Ask ArborNote Sales

1. Background

Ask ArborNote Sales lets users ask plain-English questions about existing General Tree Care proposals. The AI interprets the requested statuses, dates, salesperson, customer, or other filters; ArborNote then counts, sums, compares, and ranks actual proposal records. Users can open the exact matching proposals in the Manage Proposals grid.

The feature provides another way to access the proposal-based sales information shown in the Sales Dashboard. In user testing, the Ask ArborNote Sales results match the Sales Dashboard information, including close ratio and Key Opportunities. The exception is Sales Goal: sales targets and goal comparisons are not available in Ask ArborNote Sales.

2. Version / Platform

Platform: Desktop web application, Sales → Manage Proposals → General Tree Care tab on lower right hand corner.

The panel is closed by default on the proposal grid. No mobile or PHC proposal table availability.

3. Feature Highlights

• Ask for counts, dollar totals, comparisons, top or bottom records, leaderboards, and threshold-based lists.
• The AI identifies search intent; ArborNote performs calculations on proposal data rather than asking the AI to invent numeric answers.
• View matching proposals directly from the answer, then sort, search, or filter the grid.
• A filters-used line shows the interpreted statuses and dates; unrecognized salesperson or city names are flagged.
• “Approved” or “Won” includes Approved, Tentatively Scheduled, Scheduled, Completed, Submitted for Billing, Billed, Paid, and Invoiced. Draft and Submitted are not won; Lost is declined.
• Sales Dashboard alignment: proposal-based sales information matches Ask ArborNote Sales. Sales Goal is the exception and is not supported in Ask ArborNote Sales. The feature does not forecast future sales.

4. Step-by-Step Instructions

Open Sales — In the desktop navigation, open Sales and select Manage Proposals.

Select General Tree Care — Open the General Tree Care proposal grid. Locate the Ask ArborNote Sales button in the lower right hand corner of the proposal table.

Choose a suggested question or type your own — Click a starter prompt or enter a plain-English question and select Ask.

Review the result — Read the headline count, dollar amount, ratio, or ranking and check the statuses and date range listed beneath it.

Open matching proposals — Select View X amount of proposals to filter the grid to the exact records behind the answer. You can still apply grid filters, search, and sorting.

Ask a follow-up — Enter another question. The panel can carry context from the preceding question; a new question clears the previous answer-specific grid narrowing.

Clear or close — Use Clear filter to restore the grid, or close the panel using the × control.

5. Recommended Questions to Try

Sales Performance

• What is our close ratio this year?
• What is our average close cycle?
• How much have we sold this month?
• How much did we sell this quarter compared with last quarter?
• Which month had the highest sales?

Proposals & Pipeline

• How many proposals are awaiting approval?
• What is the total value of our submitted proposals?
• How many proposals were approved this month?
• How many proposals were lost this month?
• What is our largest approved proposal this year?

Salesperson Performance

• Which salesperson sold the most this year?
• Which salesperson has the highest-value approved proposal?
• Which salespeople have the most proposals awaiting approval?
• How many proposals did I create this month?
• Which salespeople have more than five submitted proposals?

Customer Insights

• Which customer has the highest total value of approved proposals this year?
• Which customers have declined multiple proposals?
• Which customer has the most approved proposals?
• Which customers have the most proposals awaiting approval?
• Which customer had the largest approved proposal this year?

Trends & Comparisons

• How do our sales this month compare with last month?
• Which quarter had the highest approved proposal value?
• Which city had the most approved proposals?
• How many proposals were approved this year compared with last year?
• Which month had the most completed proposals?

Customer wording tip: “Which client is our best customer?” is ambiguous. Recommend “Which customer has the highest total value of approved proposals this year?” to specify a measurable definition of best.

6. Troubleshooting / Support FAQ

Why does “approved” include billed or paid proposals?

A win continues to count after the job advances through scheduling, completion, and billing. Use “Approved status only” if you want only proposals currently in that literal status.

Why does the answer not match what I expected?

Check the filters-used line for statuses, date range, and salesperson. Rephrase the question more precisely. Compare the matching proposal grid.

What happens if a salesperson or city is not recognized?

The feature excludes the unmatched name and displays a “didn’t recognize” note; it does not guess a similar name.

Why are there zero matching proposals?

The requested combination may have no matching records. For example, a test for customers with multiple declined proposals returned 19 lost proposals across customers, but no customer with two or more.

Can I ask follow-up questions?

Yes. The panel retains the preceding question context for follow-ups. A new question clears the previous result-specific grid narrowing.

Can it analyze PHC proposals?

Not yet available. In a future release yes.

Can it forecast future revenue or answer sales-goal questions?

No. It analyzes existing proposals and does not support forecasting or Sales Goals.

How should we interpret “best customer”?

Ask for a specific criterion, such as highest total approved proposal value, most approved proposals, or largest single approved proposal.

Why might a date-based answer be surprising?

Review the displayed date field and range. The developer guide describes won sales by approval date, while some screenshots show DateModified; verify behavior for each query before claiming equivalence to a dashboard metric.

Does Ask ArborNote Sales match the Sales Dashboard?

Yes. The proposal-based information in the Sales Dashboard matches Ask ArborNote Sales, including close ratio and Key Opportunities. Sales Goal is the exception: the Ask feature does not support sales targets or goal comparisons.