Manual quote generation is one of the biggest time sinks in sales operations. Typing customer details, cross-referencing price sheets, calculating totals, and manually emailing PDFs leads to costly administrative overhead and human error.

By combining Google Docs, Google Forms, Google Sheets, Autocrat, and ChatGPT, you can build a 100% free, zero-touch automated quotation system. When an intake form is submitted, your system calculates pricing instantly, renders a branded PDF quote, and emails it directly to the prospect within seconds.

Tool Stack Overview

Tool	Role in Automation Workflow
Google Docs	Master PDF design template with dynamic merge tags
Google Forms	Data intake portal for sales reps or prospects
Google Sheets	Calculation engine (prices, line totals, grand total)
Autocrat Add-On	Automation driver (triggers PDF generation & email sending)
ChatGPT	Custom formula generator for complex multi-item layouts

Step 1: Design the Master Quote Template in Google Docs

Your master document serves as the visual layout for every PDF quote generated by the system. Autocrat populates this document using merge tags wrapped in double angle brackets (<<Tag Name>>).

Template Setup Instructions

1. Create the Shell: Open a blank Google Doc. At the top, insert your company branding:
   • Company Name: ABC CORP
   • Address: Gandhi road, New Delhi, 110011
   • Footer: Standard business terms, payment conditions, and contact details.
2. Add Metadata & Client Merge Tags: Position client info tags wherever dynamic text should appear:
   • <<Quote Number>>
   • <<Date>>
   • <<Prepared Date>>
   • <<Expiry Date>>
   • <<Customer Name>>
   • <<Email>>
3. Build the Multi-Item Pricing Table: Click Insert > Table and select a 4-column grid. Use the column headers: Item, Qty, Unit Price, and Total.
4. Insert Line-Item Merge Tags (Up to 3 Items): Add rows beneath the headers and insert the corresponding calculation tags:

Item Description	Quantity	Unit Price	Total
<<Item 1 Name>>	<<Item 1 Qty>>	<<Calc 1 Item Price>>	<<Calc 1 Item Total>>
<<Item 2 Name>>	<<Item 2 Qty>>	<<Calc 2 Item Price>>	<<Calc 2 Item Total>>
<<Item 3 Name>>	<<Item 3 Qty>>	<<Calc 3 Item Price>>	<<Calc 3 Item Total>>

5. Add the Grand Total: In a dedicated summary row at the bottom right of your table, insert:
   • Grand Total:<<Calc Grand Total>>

Pro Tip for Branding: Autocrat inherits the exact styling of your tags. If you want the final Grand Total to be bold, dark green, and 14pt font, format the <<Calc Grand Total>> text inside Google Docs with those exact properties before saving.

Step 2: Build the Google Form Intake System

The Google Form collects client inputs and product choices. Form responses automatically stream into a Google Sheet for calculations.

Form Field Configuration

1. Client Details Fields: Add Short Answer questions for basic client information. Field names should mirror your template tags:
   • Quote Number (Short Answer)
   • Customer Name (Short Answer)
   • Email Address (Short Answer — enable Required so the system always has a destination address)
2. Date Fields: Add dynamic dates using native Date pickers:
   • Prepared Date (Change question type to Date)
   • Expiry Date (Change question type to Date)
3. Product Selection Fields (Up to 3 Items):
   • Item 1 Name: Select Dropdown. Enter your exact product or service names (e.g., Web Design Package, SEO Audit, Monthly Maintenance). Spelling must match your pricing database tab identically.
   • Item 1 Qty: Select Short Answer.
   • Enforce Response Validation: Click the three vertical dots icon at the bottom right of the question -> select Response validation -> set to Number > Is number. This prevents text entries like “Two” from breaking downstream formulas.
4. Duplicate for Multiple Items: Duplicate the item selection and quantity fields to create Item 2 Name / Item 2 Qty and Item 3 Name / Item 3 Qty.

Step 3: Turn Google Sheets into an Automated Pricing Engine

By pairing a dedicated pricing tab with dynamic ARRAYFORMULA structures, your spreadsheet automatically computes lookup prices, item subtotals, and grand totals the instant a form response lands.

1. Create the Pricing Database Tab

• Open the Google Sheet linked to your Google Form.
• Click the + icon at the bottom left to create a new tab.
• Rename this tab Pricing.
• In Column A, enter exact Product/Service Names matching your Google Form dropdown options.
• In Column B, enter corresponding Unit Prices.

Plaintext

[Pricing Tab Structure]
Column A                 | Column B
-------------------------|---------
Web Design Package       | 1500.00
SEO Audit                | 500.00
Monthly Maintenance      | 250.00

2. Set Up Calculation Columns in Form Responses

• Navigate back to the main Form Responses 1 tab.
• Submit one complete test response through your live Google Form so Row 2 populates with real test data.
• Scroll to the far right of your form responses and manually add new column headers in Row 1:
  • Column M: Calc Item 1 Price
  • Column N: Calc Item 2 Price
  • Column O: Calc Item 3 Price
  • Column P: Calc Item 1 Total
  • Column Q: Calc Item 2 Total
  • Column R: Calc Item 3 Total
  • Column S: Calc Grand Total
• Highlight these column headers and click the $ (Format as Currency) icon in the toolbar.

3. Inject Master ARRAYFORMULAs (Row 2 Insertion)

ARRAYFORMULA expands automatically down the sheet as new submissions arrive. Place these formulas directly into Row 2 beneath your respective header titles.

