To automate quote follow-ups, trigger a short sequence from the moment the quote is sent, stop it the second the customer accepts, declines or replies, and keep large or complicated quotes for a phone call. Most job and quoting software can do the sending, so check what yours already offers before you add AI.
Quote follow-up is one of the first jobs worth automating because the trigger is clear. It sits alongside the choices in what to automate first. If quotes start as website or phone enquiries, see our AI lead response guide. If replies land in a shared inbox, read how to get AI to reply to business emails. After the job, see how to automate review requests and how to automate invoice reminders. Trade businesses can see how this fits in our AI automation for trades offer. To plan a build for your own quoting process, discuss an automation project.
Key facts
- ServiceM8’s Automation add-on can automatically email or text clients about a quote you have sent, with up to five follow-ups, and it is available on all ServiceM8 plans. ServiceM8 help, accessed 10 November 2026.
- ServiceM8 cancels scheduled follow-ups when the customer accepts the quote online, when the job status moves to Work Order, Completed or Unsuccessful, or when the customer replies and you have not responded or dismissed the reply. ServiceM8 help, accessed 10 November 2026.
- The ACMA says that if you send marketing messages you must have consent from each recipient, and the message must identify you as the sender, contain your contact details and make it easy to unsubscribe. ACMA, last updated 29 November 2024, accessed 10 November 2026.
What is the simplest way to automate quote follow-ups?
Use the follow-up feature in the software where you already create the quote. It already knows the customer, the quote status and when you sent it.
- Record every quote in one place. The sequence can only follow what the system knows about.
- Trigger it when the quote is sent. Not when it is drafted, and not on a calendar.
- Choose a short sequence. ServiceM8’s help page gives an example: a brief text a few hours after the quote, an email a few days later, further follow-ups at 7 and 14 days, and a final one noting that the quote and prices will expire soon. That is its example, and its maximum is five follow-ups. Most small businesses will want fewer.
- Use the customer’s real contact details. ServiceM8 sends only to the contacts on the job, and the email address or phone number must match a saved contact.
- Only mention an expiry you will honour. If the quote is valid for a set time, say so. Do not create urgency you do not mean.
ServiceM8 can also move unaccepted quotes to Unsuccessful after a timeframe you set, which keeps the pipeline tidy. It leaves quotes with an outstanding customer reply alone.
What should stop the sequence?
Write the stop rules before the schedule. A sequence that cannot stop is the quickest way to annoy a customer who has already said yes.
- The customer accepts. The sequence ends at once.
- The customer declines. It ends, and a person can ask why if it matters.
- The customer replies. ServiceM8 cancels the scheduled follow-ups until you respond or dismiss the reply, then resumes the automation. Whatever tool you use, find out what it does.
- You change the quote. Resending a revised quote should restart the clock, not stack a second sequence on the first.
- A person has taken over. If you have rung the customer, switch the sequence off.
Then test each rule with a dummy quote before real customers see anything.
Which quotes should you phone instead?
Keep these for a person. This is our judgement, not an official rule.
- Larger or more complex jobs, where a call shows more care than a text.
- Quotes where the customer asked a question you have not yet answered.
- Customers who said the price was higher than they expected. Offer options rather than another automated nudge.
- Customers you already know well.
A simple rule works: the bigger the job, the fewer automated messages and the sooner you call.
Where does AI help, and where should it stay out?
| Job | Let AI do it? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Draft the follow-up templates | Yes, you approve them | You review the wording once and reuse it |
| Personalise with job type and name | Yes, from your records | Uses fields already in the quote |
| Sort replies: question, not now, too dear | Yes, as a suggestion | A person decides what to do next |
| Decide who to phone | Yes, as a list | Flags big or stalled quotes |
| Offer a discount | No | Pricing is your decision |
| Invent a deadline or scarcity | No | Only state an expiry you will honour |
| Answer scope or price questions alone | No | A wrong answer can become a commitment |
ServiceM8 says its Smart Assistant can help generate a message or improve the writing of a draft or existing template. That is the right level for AI here: help with wording, with a person in charge.
What do the Australian spam rules mean for quote follow-ups?
The ACMA’s email and SMS unsubscribe fact sheet says the spam laws apply to commercial electronic messages such as email and SMS marketing. It says that if a message offers, advertises or promotes a product or service, it must comply with the spam laws, and that this is still commercial even when that is only one part of the message. Treat a quote follow-up as a commercial message when it offers or promotes your service, including a message that asks the customer to accept the quote.
That means three things, according to the ACMA:
- Consent. You must have consent from each recipient. Express consent is best practice, for example a form, a ticked box, over the phone or face to face. The ACMA says to keep a record of who gave consent, when and how, and that it is up to you to prove it. Inferred consent usually needs a provable, ongoing relationship and is not as reliable.
- Identify yourself. Accurately state your name or business name and include correct contact details.
- Unsubscribe. Include a clear option, honour it within 5 working days, charge no fee and ask for no extra personal information or login. The ACMA’s SMS example is “Reply STOP”.
The practical step is to ask for consent when you take the quote request, for example with a tick box on the quote form, and to put your business name, contact details and an opt-out in every automated message. The ACMA also says your business stays liable if a provider sends messages for you, so check how your software handles opt-outs.
How do you test the sequence?
- Create a dummy quote to your own email address and mobile number.
- Confirm each message arrives at the right time with the right job details.
- Accept the quote and confirm the next message does not send.
- Reply to a follow-up and confirm it reaches a person and pauses the sequence.
- Send an opt-out and confirm nothing further goes out.
Run it on a handful of live quotes for a few weeks and read the messages that actually went out.
Frequently asked questions
Can I automate quote follow-ups in my job software?
Often, yes. ServiceM8, for example, can automatically email or text clients about a quote you have sent, with up to five follow-ups. Check whether the quoting or job software you already use has the same feature before buying another tool.
When should the sequence stop?
As soon as the customer accepts, declines or replies. ServiceM8 cancels scheduled follow-ups when the customer accepts online, when the job status changes, or when the customer replies and you have not yet responded. Whatever tool you use, test that these stops work.
Do the Australian spam rules apply to quote follow-ups?
Treat them as commercial messages when they offer or promote your service. The ACMA says a message that offers, advertises or promotes a product or service must follow the spam rules, even if that is only one part of the message: you need consent, you must identify yourself, and you must include an unsubscribe option.
Can AI write my follow-up messages?
Yes, as a draft. Let AI suggest the wording, then approve the templates yourself. Keep a person in charge of replies about price, scope or complaints.
Which quotes should I follow up by phone?
Larger or more complex jobs, quotes where the customer asked a question you have not answered, and customers who push back on price. A call can show more care than another automated message.
What should you do next?
Check your quoting software for a follow-up setting and write down your stop rules first. If you want the sequence connected to your enquiries, inbox and job system, start with an automation audit.
