Mike: Someone asked me last week — how many open estimates are you carrying right now?
Chris: And when's the next touch on each one?
Mike: I had to think about it. Twenty-three open estimates. Some from two months ago.
Chris: Two months.
Mike: And here's what hit me — I sent those estimates, never followed up, and now I'm complaining about slow weeks. Meanwhile those twenty-three people either hired someone else or decided not to do the work at all.
Chris: They decided. Without you.
Mike: Without me. Because I never asked for the business after I sent the quote.
Chris: Right. And this is every shop's problem. You spend an hour driving out, thirty minutes diagnosing, fifteen minutes writing up the estimate. Send it. And then... nothing.
Mike: Nothing.
Chris: So here's what we're doing today. A simple sequence — twenty-four hours, seventy-two hours, seven days, fourteen days. Four touches. One phone call. And then you close the file.
Mike: Close the file?
Chris: Close it. Because an estimate that sits open for three weeks with no follow-up isn't an opportunity. It's inventory you're never going to move.
Mike: How many estimates did you send last month that you touched exactly once — when you sent them?
Chris: Because if you're like most shops, it's more than half. And every one of those is money you already spent acquiring that you're letting walk.
Mike: This is The Service Operator. I'm Mike.
Chris: I'm Chris. Real talk for home service operators who are done leaving money on the table.
Mike: Alright, let me paint the picture here. Average shop sends what — thirty, forty estimates a month?
Chris: For a typical residential shop, yeah. Thirty to fifty.
Mike: And the close rate is what, realistically?
Chris: Without follow-up? Most shops sit around twenty to thirty percent. With follow-up, the good ones hit forty to sixty.
Mike: Forty to sixty. That's double.
Chris: It's not double from magic. It's double from asking for the business more than once. ServiceTitan claims their Marketing Pro customers see up to ten percentage points higher close rates on unsold estimates when they automate follow-up.
Mike: Ten points.
Chris: Ten points. Now that's a vendor claim, so take it as directional. But here's what we know for sure — email open rates in most industries hover between twenty and forty percent according to Mailchimp's benchmarks.
Mike: Twenty to forty percent even open the email.
Chris: Right. So if your entire follow-up strategy is one email after you send the estimate, you're invisible to sixty to eighty percent of your prospects from the jump.
Mike: And I spent an hour and a half on that estimate between drive time, diagnosis, and write-up.
Chris: Exactly. You've already invested the expensive part — the acquisition cost, the truck roll, your time on site. The follow-up is the cheap part that actually closes the deal.
Mike: But here's my thing — I don't want to be that guy who bugs people.
Chris: You're not bugging them. You're running a business process. There's a difference between pestering someone for three months and running a tight two-week sequence that ends with a clear decision.
Mike: Two weeks.
Chris: Two weeks. After that, you close the file and move on. But those two weeks — that's where the money is.
Mike: Okay, so walk me through this. Twenty-four, seventy-two, seven, fourteen. What's actually happening at each touch?
Chris: First touch is immediate. The second you send that estimate, you send a text confirming it landed.
Mike: Not an email?
Chris: Text first. Always text first if you have permission. The response rate on SMS in home services — some agencies claim sixty percent response rates, best campaigns hitting ninety. Now those are agency numbers, probably cherry-picked, but even if the real number is half that—
Mike: It's still better than email.
Chris: Way better. So twenty-four hours after you send the estimate — first real follow-up. A simple friction-check text. "Quick check on your estimate for the AC repair. Anything you want me to clarify?"
Mike: That's it?
Chris: That's it. You're not selling. You're checking for confusion. Because half the time they don't move forward, it's not price — it's that they didn't understand something in the estimate.
Mike: I had a guy last month, sat on a furnace quote for three weeks. Turns out he didn't know if the warranty covered parts and labor or just parts.
Chris: And you could have cleared that up in ten seconds if you'd asked at twenty-four hours.
Mike: Right.
Chris: Seventy-two hours — three days out — you send the scheduling nudge. This is where you use choice architecture. "We can get you on the board for your AC repair. What works better — Tuesday morning or Thursday afternoon?"