A. Price Lookup Formulas (VLOOKUP)

• Under Calc Item 1 Price (Cell M2):

Excel

=ARRAYFORMULA(IF(ISBLANK(G2:G), "", IFERROR(VLOOKUP(G2:G, Pricing!A:B, 2, FALSE), "")))

• Under Calc Item 2 Price (Cell N2):

Excel

=ARRAYFORMULA(IF(ISBLANK(I2:I), "", IFERROR(VLOOKUP(I2:I, Pricing!A:B, 2, FALSE), "")))

• Under Calc Item 3 Price (Cell O2):

Excel

=ARRAYFORMULA(IF(ISBLANK(K2:K), "", IFERROR(VLOOKUP(K2:K, Pricing!A:B, 2, FALSE), "")))

(Adjust G2:G, I2:I, and K2:K to match the exact column letters containing your Item 1, 2, and 3 selections).

B. Line-Item Subtotal Formulas (Quantity x Price)

• Under Calc Item 1 Total (Cell P2):

Excel

=ARRAYFORMULA(IF(ISBLANK(H2:H), "", IFERROR(H2:H * M2:M, "")))

• Under Calc Item 2 Total (Cell Q2):

Excel

=ARRAYFORMULA(IF(ISBLANK(J2:J), "", IFERROR(J2:J * N2:N, "")))

• Under Calc Item 3 Total (Cell R2):

Excel

=ARRAYFORMULA(IF(ISBLANK(L2:L), "", IFERROR(L2:L * O2:O, "")))

(Adjust H2:H, J2:J, and L2:L to match your Item 1, 2, and 3 Quantity column letters).

C. Grand Total Formula

• Under Calc Grand Total (Cell S2):

Excel

=ARRAYFORMULA(IF(ISBLANK(A2:A), "", IFERROR(P2:P,0) + IFERROR(Q2:Q,0) + IFERROR(R2:R,0)))

(Cell A2:A monitors the Form Timestamp column to ensure math only triggers when data is present).

Pro Tip: Adapting Formulas with ChatGPT

If your form question ordering shifts your column letters, you can use ChatGPT to generate exact, error-free array formulas.

Recommended ChatGPT Prompt:

“I built a Google Sheet quotation generator connected to Google Forms. Column G is Item 1 Name, Column H is Item 1 Qty, Column I is Item 2 Name, Column J is Item 2 Qty, Column K is Item 3 Name, Column L is Item 3 Qty. My Pricing database is in a tab named ‘Pricing’ (Col A = Name, Col B = Price). Please generate array formulas for Row 2 to populate Calc Item 1-3 Price, Calc Item 1-3 Total, and Calc Grand Total.”

Step 4: Configure Autocrat for Automated PDF Generation & Delivery

Autocrat connects Google Forms, Google Sheets, and Google Docs to render formatted PDFs and issue emails automatically.

1. Install & Open Autocrat

• In Google Sheets, navigate to Extensions > Add-ons > Get add-ons.
• Search for Autocrat, install the extension, and grant permissions.
• Open Autocrat via Extensions > Autocrat > Open.

2. Configure the Job Workflow

1. New Job Setup: Click New Job. Name the job (e.g., Automated Sales Quote - ABC CORP) and click Next.
2. Choose Template: Click From Drive, select your Google Doc Master Template created in Step 1, and click Next.
3. Map Tags to Sheet Columns:
   • Set Merge tab to Form Responses 1.
   • Map standard template tags (<<Customer Name>>, <<Prepared Date>>, <<Expiry Date>>) to their respective form response columns.
   • Map calculation tags (<<Calc 1 Item Price>>, <<Calc 1 Item Total>>, <<Calc Grand Total>>) to your new calculated sheet columns (Calc Item 1 Price, Calc Item 1 Total, Calc Grand Total).
4. File Output Configuration:
   • File Name: Enter dynamic naming syntax: Quote - <<Customer Name>> - <<Quote Number>>
   • Type: Change from Google Docs to PDF.
   • Output Mode: Select Multiple output mode.
5. Set Up Email Sharing:
   • Share doc? Select Yes.
   • Share as: Select PDF.
   • To: Enter <<Email Address>>
   • Subject:Quotation <<Quote Number>> from ABC CORP
   • Body Message:

Plaintext

Dear <<Customer Name>>,

Thank you for reaching out to ABC CORP. Please find your custom quotation attached.

Quote Summary:
- Quote Number: <<Quote Number>>
- Date: <<Prepared Date>>
- Valid Until: <<Expiry Date>>
- Total Amount: <<Calc Grand Total>>

Best regards,
ABC CORP
Gandhi road, New Delhi, 110011

6. Enable Automation Triggers:
   • Run on form trigger: Toggle to Yes and confirm trigger activation. This instructs Autocrat to execute the merge workflow instantly whenever a form submission occurs.
   • Click Save.

Workflow Testing Checklist

To verify your automation pipeline end-to-end:

1. Open your live Google Form intake link.
2. Complete a test quote submission with 1 to 3 items, selected dates, and a test email address.
3. Open your Google Sheet to verify that ARRAYFORMULA populated prices and grand totals correctly in Row 2.
4. Check your email inbox within 30–60 seconds for the finished PDF quotation with company details, populated line items, and dynamic grand totals.