How to follow up on an estimate: a simple schedule and text templates for contractors (2026)

You drove out, measured, priced the job and sent the estimate. Then nothing. No yes, no no.

Google fills in “how to follow up on an estimate” and “how to professionally follow up on an estimate” for a reason. It happens to every shop. This guide gives you a plain schedule, four texts you can copy, and the settings that send them for you in the software you may already pay for.

The short version

• Before you leave the house, ask one thing: “When I send the estimate, will you just reply and let me know you got it?” Also ask if texting is OK.
• Follow up four times over about two weeks. Day 1, day 3, day 7, day 14.
• Each message should be short, use their name, mention their job, and make it easy to say no.
• After day 14, close the file. Move the lead to a slow list and check in every month or two.
• Let your software send the reminders. Jobber and Housecall Pro both have built-in quote follow-ups.

Why customers go quiet

Most quiet customers are not rude. A few common reasons:

• The price was higher than they expected and they feel awkward saying so.
• They are waiting on the other two bids.
• A spouse or landlord has to sign off.
• The estimate email landed in a spam or promotions folder.
• They got busy and forgot.

Only one of those means you lost the job. That is why a polite follow-up works. It gives the price-shocked customer a way to talk, and it puts you back at the top of the busy customer’s phone.

What owners say works

Contractors on Reddit describe the same habits over and over.

In an r/Contractor thread from September 2026 (“What do you guys do when someone gets an estimate and then just stops responding?”), one owner described his system. At the appointment he asks the customer to confirm they received the quote. If they don’t, he texts one week later and asks if they got it. A week after that he calls and leaves a voicemail. Around day 12 to 15 he sends a final email. He tracks every quote in a spreadsheet and does all follow-ups in one block on Friday mornings. He says the follow-ups alone have brought in a large share of his sales over four years.

On r/smallbusiness, owners give a simpler rule: two or three polite touches, then let it go. Customers who ignore every one of those rarely convert, and chasing them further costs more time than the job is worth.

Our take: use a fixed schedule, keep it short, and stop on time. The schedule matters more than the wording.

A four-touch schedule

Text works well for this because the customer can answer at night from the couch. A phone call asks for a decision on the spot, which is exactly what a quiet customer is avoiding. On large jobs, one call at day 7 is fine. Leave a voicemail and follow it with a text that says texting back is fine.

Four texts you can copy

Change the names, the trade and the details. Keep them about this short.

Day 1: did it arrive?

Hi Maria, it’s Dan from [Your Company]. Just checking that your AC estimate came through. Links can act up on some phones. Any questions, text me here.

Day 3: open the door on price

Hi Maria, no rush on the AC quote. Most people get two or three bids, and that’s smart. If my number came in higher than you expected, just tell me. I can walk you through it or look at a smaller scope with you.

Day 7: real schedule news

Only send this if it is true. Customers can tell when urgency is made up.

Hi Maria, a heads up. Next week is filling up on my side. If you want the install before the weekend heat, I’d need a yes by Thursday to hold the spot. If timing is wrong, that’s fine. Tell me and I’ll check back later.

Day 14: close the file

Hi Maria, last note from me so I’m not filling up your phone. I’m closing out this estimate on my end. The price is good for 30 days if anything changes. If you went with someone else, no hard feelings. Keep my number for next time.

The last message often gets the most replies. A closing door pushes a decision the open door never did.

Mistakes that cost jobs

• “Just checking in.” It says nothing. Name the job and give them something easy to answer.
• Cutting the price in the first follow-up. It tells the customer your first number was padded. Offer to change the scope, not your rate.
• Fake deadlines. One made-up deadline can cost you the referral later.
• Calling three times in a week. It feels like pressure. One call is plenty.
• Long messages. Short texts get read. Walls of text get skipped.
• Texting people who never agreed to it. Ask for permission at the visit and note it on the customer record. It is good manners, and it keeps you on the right side of texting rules. If you are unsure about the rules in your state, ask your attorney.

Let your software send them

Nobody remembers four follow-ups for twenty open quotes. Most field service apps can send them for you. Here is what the vendors’ own help pages say, checked October 23, 2026.

Jobber. Quote follow-ups live under Settings, then Automations. You get two automatic reminders for quotes still “awaiting response.” You pick the day for each, up to 90 days after the quote was sent, and you can rewrite the message. The follow-up goes out the same way the quote did, so a texted quote gets a texted reminder. Jobber says quote follow-ups are on the Connect plan and up. It can also archive stale quotes so your pipeline stays clean.

Housecall Pro. The Pipeline board has estimate automations. By default a sent estimate moves through First, Second and Third Follow-Up, with the estimate resent at each step, and then gets declined if there is still no answer. You can change the timing and the wording, and you can include or skip customers by tag, job type or lead source. An optional “Smart Recommendations” setting picks the timing for you. You can still edit the words, but you can’t change the timing while it is on.

TitanQuote. Sends automatic follow-up emails at 48 hours and 7 days on unanswered quotes, per its site.

SynkedUP (landscaping). Standard and PRO plans include proposals with automated follow-ups and a notice when the customer opens the proposal. Knowing they opened it tells you when to call.

FieldCamp. Lists an Estimate Follow-up Agent that nudges open estimates until they are approved, declined or expire, and holds sensitive actions for your approval.

LeadTruffle and Hatch. These are lead follow-up tools that work by text. They make the most sense if you buy leads from Google LSA, Thumbtack, Angi or Yelp and want every lead worked the same way.

Two tips if you automate:

1. Write the messages in your own voice. Default templates sound like a robot. Paste in the four texts above and edit them.
2. Stop the sequence when a person replies. Check that your tool pauses follow-ups once the customer answers or the job is booked. Nothing kills trust like an “are you still interested?” text the day after they signed.

If you would rather have someone set this up for you, our company, AI Peak Biz, offers software plans for local service businesses that include a CRM pipeline, missed call text back and review automation. We list it alongside everything else so you can compare.

Track it in one place

You can’t follow up on quotes you can’t see. Pick one list: your FSM’s quote board, a CRM pipeline, or a plain spreadsheet with the customer, job, amount, date sent and next follow-up date. Look at it on the same day each week.

After a month, check two numbers: how many quotes you sent, and how many you won. If follow-ups bring that second number up, keep going. If not, look at your price or your first visit, not your texts.

FAQ

How long should I wait to follow up on an estimate? Send a short “did it arrive?” text the same day. Then follow up on day 3, day 7 and day 14.

How many times should I follow up? Three or four times over about two weeks is plenty. After that, move the lead to a monthly check-in list.

Should I call, text or email? Text first. Call once on bigger jobs. Use email for the last note if that is how they prefer to talk.

Should I offer a discount to close a quiet quote? Not in the first follow-up. Offer to adjust the scope instead. If you do discount, give a real reason, like a cancelled slot you need to fill.

Can my software do this for me? Yes. Jobber (Connect plan and up) and Housecall Pro both send automatic quote follow-ups, and several quoting tools we list do too. See estimating tools and field service software.