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Using AI to follow up on quotes and enquiries
AI can help you follow up on quotes and enquiries that have gone quiet by drafting a short, friendly note for you to check. A set-up like this can keep track of what you have sent and, once something has been quiet for as long as you choose, draft a follow-up in your own words. You or someone you trust reads each one and decides whether it goes.
What does following up with customers look like in a small business?
A quote, a proposal or a reply to an enquiry goes out, the customer says they will have a think, and then things go quiet. Following up is a short, friendly note to check they have what they need, and AI can help draft it.
Say you sent four quotes last week, along with a proposal after a client meeting on Thursday. One customer said they would talk it over at the weekend, and another asked for a bit of time to compare. You mean to get back to each of them, but the work in front of you comes first, and the follow-ups may slip to the end of the week or later.
When you do sit down to it, you scroll back through your sent emails to see which quotes are still open and try to find wording that sounds helpful without being pushy. A quote can go unchased because the wording felt awkward, and now and then someone gets a nudge after they have already said yes on the phone.
The same pattern can turn up for a builder waiting to hear about an extension or a consultancy with a proposal on someone’s desk.
Illustrative example, made up for this page. Not a real client.
A worked example, from a quote gone quiet to a follow-up draft
Here is what this could look like for a small garden landscaping firm. First comes a made-up quote tracker, then the follow-up a set-up like this could draft for you to check.
- Patio and fencing, Horfield
Sent 12 Oct · no reply · 9 days - Turf and edging, Redland
Sent 19 Oct · no reply · 2 days - Raised beds, Filton
Accepted 15 Oct
If anything in it needs changing, like the size of the patio or the fence height, we’re happy to adjust it. We have a gap from your next free week if you’d like to go ahead.
Thanks
You check before anything goes out
- The quote is still open and they haven’t already replied somewhere else
- You add a start week that’s really free
- The tone is right for this customer
- You decide whether to send it, and send it yourself
Tools in this example
Time: How long this takes depends on the quote. Checking a draft can be quicker than writing each chaser yourself, and you’ll know your own times best.
How do you use AI to follow up on a quote?
A set-up like this can keep an eye on the quotes and enquiries you have sent and, once one has been quiet for as long as you choose, draft a follow-up in your usual wording that mentions the job. You check the draft and send it yourself, or decide to leave that one for now.
This time, on Monday morning, drafts are waiting for the quotes that have gone quiet. The one for the customer who wanted to talk it over at the weekend mentions the start date you pencilled in, and the one for Thursday’s proposal offers a quick call about any questions. Anyone who has already replied, or whose quote shows as accepted, can be left out.
You read them over a coffee. You know one customer is away, so you leave theirs for later and add a line to another about a change you could offer. Then you send the rest from your own email, the way you always do, so each note that goes out is one you have read.
What should you say when following up on a quote?
As a rule of thumb, it helps to remind the customer what the quote was for and offer to answer any questions. A short, friendly note can feel more respectful than one that pushes for a decision.
AI can draft the note in your own wording, with the job and the date of the quote filled in from what you sent. You still read every line and change what this customer needs before it goes, and if they have chosen someone else, a gracious reply can leave things on a good footing for next time.
How long should you wait to follow up on a quote?
There is no fixed rule, as it depends on the work and what you agreed. As a rule of thumb, give them the time they said they needed before you send a friendly note.
In a set-up like this, you choose how long it waits for each kind of quote or enquiry, and it can be set up to stop drafting follow-ups for anyone who replies. The timing stays yours.
Do you need follow-up software or a CRM to use AI?
No. A set-up like this can work with wherever you keep track of quotes now, whether that is a spreadsheet, a CRM or the quotes list in Xero, along with your sent emails in Gmail or Outlook.
How the set-up reads where each quote stands, and where the drafts wait for you, depend on your tools, so they are among the first things we look at with you. There is more on the approach in how we work, and on the steps before this in replying to enquiries and quoting jobs.
Questions about following up
More general questions are answered in our FAQ.
Can AI write follow-up emails?
Yes, as a first draft. A set-up like this can draft follow-ups from the quote or enquiry they relate to, in your usual wording, and each one is read and sent by you or someone you trust.
Can I use ChatGPT to write a follow-up email?
A general chat tool can help with the wording of a follow-up when you paste in the original email. Anything it says about the job or the price still needs checking against what you actually sent. A set-up like this can draft only from your own quotes and emails, and you still check every follow-up.
Can follow-up emails be sent automatically?
Yes. Some quoting tools and email add-ons can send a follow-up on a schedule if nobody replies, and if that suits you, use them. In a set-up like this, each follow-up can be drafted for you to check, and you or someone you trust decides whether it goes.
What happens to my emails, quotes and customer details?
Your emails and records stay in the tools you already keep them in. To draft a follow-up, a set-up like this sends the details it needs to an AI service, so which service that is, and what it is allowed to store, is something we agree with you before anything is built.
Start with the free AI readiness check
Scalar is an AI consultant for small businesses in the UK, and the work starts with one process. Following up can be a good first one to look at, as it tends to come round often and follow a similar pattern each time. The free AI readiness check asks a few short questions about how your business runs and points to the process worth looking at first.
Seven quick questions, about two minutes, and no email needed. You get your readiness level and three practical things to do next. Then get in touch when you’re ready.