Mike: Not "do you want to schedule?" but "when should we schedule?"
Chris: Exactly. You're assuming the sale and giving them an easy way to pick a time. If neither works, they'll tell you what does.
Mike: And if they don't respond?
Chris: Day seven. This is your one phone call.
Mike: Just one?
Chris: One clean call. Here's the script: "Hey, it's Chris from the shop. Sent your estimate for the AC repair. I'll text you the link in case text is easier. Call or text back with questions." That's the voicemail. Then immediately send a text with the link.
Mike: So they can respond without calling back.
Chris: Right. Most people prefer text anyway. You're just giving them the option.
Mike: What about day fourteen?
Chris: Day fourteen is the close-file notice. "Last check on your estimate. We'll hold this pricing through Friday. If we don't hear back by then, we'll close the file. Reply if you want it saved or have a quick question."
Mike: "Close the file."
Chris: Those three words change everything. It's not a threat — it's a deadline. And deadlines drive decisions.
Mike: But what if they come back in month three wanting the work?
Chris: Then you write a new estimate. Pricing might have changed, availability definitely changed. The fourteen-day window is real.
Mike: Alright, so I need templates. What exactly am I sending?
Chris: Six templates total. First one — delivery confirmation, sent immediately when you send the estimate: "Hi Sarah, it's Mike from The Service Operator. Just sent your estimate for the AC repair to your email. Want me to text you the link? Reply STOP to opt out."
Mike: "Reply STOP to opt out."
Chris: Every text needs it. CTIA best practices. Carriers will ding you without it.
Mike: Even to existing customers?
Chris: If you're texting about an estimate, it's marketing adjacent. Include the opt-out. Template two — the twenty-four hour friction check: "Quick check on your estimate for the AC repair at Main Street. Anything you want me to clarify? Two minutes to answer common questions if helpful. Reply STOP to opt out."
Mike: Short.
Chris: Very short. You're not writing a novel. Template three — the seventy-two hour scheduling nudge: "We can get you on the board for the AC repair. What works: Tuesday eight to eleven or Thursday one to four? If neither, text a day that's better. Reply STOP to opt out."
Mike: And they just... text back a time?
Chris: Most do, yeah. It's lower friction than calling. Template four is your voicemail for day seven, which I already gave you. But here's the paired text that goes with it: "Here's the estimate link for your AC repair: . Happy to hold a spot if you want to move forward. Reply STOP to opt out."
Mike: So the voicemail drives them to the text.
Chris: Exactly. Template five — day seven or ten, depending on your cadence — final check-in: "Want us to hold a slot for your AC repair next week, or should we circle back later in the season? A simple yes or no is perfect. Reply STOP to opt out."
Mike: "Later in the season."
Chris: Leaves the door open without being pushy. Template six — the close-file notice on day fourteen: "Last check on your estimate for the AC repair. We'll hold pricing through Friday. If we don't hear back by then, we'll close the file. Reply if you want it saved or have a quick question. Reply STOP to opt out."
Mike: And that's it. Six texts, one call, done.
Chris: Done. Now let's talk about how to actually set this up in your CRM, because that's where most shops fail — they have the templates but no system to run them.
Mike: I don't even have the templates in my CRM.
Chris: Right, so let's fix that. If you're on Jobber, you can set up two automated quote reminders. Set the first for twenty-four hours, the second for seventy-two. That handles your first two touches automatically.
Mike: Automatically.
Chris: Housecall Pro has variables you can drop into default messages — customer name, service type, address. Plus they have an "Estimate Declined" campaign flow you can trigger. ServiceTitan emphasizes starting follow-up within forty-eight hours and continuing until you get a clear yes or no.
Mike: But I still have to remember to make the call on day seven.
Chris: You set a task. Every estimate gets a due date — seven days out for the call, fourteen days out for the close-file text. This isn't optional. The due date is what makes it operational instead of wishful.
Mike: What about the legal stuff? I keep hearing about quiet hours.
Chris: Eight a.m. to nine p.m., recipient's local time. FCC rule. Some states are stricter — Mississippi, Florida. Never text on Sunday unless they texted you first that day. And always — always — honor opt-outs immediately.
