What does an estimator need before pricing?
Ask your estimators what they check before they can price, job type by job type. A hot water replacement needs different facts from a deck repair. Common fields include the site address and suburb, the type of job, measurements or quantities, photos, access and parking, preferred timing, and who will approve the quote: the owner, a tenant or a property manager. Write the list for each job type and keep it short. Ask only for details that change the price or the visit.
- Site address and suburb.
- Job type and a description in the customer's words.
- Measurements, quantities or model numbers.
- Photos of the area or the existing item.
- Access, parking and pets.
- Who approves the quote and who pays.
How should missing details be requested?
Send one reply that asks for everything missing, as a numbered list, instead of a chain of single questions. Name what you already have so the customer does not repeat it. Ask for photos with an example of the angle you need, such as a photo of the whole hot water unit including the label. Offer a phone number for people who would rather talk, and say what happens next once the details arrive. Leave price ranges and start dates out of the automated reply; those come from the estimator.
Hypothetical example of a missing-details reply: 'Thanks for your request to replace the hot water system at 12 Example Street. To price it we need: 1. a photo of the whole unit including the label; 2. whether it runs on gas or electricity; 3. where it is installed, such as outside, inside or in the roof space. Reply to this email with those details, or call us. Once they arrive, an estimator will review the job and send you a quote.'
How do enquiries get into Tradify or ServiceM8?
Both products accept enquiries by email. Tradify's Enquiries feature can use a web form, a forwarding email address or both, and enquiries appear in an enquiry inbox with the customer's name, address, contact details and any photos or videos. In the Tradify mobile app, an enquiry can be copied to a job, quote or invoice, or scheduled as an appointment. ServiceM8's Email Inbox add-on gives your account a unique address. Job-related emails sent or forwarded there can be converted to a job card, with client details and attachments carried across. ServiceM8 says the add-on is on the Growing plan and above, and asks you not to forward all your email to it.
Where does AI fit in quote intake?
An AI intake step reads the request, identifies the job type, extracts the fields you defined and lists what is missing. It drafts the reply asking for those details, for a person to approve, or for automatic sending in categories you have tested. When the customer replies, it merges the new information into the same enquiry instead of starting a second one. Once the enquiry is complete, it is forwarded to Tradify or ServiceM8 with a short summary at the top, so the estimator does not have to reread the whole thread.
What should never go in an automatic reply?
Automatic replies speak for your business, and a sentence written by a model reads to the customer as your promise. Keep them to an acknowledgement, the request for missing details and the next step. Anything that commits the business to a price, a date or a standard of work needs a person. So does anything that promotes another service, because an offer added to a service reply can make it a commercial message under spam law.
- Prices, price ranges or 'from' figures.
- Start dates or attendance times.
- Statements about warranties or compliance for the work.
- Offers or discounts.
- Answers to questions the customer did not ask.
Should enquirers be added to your marketing list?
Do not add them automatically. ACMA lists, as a common spam law issue, businesses adding consumer email addresses to marketing lists when someone has simply submitted an email enquiry, and says this may breach consent requirements. ACMA also warns that automated welcome sequences sent to new and prospective customers are not exempt. Keep the enquiry record in your job software and ask for marketing consent separately, for example with an optional tick box on your enquiry form. The Spam Act guide on this site covers consent and unsubscribe rules for follow-ups.