options aligned with your company’s invoicing policy.

3. Point of Contact (Text Field)

Purpose: Identifies the main client contact for a given project or quote.
Value: Ensures internal teams always know who to reach out to for approvals or clarifications, improving communication and responsiveness.

How to set it up:

1. Click Add Field in the General Information tab.
2. From the Field dropdown, select Point of Contact from the Global Fields Library.
3. Set Access to Public, so this information can be viewed and updated by all users creating quotes.
4. (Optional) Add a Default Value if your organization frequently deals with the same contact for certain clients or departments.
5. Click Save Changes.
   The Point of Contact field then appears in every new quote, helping ensure the correct client representative is documented consistently.

FAQ

What’s the purpose of setting Access Levels?

Access Levels control who can view or edit a field

. For example, Public fields are visible to all users, while Private fields are hidden from contributors but still available to admins for reporting.

Can I use custom Global Fields in General Information?

Yes. Any Global Field created in your Global Fields Library can be added to the General Information tab. This allows you to extend your quote layout with custom data points specific to your business process.

What happens if I delete a field from General Information?

The field is removed from all new quotes going forward but remains visible in previously created quotes for historical accuracy.

Can Managers change default values?

Yes, but only within individual quotes. Any changes they make affect that quote only and do not overwrite the global defaults set by Admins.

Are the global fields that are added to the General Information universal?

Yes, global fields added to the General Information section will be universal to all Quotes and Quotes Templates.