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Smart Proposal: how it works and how to turn it on or off
Smart Proposal answers client requests for you. When a request comes in that matches one of your menus, it sends a proposal in your name within minutes, so you don't lose the booking while you're cooking. This article explains what you see on the Smart Proposal screen, how to switch it on or off, and what each message on that screen means.
Smart Proposal is the new name for what used to be called Automated Offer (AO), or the "AI" proposals.
Where to find it
Log in to your PCM account and go to Smart Proposal. Everything in this article happens on that screen.
What you need to use it
Smart Proposal is part of the PCM Pro plan. If you have Pro, Smart Proposal is switched on automatically. If you don't, you can see the screen and read how it works, but the toggle stays greyed out until you subscribe.
Nothing else is required to switch it on. Your menus, your prices and your number of dishes do not block the toggle, although they do affect how much you get out of it (see "Pending actions" below).
How to turn Smart Proposal on
- Go to Smart Proposal in your PCM account.
- Switch the toggle on. It turns blue.
- You'll see a short confirmation message.
If you have just subscribed to Pro, it's already on. You don't need to do anything.
How to turn Smart Proposal off
- Go to Smart Proposal in your PCM account.
- Switch the toggle from on to off.
- Wait a few seconds. The toggle turns grey, which confirms the feature is off. A banner appears showing the date you paused it.
You can switch it back on whenever you want.
Turning it off does not remove you from the platform. You keep receiving requests, you simply answer them yourself, as a manual chef. Your visibility in the marketplace is separate from Smart Proposal: it depends on your menus being approved.
What you'll see, depending on your situation
| Your situation | The toggle | What you see | What happens with requests |
|---|---|---|---|
| No Pro plan | Off and greyed out | Explanation of the feature and a "Go Pro" button | You keep receiving requests and answer them manually |
| Pro, active | On, you can switch it | No banner | Proposals are sent for you when a request matches |
| Pro given to you for a period | On, you can switch it | Banner: "Pro active until DD/MM/YYYY" and a button to add a payment method | Exactly the same as any other Pro chef |
| Payment pending | On, you can switch it | Banner with what happened, the date you'd lose Pro, and a button to update your card | Unchanged during this period |
| Paused by you | Off, you can switch it back on | Banner with the date you paused it | Nothing is sent for you; you answer manually |
| Deactivated by our team | Off and locked | Banner with the reason, and a button to contact support | Nothing is sent for you; you answer manually |
If more than one of these applies at once, you only ever see one banner at the top, in this order of importance: deactivated by our team, then payment pending, then paused by you, then temporary Pro.
Pending actions: what those messages mean
Under the toggle you may see one or two action blocks. They tell you what is limiting you right now. Things you've already done are not shown.
"Create your first menu to start receiving proposals"
Smart Proposal is on, but you have no menu it can send on your behalf. Until you publish at least one menu, you won't be matched to any request. One menu in the cuisine the client asks for is enough to be matched.
The button takes you to your menus page.
"With X more dishes, your proposals adapt to each client"
You have fewer than 25 tagged dishes. This does not stop you from participating: your menus are still sent, exactly like any other Pro chef. What it means is that your menu goes out as it is, without swapping dishes to fit a client's allergies or diet.
Once you reach 25 tagged dishes, Smart Proposal can replace individual dishes so the proposal fits what the client asked for. The block shows your progress (for example, 18 of 25) and the button takes you to your dishes page.
When is a proposal actually sent?
Having the toggle on doesn't mean a proposal goes out for every request. Each request is checked in two steps.
Step 1 — do you match? You're considered for a request only if all three are true:
- Smart Proposal is on and your Pro plan is active.
- You have at least one menu in the cuisine the client requested.
- That menu's price is within the range the client selected.
The match looks only at cuisine and price. It does not read allergies, diets or the client's free-text notes. If no menu of yours matches, nothing is sent and you're not part of that request.
Step 2 — how is it sent? Once a menu has matched:
- Sent as-is — your menu goes out unchanged. This happens when you have fewer than 25 tagged dishes, or when the client didn't state any restriction or preference.
- Personalized — dishes are swapped to fit what the client asked for. This requires 25 or more tagged dishes and a client who stated restrictions or preferences. If no valid replacement is found, the menu is still sent, unadapted.
Each line in your recent proposals list is labelled Personalized or Sent as-is, so you can always see how a given proposal went out. Click any line to open that proposal.
If our team has deactivated Smart Proposal for you
The toggle is locked and you'll see a banner with the reason. You can't switch it back on yourself, and it doesn't lift on its own, even once you've fixed what the message asks for. Use the contact support button on that screen to reach us and we'll review it.
If your payment fails
Your card being declined doesn't cut Smart Proposal off immediately. You keep Pro and Smart Proposal while our payment provider retries the charge, for up to 7 days, and the banner shows the date by which you need to fix it. Update your payment method from the button in that banner.
- If one of the retries goes through, everything goes back to normal and the banner disappears.
- If the last retry fails, the subscription is cancelled and you lose Pro and Smart Proposal. You can subscribe again at any time.
If you were given Pro for a period
Some chefs get Pro for 3, 6 or 12 months without paying. Smart Proposal works exactly the same way during that time. The banner shows the end date, and we'll email you before it arrives. Add a payment method before the end date to carry on as a paying Pro member; if you don't, you go back to the free plan and Smart Proposal switches off on its own.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need Pro to use Smart Proposal?
Yes. It's a Pro feature, and it's on by default as soon as you're Pro.
If I turn it off, do I stop getting requests?
No. You keep receiving requests, you just reply to them yourself.
Can I turn it off for a specific weekend and back on afterwards?
There's no schedule, but you can switch the toggle off and on as often as you like.
My toggle is on, so why aren't any proposals going out?
The most common reasons are: you have no published menu, you have no menu in the cuisine the client asked for, or your menu's price falls outside the range the client selected.
Why was a menu sent that doesn't work for the client's allergies?
That proposal went out in "sent as-is" mode, which happens when you have fewer than 25 tagged dishes, or when no valid replacement dish was found. Tagging 25 dishes or more lets us adapt the menu. IMPORTANT this feature is slowly being rolled out, so it may not be available yet in your country.
Do I need 25 dishes to take part?
No. The 25 dishes only decide whether your proposals can be personalized. A chef with 18 dishes takes part in exactly the same requests as one with 40.
Why is my toggle greyed out?
Either you don't have an active Pro plan, or our team has deactivated the feature on your account. If it's the second, the reason appears in the banner at the top of the screen.
I turned it off a while ago and I've just resubscribed to Pro. Is it on again?
No. We always keep your choice: if you had paused it, it stays paused until you switch it on yourself. The same applies when our team lifts a deactivation.
Does turning Smart Proposal off remove me from the marketplace?
No. Marketplace visibility depends on your menus being approved, not on Smart Proposal.
I switched the toggle and got an error.
Either the change couldn't be saved, or your status changed while you had the screen open. The screen refreshes to your real status. Try again, and contact support if it keeps happening.