The quote you promised in the driveway is still in your head.
These are my stories and my fixes. An AI writes them up, and I check every fact and link before a post goes up.
You walk the job, say you'll get them a quote, and drive to the next one. The quote gets written tonight, after ten hours on your feet, and nobody follows it up.
A contractor in a Tennessee trade group on Facebook posted in October that he'd spent three hours after a ten-hour shift catching up on estimates and missed texts. I'm guessing most of those were worked out in his head before he left each driveway.
Bryan Kaplan (opens another site), a remodeler and custom home builder for over 21 years, said estimating a custom home used to take him 24 to 36 hours, and he did one in under 30 minutes with Claude. It wasn't very accurate until he split the job in two: scope first, then cost it.
The split matters because AI is bad at prices. Electricians on the Mike Holt forum (opens another site) said ChatGPT's prices could be way off and you still have to bring your own knowledge to pricing. So the AI writes the scope, your price sheet sets every number, and you do it before you pull out.
A voice memo before you pull out
Before you pull out, say the job into your phone the way you'd tell your crew. AI writes the scope and flags what you left out; plain automation prices each line from your sheet, sends it when you approve it, and follows up until they answer.
The rules it follows
- Every price comes from your sheet. The AI can't change one.
- Anything you didn't say, it flags for you to answer.
- Nothing goes to the customer until you approve it.
- Texts next morning and day three, then reminds you to call.
- Everything stops the moment the customer replies.
You still walk the job, set the price and shake on it.
Working demo
One quote from the driveway that follows itself up.
Put your business name in, then step through one quote from the driveway to a yes. Every price comes from the demo's price sheet, and you can change any of them.
The business and the customer are made up, and the AI's words were written in advance and play back in your browser; the prices and totals run for real from the sheet. Nothing you type leaves this page.
It shows up on the quote and in every text here, and never leaves this page.
Who does what
- Automation
- Rules you set, run the same way every time. No AI.
- AI
- Writes the scope from your memo and flags what's missing.
- You
- Walk the job, talk the memo, approve the quote.
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Tuesday
Denise's driveway in Greenbrier, walk-through done, next job waiting.
Talk the job into your phone
Still parked, you say the whole job into your phone, about a minute of it. The next job is waiting.
Voice memo 0:58 Alright, Denise in Greenbrier, back deck, it's about 12 by 16. Old boards are rotted through and I found two soft joists, so we tear the whole thing off and haul it away. Posts and footings look solid, we'll keep those. One set of stairs, 4 steps down to the yard. Railing's about 40 feet. She can't decide between treated wood and composite so give her some options. And she wants it done before Thanksgiving, family's coming in, so put that on there.
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Tuesday
Same driveway, one minute later.
The memo becomes a quote
The AI writes the scope from your memo and flags what you didn't say. Plain automation prices every line from your sheet; the AI never makes up a price.
Red Clay Deck Co.
Back deck replacementDenise, Greenbrier
Scope of work
- Tear off the old deck and haul everything away.
- Keep the posts and footings, checked before we build on them.
- New joists and framing on the posts we keep.
- New deck boards, treated wood or composite, your choice below.
- New railing, about 40 feet.
- Rebuild the 4-step stairs to the yard, then clean up.
Your three options
Flagged for you to check
- You didn't mention a handrail on the stairs, so it's not in the price.
- You said about 40 feet of railing. Priced at 40; check the measurement.
Your price sheet
These are example prices, made up for the demo. Change any of them and the quote follows. The AI never picks a price.
Price per job per sq ft per sq ft per sq ft per ft per ft per step -
Tuesday
Same driveway, engine running.
You read it and send it
You read the scope, check the two flags, and tap send. Denise gets a text with a link to the quote, and you're on the road five minutes after the handshake.
- Red Clay Deck Co.Hi Denise, this is Red Clay Deck Co.. Your deck quote's done, three options on it for the boards and railing. Here's the link. Any questions, just text me back.
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Wednesday
On a porch job in White House.
Next morning, a first check-in
It goes out on its own at 8 while you're working. No reply yet, which is normal.
- Red Clay Deck Co.Morning Denise, Red Clay Deck Co. here. Did the quote come through OK? Happy to go over the three options whenever you want.
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Friday
Setting posts in Hendersonville.
Day three, and a yes
The second follow-up asks for one simple reply, and this time Denise answers.
- Red Clay Deck Co.Hi Denise, Red Clay Deck Co. again. To get the deck done before Thanksgiving I need to get you on the schedule soon. Text back YES and which option and I'll get you a start date.
- DeniseYES, let's do the composite boards with the wood rail. When can y'all start?
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Friday
Still on the job. Your phone buzzes once.
The yes lands on your phone
The moment Denise replies, the follow-ups stop, and her answer comes straight to you.
Text to you
Denise in Greenbrier said YES to composite boards with wood railing at $7,500. Asked when you can start. Follow-ups stopped.
Monday, 8:00 AM: reminder to call Denise. Not needed, she answered Friday.
What slow quotes cost you
Put in your average job and how many a week you lose to slow quotes, and the figures change with them.
The starting figure is Denise's yes. Change it to yours.
Count the quotes you promised and never sent, or sent once and dropped.
What you're losing
- A week
- $7,500
- A month
- $32,500
- A year
- $390,000
Rough math: each lost job at your average, times 52 for the year, divided by 12 for the month. Nobody can promise you a close rate, so put in your own count.
How you'd set this up yourself
You need your phone, your prices and whatever AI you already use.
Write your price sheet down once
Every line you quote and what you charge for it, by the job, the square foot, the foot or the step. A spreadsheet is plenty, and you only do it once.
Record the memo, still parked
Do it parked, before you pull out, never while driving. The voice memo app on your phone is fine. Say it like you'd brief your crew: who and where, the measurements, what stays, what goes, what they're choosing between.
Scope first, then price
Have an AI tool turn the memo into a scope and a list of what you didn't say. Then, in a second pass like Kaplan's, hand it your price sheet and have it price every line off that sheet.
Read it, fix it, send it
Read every line and settle the flags; AI makes mistakes, and you catch them here. Then send it from the software you already quote in. Good Guy Plumbing's (opens another site) techs approve an AI-drafted quote on site in about 90 seconds.
Turn on the follow-up
Your software may have it already: Jobber's quote follow-up sends up to two reminders. If not, set a text for next morning and day three, and a reminder for you to call. The moment they reply, it all stops.
If you'd rather not build this yourself, I'll set it up on your phone and in the software you already quote from, with your price sheet in it. Nothing goes to a customer until you've approved it.
