You're right, the search functionality in many forums can be frustrating with short terms! It's tough to find exactly what you need. Let's focus on your requirements and see if we can find a better fit. You need: Simple Quote to Invoice Workflow

No forced scheduling or job-based workflow.

Customizable Quote & Invoice Templates

Appearance is important.

Product & Service Management

Ability to create kits or groups of items.Based on that, here are some CRM options that might be a better fit, along with why they might work and things to consider:

Option 1: Zoho CRM (Potentially, with focused configuration) Why it might work

Zoho CRM is incredibly flexible. While it can do everything, it doesn't force you to do anything. You can tailor the modules to suit your workflow. It has excellent template customization and product management features. It's a highly customizable, but not as intuitive, option.

How to make it work



Focus on Deals/Opportunities

Treat your quotes as "Deals" or "Opportunities."

Custom Fields & Layouts

Modify the Deal module to capture the specific data you need for your quotes. Remove any fields related to scheduling or tasks if they aren't relevant.

Zoho Inventory (Integration)

Zoho integrates with Zoho Inventory. You can define Products and Services in Zoho Inventory, and then easily add them to your Quotes (Deals) in Zoho CRM. Zoho Inventory allows you to make groups of items.

Templates

Leverage Zoho's powerful template engine for both quotes and invoices.

Workflow Automation (optional)

You could use Zoho's workflow automation to automatically create an invoice when a quote is accepted, but this isn't required. You can manually create the invoice if you prefer.

Considerations

Zoho CRM can be overwhelming because of its breadth. It will require setup and configuration to make it work the way you want. The learning curve is steeper than some other options. Pricing can get complex depending on which features you need. The Inventory app is part of a different pricing plan.

Option 2: Freshsales (Now called Freshworks CRM) Why it might work

This option is another flexible and configurable CRM option. It allows you to easily customize the quote and invoice templates as well as use automation to build workflows without making it necessary.

How to make it work



Custom Fields & Layouts

Modify the Deal module to capture the specific data you need for your quotes. Remove any fields related to scheduling or tasks if they aren't relevant.

Products

Freshworks has good product management features, allowing you to create product catalogs and add them to quotes. You can sell them in groups.

Templates

Leverage Freshworks' template engine for both quotes and invoices.

Workflow Automation (optional)

You could use Freshworks' workflow automation to automatically create an invoice when a quote is accepted, but this isn't required. You can manually create the invoice if you prefer.

Considerations

It will require setup and configuration to make it work the way you want. The learning curve is steeper than some other options. Pricing can get complex depending on which features you need.

Option 3: Less Annoying CRM (LACRM) Why it might work

LACRM is designed to be simple and straightforward. It focuses on the core CRM functionality: contacts, calendar (but not job scheduling), and tasks. It is the easiest CRM system to use and maintain.

How to make it work



Custom Fields

Use custom fields to track information relevant to your quotes and invoices.

Manual Process

You'll likely manage your quotes and invoices outside of LACRM (using your own templates or a separate invoicing tool). LACRM is primarily for managing your customer relationships and tracking communication.

Considerations

LACRM is very simple. It doesn't have built-in quote or invoice generation. You'll need to handle that separately. However, it's incredibly affordable and easy to use, so if you're comfortable with a manual quote/invoice process, it could be a good option for the CRM aspect.

Option 4: Consider a dedicated Invoicing Software (integrated with a simple CRM) Why it might work

Instead of trying to shoehorn a CRM into doing invoicing, use a dedicated invoicing tool that excels at it, and then integrate it with a simpler CRM for customer management.

Possible Combination



Invoicing



Zoho Invoice, Invoice Ninja, or Wave Accounting (Free). These all have excellent quote/invoice templates and product/service management features. They allow you to easily create kits or groups of items. CRM



Less Annoying CRM (LACRM), or even a simple spreadsheet to start. Considerations

You'll be managing two systems. Integration can vary.

Key Strategy: Focus on Customization and Ignoring Unnecessary Features

With many CRMs, the key is to:1. Customize

Modify the modules, fields, and layouts to match your workflow. Don't try to adapt your process to the software.2.

Ignore

Don't feel obligated to use every feature a CRM offers. If you don't need scheduling or job management, simply ignore those sections.

Recommendation

Start with a free trial of

Zoho CRM or Freshworks CRM. Spend the time to customize it and see if you can make it work for your quote-to-invoice process. If that is not the right fit, try Zoho Invoice with a simple CRM like LACRM.Good luck! Let me know if you have any other questions. Flag for review