- 1Take the check
- 2Try your next steps
- 3Talk it through with Scalar
Using AI to follow up on quotes and enquiries
AI can help you follow up on quotes and enquiries that have gone quiet by drafting a short, friendly note for you to check. A set-up like this can keep track of what you have sent and, once something has been quiet for as long as you choose, draft a follow-up in your own words. You or someone you trust reads each one and decides whether it goes.
What does following up with customers look like in a small business?
A quote, a proposal or a reply to an enquiry goes out, the customer says they will have a think, and then things go quiet. Following up is a short, friendly note to check they have what they need, and AI can help draft it.
Say you sent four quotes last week, along with a proposal after a client meeting on Thursday. One customer said they would talk it over at the weekend, and another asked for a bit of time to compare. You mean to get back to each of them, but the work in front of you comes first, and the follow-ups may slip to the end of the week or later.
When you do sit down to it, you scroll back through your sent emails to see which quotes are still open and try to find wording that sounds helpful without being pushy. A quote can go unchased because the wording felt awkward, and now and then someone gets a nudge after they have already said yes on the phone.
The same pattern can turn up for a builder waiting to hear about an extension or a consultancy with a proposal on someone’s desk.
Illustrative example, made up for this page. Not a real client.
A worked example, from a quote gone quiet to a follow-up draft
Here is what this could look like for a small garden landscaping firm. First comes a made-up quote tracker, then the follow-up a set-up like this could draft for you to check.
- Patio and fencing, Horfield
Sent 12 Oct · no reply · 9 days - Turf and edging, Redland
Sent 19 Oct · no reply · 2 days - Raised beds, Filton
Accepted 15 Oct
If anything in it needs changing, like the size of the patio or the fence height, we’re happy to adjust it. We have a gap from your next free week if you’d like to go ahead.
Thanks
You check before anything goes out
- The quote is still open and they haven’t already replied somewhere else
- You add a start week that’s really free
- The tone is right for this customer
- You decide whether to send it, and send it yourself
Tools in this example
Time: How long this takes depends on the quote. Checking a draft can be quicker than writing each chaser yourself, and you’ll know your own times best.
How do you use AI to follow up on a quote?
A set-up like this can keep an eye on the quotes and enquiries you have sent and, once one has been quiet for as long as you choose, draft a follow-up in your usual wording that mentions the job. You check the draft and send it yourself, or decide to leave that one for now.
This time, on Monday morning, drafts are waiting for the quotes that have gone quiet. The one for the customer who wanted to talk it over at the weekend mentions the start date you pencilled in, and the one for Thursday’s proposal offers a quick call about any questions. Anyone who has already replied, or whose quote shows as accepted, can be left out.
You read them over a coffee. You know one customer is away, so you leave theirs for later and add a line to another about a change you could offer. Then you send the rest from your own email, the way you always do, so each note that goes out is one you have read.
What should you say when following up on a quote?
As a rule of thumb, it helps to remind the customer what the quote was for and offer to answer any questions. A short, friendly note can feel more respectful than one that pushes for a decision.
AI can draft the note in your own wording, with the job and the date of the quote filled in from what you sent. You still read every line and change what this customer needs before it goes, and if they have chosen someone else, a gracious reply can leave things on a good footing for next time.
How long should you wait to follow up on a quote?
There is no fixed rule, as it depends on the work and what you agreed. As a rule of thumb, give them the time they said they needed before you send a friendly note.
In a set-up like this, you choose how long it waits for each kind of quote or enquiry, and it can be set up to stop drafting follow-ups for anyone who replies. The timing stays yours.
Do you need follow-up software or a CRM to use AI?
No. A set-up like this can work with wherever you keep track of quotes now, whether that is a spreadsheet, a CRM or the quotes list in Xero, along with your sent emails in Gmail or Outlook.
How the set-up reads where each quote stands, and where the drafts wait for you, depend on your tools, so they are among the first things we look at with you. There is more on the approach in how we work, and on the steps before this in replying to enquiries and quoting jobs.
Questions about following up
More general questions are answered in our FAQ.
Can AI write follow-up emails?
Yes, as a first draft. A set-up like this can draft follow-ups from the quote or enquiry they relate to, in your usual wording, and each one is read and sent by you or someone you trust.
Can I use ChatGPT to write a follow-up email?
A general chat tool can help with the wording of a follow-up when you paste in the original email. Anything it says about the job or the price still needs checking against what you actually sent. A set-up like this can draft only from your own quotes and emails, and you still check every follow-up.
Can follow-up emails be sent automatically?
Yes. Some quoting tools and email add-ons can send a follow-up on a schedule if nobody replies, and if that suits you, use them. In a set-up like this, each follow-up can be drafted for you to check, and you or someone you trust decides whether it goes.
What happens to my emails, quotes and customer details?
Your emails and records stay in the tools you already keep them in. To draft a follow-up, a set-up like this sends the details it needs to an AI service, so which service that is, and what it is allowed to store, is something we agree with you before anything is built.
Start with the free AI readiness check
Scalar is an AI consultant for small businesses in the UK, and the work starts with one process. Following up can be a good first one to look at, as it tends to come round often and follow a similar pattern each time. The free AI readiness check asks a few short questions about how your business runs and points to the process worth looking at first.
Seven quick questions, about two minutes, and no email needed. You get your readiness level and three practical things to do next. Then get in touch when you’re ready.
- 1Take the check
- 2Try your next steps
- 3Talk it through with Scalar