Why open HVAC and plumbing estimates go cold
A homeowner gets three quotes for a new system or a repipe, says "let me talk to my partner," and the tech moves on to the next job. Nobody owns the follow-up, so the quote just ages in the software. Estimate follow-up gives every open estimate an owner, a next step and a date.
What estimate follow-up includes
- A daily or weekly pull of estimates that were presented but neither sold nor declined.
- Follow-up by email or text through your software, at set intervals, using wording you approved.
- Logging the customer's answer in the estimate record: bought elsewhere, waiting on financing, wants a second option, not now, or no reply.
- Booking a return visit when the customer wants to talk through options in person. That slot comes off the same board as dispatch and scheduling.
- Passing questions about equipment, sizing or price straight back to the tech or comfort advisor who wrote the estimate.
- Closing out dead estimates so your close-rate numbers are honest.
What the follow-up team says and doesn't say
The support team isn't a sales team. It confirms the customer received the estimate, asks if they have questions, and offers a time to talk. It doesn't change prices, invent discounts, push financing terms or describe how equipment will perform. Those conversations belong to your licensed tech or salesperson, and the playbook should say so in plain words.
| Estimate type | First follow-up | Stop after |
|---|---|---|
| Small repair (under your set threshold) | Next business day | Two tries |
| System replacement or repipe | Two to three days | Three tries over a few weeks |
| Commercial or property-manager bid | Per the client's process | When the bid date passes |
Treat these as starting points and pick intervals that match how your customers buy.
Texting customers about estimates: consent rules
Texting customers about estimates they asked for is common, but the rules on automated texts and marketing messages are strict. Make sure your software records consent and honors opt-outs like STOP, and keep the follow-up about the customer's own estimate. Your attorney can tell you what your state requires on top of federal rules.
How to measure estimate follow-up
- Open estimates by age and dollar value.
- Share of open estimates that got at least one follow-up.
- Estimates revived into a return visit, and how many of those sold.
- Reasons for lost estimates, grouped, so you can spot pricing or product gaps.
Once a quote is sold and the work is done, invoicing and collections picks it up.
Estimate follow-up FAQ
Should follow-up come from the tech's name?
Some shops prefer it because the customer met that person. Others use the office name. Either works as long as replies land somewhere the support team watches.
Can the team chase financing applications?
They can remind customers that an application is pending and pass questions on. They shouldn't advise on loan terms.
How many times should an open estimate be followed up?
That's your decision. The table above is a starting point: two tries for small repairs and three spread over a few weeks for replacements. After that the estimate is closed out with a reason so it stops cluttering the list.
Want this off your desk? Tell us which tickets you'd hand over first and roughly how many jobs you run a week.
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