Mike: Even if they text back "please stop texting me" instead of just "STOP"?
Chris: Especially then. CTIA says honor normal-language opt-outs. Someone says stop in any form, you stop. Mark it in your CRM and never text that number again for marketing.
Mike: What if I'm texting about their actual appointment?
Chris: Service texts are different from marketing texts. Confirming tomorrow's appointment is service. Following up on an unsold estimate is marketing. When in doubt, include the opt-out.
Mike: Okay, but here's what I'm worried about. I start texting every estimate four times in two weeks. Now I'm the annoying contractor who won't leave people alone.
Chris: That's fair. Here's why it's not what happens. First, you're only doing this for two weeks, not two months. Second, you're giving value in each touch — clarification, scheduling options, a deadline. You're not just saying "checking in" four times.
Mike: But four texts feels like a lot.
Chris: It's actually less than most people get from their dentist about a cleaning. The difference is you're time-boxing it. Fourteen days, then done. And here's the key — the second someone says no, or stop, or "we went with someone else," you mark it closed immediately.
Mike: Immediately.
Chris: Same day. The sequence only works if you respect the no as much as you pursue the yes. And for big-ticket stuff — full system replacements over five grand — you might swap that third text for setting up a phone call instead of pushing for the close via SMS.
Mike: Because nobody's approving five grand over text.
Chris: Right. The text sets up the conversation. "This is a bigger investment — can we do a quick five-minute call Tuesday or Thursday to make sure you have what you need to decide?"
Mike: And if they ghost the whole sequence?
Chris: Then you have your answer. No response after fourteen days is a no. Close the file, move on. That's the operational discipline — you're not carrying dead estimates month after month hoping they'll magically convert.
Mike: So I'm looking at my CRM right now. Twenty-three open estimates, some from two months back. What do I do with those?
Chris: You run one final touch on anything under thirty days old. "Circling back on your estimate from last month. Still interested, or should we close this out?" Anything older than thirty days, you archive.
Mike: Archive them all?
Chris: All of them. They're dead weight. If those people wanted the work, they would have responded to something by now. You're not going to guilt them into buying by holding their estimate open for three months.
Mike: Yeah, you're right.
Chris: But here's the thing — starting today, every new estimate gets the sequence. Twenty-four, seventy-two, seven, fourteen. No exceptions.
Mike: Even the tiny jobs?
Chris: Even the hundred-dollar repair. Because it's not about the size of this job — it's about building the habit and the system. Once the sequence is automatic, you never have dead estimates again.
Mike: And ServiceTitan says this gets you ten points on close rate.
Chris: They say up to ten points. Your mileage may vary. But even if it's five points — on forty estimates a month, that's two more closed jobs. What's your average ticket?
Mike: About eight hundred.
Chris: So sixteen hundred in additional revenue per month from follow-up that takes maybe two hours total to run. That's the math.
Mike: When you put it that way.
Chris: And that's conservative. Because we're not counting the customers who would have bought from someone else but choose you because you followed up and they didn't.
Mike: Right. The competitor who sent one estimate and disappeared.
Chris: Exactly. You win by default just by having a second conversation.
Mike: So let me ask you the question that matters. Do you have a due date on every open estimate right now?
Chris: And a scheduled next touch for each one?
Mike: Because if you don't — if you're carrying estimates with no plan for when you'll follow up — you're leaving money sitting in your pipeline.
Chris: Pick one thing this week. If you're on Jobber, set up those two automated reminders — twenty-four hours and seventy-two hours. If you're on Housecall Pro, build the friction-check template with variables. Just start.
Mike: And here's your homework. Go into your CRM right now. Every estimate older than thirty days — archive it. Every estimate under thirty days — send one final touch today. "Still interested, or should we close this out?"
Chris: Then starting tomorrow, every new estimate gets the full sequence. Twenty-four, seventy-two, seven, fourteen.
Mike: No exceptions.
Chris: The money's already in your pipeline. You just have to ask for it more than once.
Mike: This has been The Service Operator. I'm Mike.
Chris: I'm Chris. Stop leaving money on the table.