Trades Quote Requests: How Electricians, Plumbers and Installers Reply Fast Without Living in Their Inbox

BOTrento Team13 October 20269 min read

What's usually missing from a trades quote request

A typical enquiry reads like this: “Can you give me a price to replace our boiler?” or “We need a few extra sockets in the office.” You can't price either one. The bits that are usually missing:

• Address and access: where the job is, parking, floor, whether someone will be on site.
• Current set-up: make and age of the existing unit, consumer unit type, pipe runs, roof type.
• Scope: like-for-like swap, upgrade or new installation, and who does the making good.
• Timing: emergency, this month or “sometime next spring”.
• Decision-maker: homeowner, landlord, facilities manager or main contractor.
• Photos: the thing that saves a site visit more often than anything else.

If the request comes from a main contractor or a tender portal, it needs a different triage. Our guide to construction quote requests and tender invitations covers that side.

The two-window routine: reply fast from the van

You don't need instant replies. You need every enquiry to get a useful answer the same working day. Here's a routine that works around site work.

1. Fix two inbox windows. For example, a short one before the first job and one at lunch or straight after the last job. Put them in your phone calendar as recurring slots.
2. Sort, don't price. In each window, put every new enquiry into one of three groups: can price from the email, need photos or details, need a site visit. Nothing else.
3. Send the first reply in under two minutes. Use a saved template (below). Confirm you've got it, ask the specific questions, and say when they'll hear back.
4. Make a written promise you can keep. “You'll have a price by Thursday” is fine if Thursday has a pricing slot. Write it down where you'll see it.
5. Price in one block. Batch all quotes into one or two fixed slots a week. Pricing between jobs on a phone is where mistakes creep in.
6. Log every quote. A label in Gmail, a folder in Outlook, a deal in Pipedrive or HubSpot, or a simple spreadsheet. Each quote needs a date sent and a next step.

If you want the general version of this, there's a short answer on how to reply to sales enquiries faster.

Photo and detail requests by job type

Generic “please send more information” replies get ignored. Ask for exactly what you need, and tell the customer why. That way they'll actually reply.

Electricians

• Photo of the consumer unit with the cover on, and the label if there is one.
• Photos of the walls or rooms where new points are needed.
• Is the property occupied, and are there any known faults or tripping?

Plumbers and heating engineers

• Photo of the existing boiler or cylinder, including the data plate.
• Photo of the flue and where the pipes run.
• Like-for-like replacement or a change of system? Any radiators to move?

Installers (solar, heat pumps, HVAC, security)

• Photos of the roof, wall or install location and the route to the meter or board.
• Rough usage or room sizes, if relevant.
• Any planning, landlord or building management approval needed?

Template: first reply with a photo request

Subject: Your enquiry – [job type] at [street/area]

Hi [Name],

Thanks for getting in touch about [short description]. So I can give you a proper price without a wasted visit, could you send me:

1. A photo of [consumer unit / boiler data plate / install location]
2. A photo of [the area where the work goes / the pipe or cable route]
3. Roughly when you'd like the work done

Once I have these, you'll get either a written quote or a suggested time for a short site visit by [day]. If it's urgent, just reply with “urgent” and I'll prioritise it.

Best regards,
[Your name] – [Company], [phone]

Save this as a template in Gmail or Outlook, with one version per job type.

From photos or site visit to a quote people accept

Once the photos arrive, decide straight away: price it now, or book a visit. If you book a visit, say what you'll check and how long it takes. People agree to visits more readily when they know it's a short, focused check rather than an open-ended appointment.

A trades quote that gets decisions has a few things in common:

• One line per item of work, with materials and labour clearly split or clearly bundled.
• What's not included (making good, decorating, skip hire, certification fees if separate).
• A validity date, as material prices move.
• Lead time and how long the job takes on site.
• One clear next step: “Reply ‘yes’ and I'll send available dates.”

For commercial clients such as offices, shops or property managers, the buyer often needs internal approval. The approach in turning vague B2B requests into signed proposals applies directly. If you also hire out equipment, such as dehumidifiers, heaters or access towers, see replying to rental enquiries without double bookings.

The weekly follow-up slot

Most quotes don't get a “no”. They just go quiet. Book one fixed slot a week, say Friday afternoon, and go through every open quote.

1. Filter quotes sent more than a few days ago with no reply.
2. For each one, send a short follow-up or mark it as closed with a reason.
3. Check the promises you made, like “I'll send dates on Monday”, and keep them.
4. Set a next date for anything still open.

Subject: Re: Quote for [job] at [street/area]

Hi [Name],

Just checking you received the quote for [job] I sent on [date]. Happy to adjust the scope if the budget or timing has changed. I've got availability in [week/month], so if you'd like to go ahead, reply and I'll hold a date for you.

Best regards,
[Your name]

More on timing and wording is in our answer on how to stop forgetting quote follow-ups.

How BOTrento runs this routine for you

The routine above works, but the hard part is sticking to it after a long day on site. BOTrento Chief of Staff is a managed process for enquiries, quotes and follow-ups. It does the watching and drafting. You make the decisions.

Here's how your 14-day trial would work:

• You connect your mail. Mailboxes on other providers connect over IMAP. Gmail, Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 currently work by forwarding or import. You can also upload your quote log from a spreadsheet or CRM as CSV/XLSX. Within 24 hours on working days, one of our team gets in touch to help you set it up. The 14 days only start after your first successful data upload.
• Every working morning you see “Today 1+3”, in the app and by email: the one thing that matters most today and three more. For example, an unanswered boiler enquiry from yesterday, a quote with no reply, and a promise of “price by Thursday”.
• You get drafts of first replies, photo requests, quotes and follow-ups, in English, German, French or Czech. You edit and approve them. Nothing is sent without a person approving it.
• Promises get caught. If you wrote “I'll get back to you by Friday”, it shows up as a reminder.
• A “Lost money” report at the start of the trial looks back at enquiries and quotes that slipped through (backwards only for a mailbox connected via IMAP).

What it doesn't do: it doesn't read photos or other attachments (it works from the email text), it doesn't read your calendar or confirm bookings, and it doesn't replace your CRM or accounting software. AI usage is included in the plan. You don't need your own API key, and there's no card required for the trial. You can see the steps in the process walkthrough, check the plans and pricing, or start your 14-day free trial on your own enquiries.