Wave
Docs menutap to expand

Concepts

Chat-first, structure on the canvas

The Wave estimate workspace has two halves: a chat panel where you describe the loss, and an estimate canvas that builds live as you talk. Edits work in both directions.

Last updated

Every Wave estimate is built through a conversation. On desktop, the workspace is split so you can see both sides of that conversation at the same time.

The two halves

The chat panel. Where you describe the loss to Wave. Wave asks a few targeted questions about each room, one at a time (some with tap-to-answer chips), and you answer in plain English. You can make changes here too: "delete the cover register from the hall bathroom," "bump the dehu count to 2." The mic button gives you voice-to-text dictation, which is the fastest input on a phone.

The estimate canvas. The structured estimate, building live as you answer. Line items grouped into the General section and one section per room, with quantities, units, prices, notes, modifiers, room subtotals, and the grand total. It's everything you'd hand to a carrier or insured.

A tab bar (Chat, Info, Photos, Drying, Survey) covers the rest of the job: customer details, photos, drying logs (beta, on select plans), and scoping details. On mobile, the workspace is a single pane with the same tabs. For a part-by-part walkthrough, see Estimate anatomy.

Edits go both directions

You can change the estimate from either side. Both paths produce the same result; pick whichever is faster for the edit you're making:

  • From the chat: natural language. Good when you can describe what you want in a sentence, when you're on a phone, or when you're changing several things at once.
  • On the canvas: direct manipulation. Click any cell to edit it inline, drag rows to reorder, right-click for the full menu, or use the kebab (⋮) on any row. Fastest for precise, one-at-a-time edits.

If a how-to in these docs gives you a chat phrase, there's almost always a canvas equivalent for the same action. Use what feels faster.

Why this layout

The chat is what makes Wave fast on a phone. The structured canvas is what makes the result auditable and exportable. Splitting them means you never lose either property: you talk fast, you see the structure forming, and you can fix anything in either half without leaving the screen.

For the deeper "why we picked a chat at all," see Why we use structured chat.

Related