So you are ready to create your first proposal in Socket? Lets jump in!

To begin, go to the "Home" section and click "New". From here you can either select an existing client or create a new client by entering their details manually or lookup their details using our Companies House search.

If you haven't yet imported your existing clients you can follow our Onboarding Guide on how to do this.

If the client is registered with Companies House, then use our intelligent Companies House Integration. We will search by company name and return the Directors names ready for selection on the proposal.

Use options Proposal Templates to speed up Proposal creation, if you often send out similar Proposals.

Attach a relevant Letter of Engagement (optional), set the proposal start date and whether you want to toggle on/off alignment fees.

Choose the services you want to include in the proposal from your configured “Services & Pricing”. Adjust quantities, frequencies, and other service-specific details as needed.

Click on 'More Options' to apply a discount or add custom pricing options for special cases or unique client requirements that don’t fit with the services you are already configured.

Our Pricing Calculator is one one of the key benefits of using Socket for your proposals. By simply selecting a service, you will see the price increase in real time:

Depending on the type of proposal, you have different options around notifying the client:

Email + Proposal

No Email

If it’s an initial proposal, then you’ll need to pick the Email + Proposal option and we’ll ask you to obtain a signature. This is standard practice for any of your new clients, so we make this option mandatory.

If you are preparing a renewal, you’ll have the option to pick No Email, this may be useful if you’ve been in correspondence with the client or you already have written confirmation.

“E-Signature” is a requirement if you have an engagement letter attached, but if you don’t then you’ll be able to pick the “Button Click” option.

You can amend your “Proposal Introduction” in this window, if you want it to be different from the default. Alternatively to amend the default that appears here, head to Settings > Practice Settings > Content and Communications.

Easily add, remove or manage your testimonials from here and include any you want visible on the proposal.

If your practice collects payment through Socket, the Customise step also checks that this client's invoicing and Direct Debit will attach to the right place before you send anything. It's a quick sanity check on the client record, and most of the time you'll never see it.

When something does look off, you'll see a message on this step explaining it in plain terms, for example that another Socket client has the same name and that invoices or Direct Debits could end up attached to the wrong one. Each message tells you what to do about it, with a button to fix the link, and a "View duplicate" link that opens the other client in a new tab so you can compare the two.

The typical things it picks up are two clients with the same name, two clients sharing a matching alias, or a client whose Xero or Adfin record is already claimed by somebody else. Where the fix is to tidy up your client list, the message will suggest merging the two clients or removing the clashing alias.

There are two levels to this:

The reason this sits here rather than later is timing. Without it, the first anyone hears about a clash is your client hitting an error partway through signing, which is a poor look and a phone call you'd rather not have. Catching it while you're still building the proposal keeps it well away from them.

Save the proposal as a draft to review internally or share with your team for feedback.

Remember, at any point during the proposal creation, use use the “preview” button on the top bar when creating a proposal to see how the proposal will appear to the client. This helps ensure everything is in order before sending out.

Once you are happy to send the proposal, you can send it to the client for approval via email directly from Socket. Alternatively, you can share via a link enabling clients to view, accept, or decline the proposal online.

You also have the option to “Save and Exit” which leaves the proposal in draft, ready for you to come back to later on.

Once sent, you can monitor the proposal’s status (sent, viewed, accepted, declined) by going to the “Activity Timeline” from within the proposal details. Just click on the proposal line from the “Home” section.

After signing, you will receive an internal confirmation email showing the net amount. Your client receives a separate email with a PDF copy of the signed proposal, which includes the full fee breakdown including VAT. The two emails look different by design, so if the amounts appear to differ it is worth checking the client PDF rather than the internal confirmation.