Estimate follow-up automation for contractors
Estimate follow-up automation means every estimate you send is followed up, whether or not you remember to. In Business Genie, estimates and proposals can ask for a deposit, and automated follow-ups keep in touch with the customer after the quote goes out.
How estimate follow-up runs
A sample fortnight · five estimates · simulated
The names and amounts are made up, and when the follow-ups fall is drawn for illustration.
0 of 1
Followed up, of sent
Monday. Estimate 1 goes to Martinez: $200 of assembly, with an $84 deposit on it.
Assembly
Martinez · $200 · $84 deposit
1Sent today
0 follow-ups
Gutter replacement
Alvarez · $2,100 · $525 deposit
Not sent
0 follow-ups
Mini-split install
Okafor · $4,600 · $1,150 deposit
Not sent
0 follow-ups
Deck staining
Lindqvist · $1,350 · $340 deposit
Not sent
0 follow-ups
Garage door opener
Haddad · $780 · $195 deposit
Not sent
0 follow-ups
Step 1 of 4
Send the estimate, with a deposit on it
Build the estimate or proposal in Business Genie, on the web or in the iOS and Android app, and ask for a deposit on it. No format yet? Start from a free estimate template.
Step 2 of 4
Let the follow-ups run
Automated follow-ups keep in touch with the customer after the estimate goes out. A quote does not go quiet because the week got busy, and nobody keeps a list of who to chase.
Step 3 of 4
Book the job once the deposit is in
The customer pays the deposit on the estimate by card, Apple Pay, PayPal, Venmo or Cash App, and you put the work on the calendar.
Step 4 of 4
Invoice the job
When the work is done, invoice from the same account. Business Genie syncs with QuickBooks Online.
- Estimates sent1
- Follow-ups sent, automatically0
- Waiting on the customer1
- Deposit paid, job on0
- Done and invoiced0
How estimate follow-up runs
A sample fortnight of five estimates, a day to a row. Each is a lane: follow it down to see what happens to it.
- 1
AssemblyMartinez · $200 · $84 deposit
- 2
Gutter replacementAlvarez · $2,100 · $525 deposit
- 3
Mini-split installOkafor · $4,600 · $1,150 deposit
- 4
Deck stainingLindqvist · $1,350 · $340 deposit
- 5
Garage door openerHaddad · $780 · $195 deposit
0 of 0Followed up
MonWk 1
Monday. Estimate 1 goes to Martinez: $200 of assembly, with an $84 deposit on it.
- 1Step 1 of 4
Send the estimate, with a deposit on it
Build the estimate or proposal in Business Genie, on the web or in the iOS and Android app, and ask for a deposit on it. No format yet? Start from a free estimate template.
Tue
Tuesday. The gutter estimate goes to Alvarez.
Wed
Wednesday, and no word from Martinez. A follow-up goes out on its own.
- Step 2 of 4
Let the follow-ups run
Automated follow-ups keep in touch with the customer after the estimate goes out. A quote does not go quiet because the week got busy, and nobody keeps a list of who to chase.
Thu
Thursday. Martinez pays the $84 deposit, and you put the job on the calendar.
Fri
Friday. The assembly is done and invoiced. Alvarez and Okafor each get a follow-up.
Sat
The weekend. Two estimates are still out, and neither is forgotten.
Sun
MonWk 2
Monday. A second follow-up to Alvarez. The deck estimate goes to Lindqvist.
Tue
Tuesday. Alvarez pays the $525 deposit on the gutters. Okafor gets a second follow-up.
- Step 3 of 4
Book the job once the deposit is in
The customer pays the deposit on the estimate by card, Apple Pay, PayPal, Venmo or Cash App, and you put the work on the calendar.
Wed
Wednesday. Lindqvist gets a follow-up. The garage door estimate goes to Haddad.
Thu
Thursday. Lindqvist pays the deposit, and you put the deck on the calendar.
Fri
Friday. The gutters are done and invoiced, with QuickBooks Online in sync. Okafor and Haddad get follow-ups.
- Step 4 of 4
Invoice the job
When the work is done, invoice from the same account. Business Genie syncs with QuickBooks Online.
Sat
The weekend. Okafor and Haddad have not answered yet, and both have had a follow-up.
Sun
Five estimates sent, five followed up, and nobody had to remember one of them.
- Estimate sent
- Waiting on the customer
- Automated follow-up
- Deposit paid, job on
- Done and invoiced
Sample estimates, simulated: the names and amounts are made up, and when the follow-ups fall is drawn for illustration.
The deposit rides on the estimate
An estimate or proposal in Business Genie can ask for a deposit, so the customer commits with a payment before the work goes on the calendar. They pay the way they already pay for things: card, Apple Pay, PayPal, Venmo or Cash App. When the job is done, the invoice goes out from the same account, and QuickBooks Online stays in sync.
Mon
Sent, $84 depositSent, asking an $84 deposit
Tue
WaitingWaiting
Wed
Follow-upNo reply, so a follow-up goes out
Thu
Deposit paid$84 deposit paid
Fri
Invoiced $200Done, invoiced $200
- Card
- Apple Pay
- PayPal
- Venmo
- Cash App
- Payments
Where estimate follow-up sits in a job
Estimate follow-up is the stretch of a job between sending a price and booking the work. Lead follow-up comes before it, turning an inquiry into a visit or an estimate. Scheduling comes after it, once the deposit is in. Invoice collection comes last, turning a sent invoice into a payment.
Inquiry
Waiting on you to price it
- 1
Estimate sent
Estimate follow-up
This program · Waiting on the customer, followed up
Deposit paid
The job is on
Done and invoiced
Waiting on the payment
Paid
How is this different from lead follow-up?
Lead follow-up covers the stage before a price: turning an inquiry into a booked visit or an estimate. Estimate follow-up covers the stage after it: turning a sent estimate into a job.
Estimate tools and guides
The follow-up starts from a sent estimate. Write and price it before it goes out; these tools and guides help.
- Estimates in Business Genie
Estimates and proposals with deposits, on the web and in the iOS and Android app.
- Estimate follow-up calculator
What the estimates that go unanswered are worth to you, worked out from your own numbers.
- Connecting estimates and invoicing
A guide from the accepted estimate to the paid invoice.
- Free estimate templates
A template for each trade, to start from if you have no format yet.
- Estimate software by trade
How estimates work in Business Genie for your trade.
Follow up every estimate
Estimates with deposits and automated follow-ups, on the web and in the iOS and Android app. Free for a month, with no credit card to start, and setup is free: the team moves your customers and services in for you.
Plans from $50 a month · All programs
Your next estimate
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Sent todayWaiting on the customer