IT Services Enquiries: How MSPs and Software Shops Reply, Scope and Send Proposals That Get Decisions

BOTrento Team13 October 20268 min read

What IT services enquiries look like, and what's usually missing

Few IT enquiries come with a brief you can quote from. Most fit one of four types, and each type tends to leave out something different.

Tag each enquiry with its type before you reply. The type tells you which questions to ask and how fast you need to move. Break-fix needs a phone call straight away. A portal project can wait for a well-prepared reply later the same day.

Scoping questions to ask before you quote

Keep your first questions short. A few specific questions get more answers than a questionnaire does, and you can cover the rest on a call.

For MSP and IT support enquiries

• How many users, and roughly how many laptops, servers and mobile devices?
• What do you use today for email, files and backup?
• Who looks after your IT now, and why are you looking for someone else?
• What counts as urgent for you, and when do you need help to be available?
• Are there compliance requirements we should know about, such as GDPR obligations to your clients?

For software and integration projects

• What problem should this solve, and how do you handle it today?
• Who will use it?
• Which systems does it need to connect to: your CRM, accounting software such as Xero or QuickBooks, an existing database?
• Is there a fixed deadline, and what's behind it?
• Do you have a budget range, and who makes the final decision?

For very vague requests, see our guide on turning vague B2B services requests into signed proposals.

Your first reply: fast, specific, with a next step

Your first reply should show you've read the enquiry, ask the questions you need answered before you can quote, and suggest a concrete next step. Hold back any price you can't stand behind yet, because a number given too early sets expectations for everything that follows. For a wider routine, see how to reply to sales enquiries faster.

Template: reply to a managed services enquiry

Subject: IT support for [Company] – next steps

Hi [Name],

Thanks for getting in touch. You mentioned you're looking for ongoing IT support for your office team, and that's exactly what we do for companies your size.

So that I can give you a realistic proposal rather than a guess, could you let me know:

– roughly how many users and devices you have
– what you use for email and file storage today
– what isn't working with your current setup

I'd also suggest a short call to go through your setup. Would Thursday morning or Friday afternoon suit you?

After the call, I'll send a written proposal by [day].

Best regards,
[Your name]

That last line is a commitment. Put "proposal by [day]" in your task list or CRM as soon as you send the email.

Fixed price or time-and-materials: how to choose

Choosing a pricing model means deciding who carries the risk. In general, the clearer the scope, the safer a fixed price is for you.

What every IT proposal should state

• Scope in plain language: what's included and what's explicitly excluded.
• Assumptions behind the price, such as user numbers, data volume and access to existing systems.
• Change handling: each change request gets its own estimate, and you number proposal versions as the scope moves. Our article on quoting when details keep changing works just as well for IT projects.
• Response times or milestones you can actually meet.
• Validity and next step: how long the proposal stands and how the client accepts it.

Follow-up after the proposal: a routine that doesn't rely on memory

IT buyers often decide slowly. The proposal goes to a director or a finance person and then sits there. Silence usually means it's stuck in a queue, not that it's been rejected.

1. Agree a decision date when you send it. Ask: "When do you expect to decide, and who else is involved?"
2. Follow up a few working days later. Offer to take the decision-maker through the proposal on a short call.
3. Follow up again with something useful. Answer a likely objection, clarify an assumption or suggest a smaller first phase.
4. Close the loop. Ask politely whether you should keep the proposal open or put it on hold.
5. Record the outcome. Log it as won, lost or postponed, with the reason, in Pipedrive, HubSpot or your quote log.

Hi [Name], have you had a chance to go through the proposal for [project]? If it would help, I'm happy to take [decision-maker] through the scope and assumptions on a short call. Would early next week suit you?

If follow-ups keep slipping, see how to stop forgetting quote follow-ups.

How BOTrento handles IT services enquiries

BOTrento Chief of Staff is a managed process for enquiries, proposals and follow-ups. It doesn't replace your CRM, PSA tool or accounting software. It makes sure no enquiry or promised reply gets lost. It never sends anything itself: you approve every draft.

What the 14-day trial looks like for an IT firm

• Setup: connect your sales mailbox via IMAP, or forward mail from Gmail, Google Workspace or Microsoft 365. You can also upload open deals as a CSV or XLSX file. One of our team will get in touch within 24 hours on working days to help you connect. The 14 days only start once your first data upload has gone through. You don't need a card or an API key.
• At the start: if your mailbox is connected via IMAP, a "Lost money" report looks back for enquiries and proposals that never got a reply or a follow-up.
• Every working day: a "Today 1+3" overview, in the app and by email, shows your main priority and your next three steps. For example, an unanswered support enquiry or a proposal that hasn't had a follow-up.
• Drafts to approve: replies with scoping questions, proposals and follow-ups in English, German, French or Czech. You edit them and send them yourself.
• Promises tracked: if you write "proposal by Tuesday", BOTrento records it and reminds you.

BOTrento works from the email text and doesn't read attachments, so put key scope details in the body of the email. AI usage is included in your plan, up to a monthly limit. You can see the flow in the process walkthrough, compare plans on the pricing page or see how it fits B2B service companies. When you're ready, start the 14-day free trial on your own mailbox.