When to follow up, and when to stop
Three messages over about two weeks is enough for most quotes: a short text within two working days, an email about a week after the quote, and a final note around two weeks in. Then stop, and mark the quote closed in your records so nobody chases it again by accident.
Stretch the gaps for bigger decisions. Someone pricing a renovation may be comparing several quotes and talking it over at home, while an urgent repair is usually settled far sooner. If your quote has an expiry date, mention it once, in the final note, as a fact rather than a push.
Stop straight away when they reply, book, say no or ask you to stop. A reply of "not yet" is still a reply: ask when would be a good time to check back, put that date in your calendar, and follow up once then.
If they say no, thank them, and ask once whether price, timing or something else decided it. That answer is worth more than another follow-up would have been.
Three templates: text, email, final note
Copy these, fill in the braces, and change the wording until it sounds like you. Each one names the business and the job, says when the quote went out where that helps, and gives one easy way to reply.
These messages are for someone who asked you for this quote, and they are about this quote. A follow-up is not a reason to add anyone to a newsletter or a promotions list.
Keep each text to one segment. A text of up to 160 plain characters goes as one segment, and a single emoji or curly quotation mark switches the whole message to an encoding that allows only 70 (Twilio: How long can a message be? (opens in a new tab)). Type straight quotes, leave out emoji, and count the characters with the braces filled in; both texts below fit with typical names.
End every text with an opt-out line. Carrtel's own texts name the business they are sent for and end with "Reply STOP to opt out."
| Message and timing | Wording |
|---|---|
| Text, within two working days of the quote | Hi {first name}, it's {your name} at {business}. Did the quote for {job} come through OK? Happy to answer questions or adjust it. Reply STOP to opt out. |
| Email, about a week after the quote | Subject: Your quote for {job}. Hi {first name}, following up on the quote for {job} we sent on {date}. In case it helps you decide: {one useful line, such as what is included, how long the work takes or the earliest start date}. If something in it does not fit, tell me and I will look at it again. To go ahead, reply to this email or pick a time here: {booking link}. {your name}, {business}, {phone} |
| Final note, around two weeks after the quote, by text or email | Hi {first name}, {your name} at {business}. I won't follow up again on the {job} quote. If you want to go ahead later, just reply here. Reply STOP to opt out. |
Three quote follow-up templates. Replace everything in braces. The texts fit in one segment with typical names filled in; check yours before sending.
Mistakes that cost the job
Sending the same "just checking in" three times. Each message should add something: an answer to a likely question, a start date, an option at a different scope.
Not saying who you are. A text from an unfamiliar number about "your quote" reads like spam. Put the business and the job in the first line.
Making replies hard. Let people answer the text or the email, or book from a link, rather than having to call you back during working hours.
Discounting before anyone asks. A lower price in the second follow-up can teach customers that waiting pays, and it costs margin on jobs you might have won anyway. Offer a different scope if the price is the problem, and only once they say it is.
Carrying on after a reply. A message that arrives after the customer has already answered looks careless, which is the last impression you want before a job.
Missing a "stop". Automatic opt-out handling reacts to single-word replies: with Twilio's standard filtering, STOP blocks further texts, but "STOP PLEASE" or "PLEASE CANCEL" does not (Twilio: opt-out keywords (opens in a new tab)). Someone has to read the replies and stop by hand when people ask in their own words.
Two people chasing the same quote. Without one record of who sent what and when, a customer can get the same follow-up twice from different people.
Automating it so it stops when they reply
Automating follow-up is worth it once quotes go out faster than anyone remembers to chase them. The rules stay the same: start when the quote goes out, send your messages on your timetable, stop the moment the customer replies, and honour every opt-out.
That is how Carrtel's quote follow-up automation works. A short set of messages goes out on a timetable you choose, in your own words, and stops the moment the customer replies. Texts go out from your own business number, and replies of STOP, UNSUBSCRIBE, CANCEL, END or QUIT stop them; HELP gets help, and START re-subscribes. You approve the wording before anything is sent, and the client portal shows what went out.
It starts when a quote goes out. Where your quoting software has no direct connection, forwarding its quote emails to an address set up for you can start the sequence instead.
On the pricing page, the quote chaser is listed in the Scale plan, and the plans run month to month. For trades, it sits alongside catching enquiries while you are on the tools and booking visits: see call and quote automation for trades and contractors.
Questions about following up on quotes
Two or three useful messages, a polite final note, and silence the moment they answer: that is following up, not chasing.
Sources
- Twilio Docs: How long can a message be? (SMS segments and character encoding) (opens in a new tab) · checked October 4, 2026
- Twilio Help Center: Support for opt-out keywords (SMS STOP filtering) (opens in a new tab) · checked October 4, 2026
Tell us what you want to improve.
A short call to work out what the job is and put a number on it.