If you’re in sales ops or running a sales team, you already know: quoting is a headache when everyone does it their own way. Templates should help, but generic ones turn into a mess, and nobody wants to wrestle with formatting at 5 p.m. on a Friday. This guide is for anyone who wants to build custom quote templates in Pandadoc that actually save time, cut down on mistakes, and don’t make your reps want to throw their laptops out the window.
Below, I’ll walk you through how to set up templates that fit your workflow, not the other way around. I’ll point out where Pandadoc shines, where it’s just OK, and how to avoid the traps that waste time.
Why Custom Quote Templates Matter
Let’s get one thing out of the way: the built-in templates in most quoting tools are, at best, a starting point. Real sales teams have their own quirks—discount approvals, regional pricing, custom terms, you name it. If your quotes look generic or require a ton of manual edits, stuff falls through the cracks. Worse, it’s hard to track what’s actually going out the door.
Building a solid custom template in Pandadoc means:
- Consistency: Every quote looks sharp and on-brand, every time.
- Speed: Reps fill in a few blanks and hit send. No more copy-paste gymnastics.
- Accuracy: Less manual entry means fewer embarrassing mistakes.
- Tracking: You actually know who’s sent what.
But—before you jump in—know that Pandadoc isn’t magic. It can’t fix a messy sales process or make bad pricing look good. It’s just a tool. Use it right, and it’s a good one.
Step 1: Map Out What Your Sales Quotes Actually Need
Don’t open Pandadoc yet. Take 10 minutes and sketch out what a “good” quote looks like for your team. Otherwise, you’ll end up fiddling with layouts and forgetting something important.
- List your must-haves: Think items like company logo, client info, pricing table, legal terms, signature blocks, and any custom sections (like notes, payment terms, or optional add-ons).
- Decide what changes per deal: Product line items? Discounts? Contact names? This helps you figure out what should be dynamic in your template.
- Ask your team: What do reps always tweak? Where do mistakes happen? Fix those spots first.
Pro tip: If you’re replacing an old Word or PDF template, print one out, mark the spots that change, and use that as your template blueprint.
Step 2: Set Up Your Pandadoc Workspace
If you’re new to Pandadoc, the setup isn’t hard, but you do need the right permissions.
- Templates, not documents: Make sure you’re creating a template, not a one-off document. Templates are reusable, and that’s the whole point.
- Folder structure: For bigger teams, organize templates into folders (e.g., “Quotes,” “Contracts,” “Renewals”). Keeps things sane.
- User roles: Only give editing rights to people who actually need to change templates. Too many cooks = chaos.
Heads up: If your company uses a CRM (like Salesforce or HubSpot), check if your Pandadoc plan supports integration—this can save a ton of double entry later.
Step 3: Build the Skeleton of Your Template
Now you’re ready to actually build. Start with the layout, then add content blocks.
3.1 Add Your Branding
- Logo: Drag in your company logo at the top. Don’t just paste it—use Pandadoc’s image block for best results.
- Colors and fonts: Set these globally in the template settings if possible. Keeps things consistent.
- Header/Footer: If you want page numbers or a watermark, add those now.
3.2 Structure the Document
- Client info section: Use text fields for client name, company, and contact details. Pandadoc fields can pull data from your CRM if connected.
- Intro/cover letter: If your sales cycle is relationship-driven, add a short intro paragraph. Otherwise, skip it—nobody reads boilerplate.
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Pricing table: Use Pandadoc’s built-in pricing table block. It’s not perfect, but it beats formatting tables by hand.
- Add columns you actually use—don’t clutter with “SKU” or “Tax” if you don’t need them.
- Enable optional line items if you sell add-ons.
- Set up formulas for totals, taxes, and discounts.
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Terms and conditions: Paste in your standard legal terms. Use a locked content block so reps can’t “accidentally” delete them.
- Signature fields: Place signature and date fields where you want clients to sign.
Pro tip: Put fields reps need to edit near the top, and lock down boilerplate stuff at the bottom.
Step 4: Add Variables and Fields (The Right Way)
This is where you make your template flexible without turning it into a DIY project every time.
- Variables: Pandadoc calls these “Tokens” (like {{ClientName}}). Use them for anything that changes per quote.
- Common variables: client name, company, date, quote number, sales rep.
- You can create custom variables from the right-hand menu. Name them clearly (e.g., {{ProjectStartDate}}, not {{Date1}}).
- Fields: For stuff the client fills out (like PO numbers) or where sales needs to add comments.
- Dropdowns: Use dropdown fields for options (e.g., payment terms) to keep choices consistent.
- Calculated fields: Set up calculations in pricing tables (like subtotal, tax, grand total). Don’t try to do math in your head—let the template handle it.
Don’t overdo it: Too many variables and fields turn a template into a maze. Only make dynamic what really needs to change.
Step 5: Test Your Template Like You’re a Sales Rep
Almost nobody does this, but it’s the difference between a template that works and one that collects digital dust.
- Create a test document: Use the template to make a real quote. Fill in every field.
- Check formatting: Does everything fit? How does it look as a PDF? (Some stuff breaks in export.)
- Try edge cases: Long names, big discounts, multiple line items. The weird deals will break your template, not the simple ones.
- Send a test: Email it to yourself (or a teammate). Open it on mobile and desktop. Is it readable? Are the signature fields obvious?
Pro tip: Ask a junior rep or someone outside the sales team to try it. If they get stuck, your template isn’t clear enough.
Step 6: Roll Out (Without Chaos)
Once you’re happy, it’s time to share the template with the team. But don’t just drop it in Slack and hope for the best.
- Train your team: A 15-minute screen share beats a 20-page PDF. Show how to use the template and answer questions.
- Document the basics: One-pager on where to find the template, what fields to fill, and who to ask if it breaks.
- Collect feedback: The first week, things will go wrong. That’s normal. Capture issues and tweak the template.
- Lock what matters: In Pandadoc, you can lock sections so only admins can edit them. Use this for pricing formulas and legal text.
What to skip: Don’t waste time making fancy cover pages or adding fields nobody uses. Start simple. Add polish later if people actually want it.
Step 7: Maintain and Improve
Templates aren’t set-and-forget. Schedule a quick quarterly review:
- What’s working? Are reps using it, or did they go back to old habits?
- Where are mistakes happening? Update fields or add help text as needed.
- Are terms or pricing changing? Update the template before legal or finance yells at you.
If you’re integrating with a CRM and your products or pricing change often, see if you can connect product catalogs or automate line items. But don’t overengineer—manual entry is sometimes easier than fighting with clunky integrations.
What Pandadoc Does Well (and Where It’s Just OK)
What works:
- Easy drag-and-drop layout
- Decent pricing tables (for most non-enterprise use cases)
- Collaboration—multiple people can tweak a template before it goes live
- Good e-signature experience for clients
What’s “meh”:
- Formatting can get weird, especially with imported tables or long legal text
- CRM integrations are hit-or-miss—test before rolling out
- Mobile editing is pretty limited
- Complex conditional logic (if you need quotes to change based on deal type) is possible, but clunky
Bottom line: For most standard B2B quotes, Pandadoc is more than enough. If you need wild pricing logic or custom workflows, expect some workarounds.
Keep It Simple (and Iterate)
The best quote template is one your team actually uses. Start with the basics, get feedback, and tweak as you go. Don’t wait for perfection—nobody’s client is wowed by a fancy font, but everyone notices when a quote is wrong or late. Build something useful, keep it up to date, and move on to selling.
Happy quoting.