Free Estimate Follow-Up Email and Text Generator

With the default inputs the day 1 text reads: "Hi Dana, it's Mike at Sample Plumbing. Just making sure the estimate for your water heater replacement came through. Any questions I can answer?" That's 144 characters, one SMS. Switch "Send as" to emails to get the same four steps with subject lines.

Why follow up on an estimate at all?

Most open estimates aren't lost to a competitor. They stall: the customer meant to talk to their spouse, got busy, or had one question they never asked. A follow-up sequence catches those jobs. You already paid for the lead and the site visit, so every estimate that turns into a job without another truck roll is the cheapest work you'll book. Track your close rate before and after you start following up, and read how to follow up on an estimate for the longer playbook.

When should you send each follow-up?

Send follow-ups during normal business hours. FCC rules bar telemarketing calls to homes before 8 a.m. and after 9 p.m.; a follow-up on an estimate the customer asked for isn't telemarketing, but those hours are a sensible limit for any message to a homeowner.

Text or email: which works better?

• Text for residential service work and quick decisions. Texts are short, get read fast and are easy to answer with one word.
• Email when the estimate is a document they'll want to reread, when they're comparing several bids, or for commercial clients and property managers who run everything through email.
• Both for bigger jobs: a short text pointing to the email ("Just sent the details by email") works well on day 1.

Here's the day 3 email the generator writes with the defaults: "Subject: Questions about your water heater replacement? Hi Dana, Most people have a question or two before they approve a plumbing job: timing, what's included, or whether there's a less expensive option. I'm happy to go through any of it. Reply here or tell me a good time to call. Thanks, Mike, Sample Plumbing"

Estimate follow-up examples by trade

The sequence stays the same across trades. What changes is the job name, the timing and what usually holds the customer up.

If you quote with good, better, best options, mention the middle option in your day 3 message. It gives a price-sensitive customer a way to say yes without starting over.

Rules for follow-up emails and texts

A follow-up on a quote the customer asked for is about a deal they started, which is different from a marketing blast. Keep it that way and the rules are simple.

• Keep emails about their estimate. The FTC's CAN-SPAM guide separates commercial email (advertising a product or service) from transactional email, which includes messages that facilitate or confirm a transaction the recipient already agreed to. If you add promotions, the email may count as commercial, and commercial email needs an accurate subject line, your physical postal address and a working opt-out that you honor within 10 business days.
• Honest subject lines. "Your water heater estimate" is accurate. "Re: your order" when there's no order is not.
• Respect a no. If someone texts "not interested" or "stop," end the sequence. The FCC says consumers may opt out of robotexts at any time and in any reasonable manner.
• Texting software counts. If you send texts from software rather than your own phone, your provider will register your number and campaign with the carriers, and FCC consent rules for automated texts apply.

Common estimate follow-up mistakes

1. Only following up once. One message is easy to miss. Four spaced-out messages aren't pushy if each one is useful.
2. "Just checking in." It gives the customer nothing to answer. Ask a question.
3. Discounting on day 3. Cutting price before you know the objection trains customers to wait. Ask first.
4. Waiting a week to send the first one. By then they may have booked someone who followed up the next day. See speed to lead.
5. Following up forever. After the final message, move the estimate to closed-lost and put a reminder in your CRM for next season instead.
6. Sending from your personal number with no name. Always say who you are and which job it's about.

Want ready-made text templates you can paste into your phone instead? See the estimate follow-up text templates. To write the estimate itself, start with the contractor estimate template.