What to text a customer after you send an estimate (and when to call instead)
Text the next day to make sure the estimate came through and offer to answer questions. If there's no answer, send one more text about a week later, then call. Keep each text short, mention the actual job, and never invent a deadline to rush them.
The rest of this page has follow-up texts by job type, a timeline you can copy, and what to say when they tell you they went with someone else.
Why estimates go quiet
Most of the time it isn't a no. The customer got three quotes, a kid got sick, or the email landed in a folder they never check. Owners in the Jobber community describe the same thing: customers ask good questions, get the quote and then go silent. One owner said the hard part is not wanting to come across as pushy.
A short, friendly follow-up isn't pushy. It's the reminder they were going to need anyway.
A follow-up timeline you can copy
| When | What | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Same day | Send the estimate, by email or text | While the visit is fresh |
| Next day | Text: did it come through, any questions? | Catches lost emails and quick questions |
| About 1 week | Text about one detail of the job | Brings it back to the top of their mind |
| About 10 days | Call | A voice gets an answer a text sometimes doesn't |
| About 30 days | One last text to close it out | Ends it politely and leaves the door open |
When I was the in-house marketing department for a home service company on Long Island, estimates got followed up both ways, a text and a phone call. One owner in the Jobber thread above describes the same rhythm: send the quote right away, follow up the next day, then call.
What goes into a good follow-up text?
| Part | Example | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Who you are | "it's Joe from the fence crew" | They may not have your number saved |
| The actual job | "the backyard fence" | Shows it isn't a mass text |
| One easy next step | "any questions?" or "want the April schedule?" | Something they can answer in a word |
| No pressure | No deadlines you don't mean | Keeps the door open if they're not ready |
Follow-up texts you can copy
Each one fits in a single text. Swap in the customer's name and a detail from the visit.
The next day, any job
Hi Maria, it's Joe from the fence crew. Did the estimate come through OK? Happy to answer any questions about the posts or the gate.
About a week later, a fence or deck
Hi Maria, checking in on the backyard fence. If you want to change the height or the gate, I can send a revised estimate today.
A roof or siding job
Hi Tom, it's Ken from the roofing crew. Any questions on the roof estimate? I can walk you through the shingle options on a quick call.
An HVAC replacement
Hi Linda, checking in on the AC replacement quote. Want me to pencil you in for install the week of the 14th?
Recurring cleaning
Hi Rosa, did you get a chance to look at the biweekly cleaning quote? I have Thursday mornings open if that works for you.
A seasonal landscaping contract
Hi Anne, following up on the spring cleanup and mowing quote. Want me to put you on the April schedule?
A remodel
Hi Sam, thanks again for having me out for the bathroom. Any questions on the estimate, or want to go over tile options this week?
Closing it out after a month
Hi Maria, I'll close out the fence estimate for now. If you want to pick it back up in the spring, just text me here.
When should you call instead of text?
Call when the job is big, when they asked a lot of questions at the visit, or when two texts got no answer. A roof replacement or a full remodel is a big decision, and some customers want to hear a voice before they say yes. A text is better for confirming details and small jobs.
A good habit is to text first to ask if now is a good time. "Got a minute for a quick call about the roof?" gets more answers than a call out of nowhere from a number they don't have saved.
What to say when they went with someone else
Thank them, wish them well and leave the door open. That's it.
Thanks for letting me know, Maria. Good luck with the fence, and keep my number in case anything comes up down the road.
Sometimes the other company doesn't work out, or the next project comes around. A gracious reply makes it easy for them to call you then.
What not to do
- Fake deadlines. "Price goes up Friday" only belongs in a text if it's true. Made-up urgency is the kind of thing that ends up in a bad review.
- Daily texts. Two texts and a call over two weeks is plenty.
- Adding them to a marketing list. A customer who asked for an estimate expects to hear about that estimate, not monthly promotions. Marketing texts need their consent first.
How Compa writes these for you
Here's a sample from the site: an owner asks for a follow-up on a remodel quote in Levittown, and Compa sends back the text to forward.
You tell Compa which estimate it is, it writes the follow-up, and you send it from your own phone. Compa never texts your customers. When the job is done, the next text is the review ask: how to ask a customer for a Google review by text. The whole flow is on how it works.
Common questions
How long should I wait to follow up on an estimate?
A day. The next-day text catches estimates that never arrived and questions the customer didn't want to bother you with.
How many times should I follow up?
Two texts and a call, then one close-out text around a month. After that, let it go unless they reach out.
Text or email for the follow-up?
Text for the quick check-ins, since a text is easy to answer from the truck or the couch. Email is fine for sending a revised estimate with the details.
Should I offer a discount in the follow-up?
Only if you'd really give it. A discount offered to every quiet customer teaches people to wait.
Is it OK to text a customer who asked for an estimate?
Texting someone about the estimate they asked you for, from your own phone, is normal. Sending them marketing texts later is a different thing and needs their permission.
Get follow-up texts written for you
Compa's beta is open to Long Island owners first. Text Compa about the estimate you sent and it writes the follow-up for you to send from your own phone.
Text COMPA to (516) 452-8282 to get started. By texting COMPA, you agree to receive automated text messages from Famedia LLC, the company behind Compa, including replies about the photos, reviews and questions you send and, only if you reply YES, check-ins and a Monday recap. Your consent is for Famedia LLC only and is never shared with other companies. Message frequency varies. Message and data rates may apply. Reply HELP for help or STOP to cancel. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service
Sources
Compa is built by Michael Famiglietti, who spent two years as the in-house marketing department for a home service company on Long Island.
Why Michael built Compa