Copy these 3 texts. Stop chasing quotes by memory.

The headache

You spent an hour on the estimate. The homeowner said they'd think about it. You meant to text Thursday, but Thursday got busy. The next week they hired the shop that nudged them once.

It's common enough that one San Antonio home-services company posted a commission-only Craigslist job in September just to chase quotes its field team had already sent. It paid $50–$200+ per closed ticket. That's what follow-up is worth to a shop that's too busy to do it.

(Our Oct 20 HVAC field report flagged this problem. This issue is the hands-on version: the exact schedule, the words to use, and how to clear the old pile in an hour.)

The pick: ServiceM8 (automatic quote follow-ups)

What it does: ServiceM8 is job software for trades: quotes, scheduling, invoices, and a phone app for the crew. Its Quote Follow Up feature texts and/or emails the customer on a schedule you set after the quote goes out, up to 5 times. It stops on its own when the customer accepts online or replies, or when you mark the job won or lost.

Who it's for: Shops of 1–15 people that lose jobs because follow-up depends on someone remembering. ServiceM8 charges by how many jobs you create each month, not by how many people log in.

Price (checked on ServiceM8's US pricing page, Oct 21, 2026):

• Growing: $79/month. This is our pick for a ~3-person shop. Unlimited users, 150 new jobs a month, 300+ texts a month. Quote follow-up is included.
• Starter: $29/month. Unlimited users, 50 new jobs and 100+ texts a month.
• Premium: $149/month for 500 new jobs and 1,000+ texts a month.
• Free: $0 for 1 user and 30 jobs a month (texts are 10¢ each). Fine for a solo operator to test.
• 14-day free trial, no credit card. No lock-in. Move up or down a plan anytime.

Real cost for ~3 people: $79/month flat. Every quote uses one job when you create it, and winning it doesn't use another. A shop sending 40 quotes and running 80 other jobs a month uses about 120 of its 150. At 3 texts per quote, 40 quotes is about 120 follow-up texts, still well under 300. Booking reminders and "on my way" texts come out of the same 300. If you text a lot, check your usage after month one. The US page charges an "overage" fee past your cap but doesn't print the rate, so check the price on their site.

Setup time: One evening for the follow-ups. Longer if you also move your customer list and price list over.

What you still do: Write the messages so they sound like you. Make sure every quote goes to a saved contact on the job, because follow-ups only go to that contact's email or phone. Call the big quotes yourself (script below).

Why it wins: Published prices, quote follow-up on every plan, no per-user fees, and up to 5 nudges where Jobber gives you 2. It also keeps your list honest. Unanswered quotes can be marked "Unsuccessful" automatically after a set time, and they flip back to "Quote" if the customer replies later.

One limitation: It's a full job system, not a bolt-on. If you already run your shop on other software, switching is the real cost. Already on Jobber? Use the runner-up.

The exact follow-up schedule

Three nudges is plenty for a homeowner. ServiceM8 allows 5, but more than 3 starts to feel like pestering.

Where to set it: Settings → ServiceM8 Add-ons → turn on Automation. Then Settings → Automation → Quote Follow Up → Edit.

3 texts you can paste in

Replace the names and the job with your own. Sign with a real first name. Keep each one under 153 characters, because a longer text counts as 2 against your monthly allowance.

Day 1

Hi Rob, it's Mike at Ridge Air. Did the quote for your upstairs AC come through OK? Any questions, just reply here.

Day 4

Hi Rob, checking in on the AC quote. If price, timing or which option is holding you up, tell me and I'll see what I can do. - Mike

Day 10

Hi Rob, last check-in on the AC quote from Ridge Air. It's good through Nov 15. Went another way? No hard feelings. A "no thanks" helps us plan. - Mike

Only text customers who gave you their mobile number. If anyone says stop, stop.

The old-quote sweep (under an hour, once)

Automatic follow-ups only cover quotes you send from now on. The pile from the last 6 months needs one personal note each. Here's how to do it in one sitting:

1. Minutes 0–10: pull the list. In ServiceM8 or Jobber, filter quotes by "Quote" or "Awaiting response." If your quotes live in email, search your Sent folder for "estimate" or "quote." Write each one down: name, job, amount, date.
2. Minutes 10–15: sort by dollar amount. Cross off anything you know is dead. Circle the top 5. Those get a phone call, not a text.
3. Minutes 15–45: text the rest, one at a time. Name the actual job and the month. That's what makes it read as personal, not automated:

Hi Linda, Mike at Ridge Air. Back in July I quoted the furnace swap. Still on your list before winter? Happy to update the quote or answer questions.

About a minute each gets you through 25–30.

4. Minutes 45–60: close the loop. Put the top 5 calls on tomorrow's calendar. Make a note to mark anything with no reply in 7 days as lost. A clean list makes next month's sweep take 10 minutes.

What to say on the big-ticket call

For any quote above your average ticket, a 3-minute call beats a fourth text.

• Open with the job, not the price: "Hi Linda, it's Mike from Ridge Air. I'm calling about the furnace we looked at in July. Where did you land on it?"
• Then stop talking and listen. You'll usually hear one of three answers:
  • "Still deciding." "Want me to walk you through the two options again? Most people pick the middle one." Then offer a date: "I have Friday the 6th open if you want it."
  • "It's a lot of money." "Totally fair. I can send a simpler option, or show you the financing." Don't cut the price on the call. Check your numbers and send a revised quote.
  • "We went with someone else." "No problem, thanks for telling me. Can I ask what tipped it?" Write the answer down. Three of those tell you more than any software report.
• End with one next step and a date, even if it's "I'll check back in March for your tune-up."

Runner-up: Jobber Connect, if you're already on Jobber

Don't switch software over this. Automatic quote follow-ups come with Jobber's Connect plan and up. The pricing page lists "Automate quote and invoice follow-ups" under Connect. You do not need the $49/mo Pipeline add-on, which is a separate board for tracking leads and quotes.

Price for ~3 people (Connect, up to 5 users, checked on getjobber.com/pricing, Oct 21, 2026):

• Regular price: $149/mo billed yearly, $169/mo with a 1-year commitment billed monthly, or $199/mo with no commitment.
• Promo (new customers who subscribe by Oct 30, 2026, 11:59 PM PT): $105/mo for the first 12 months, billed yearly, then $149. Monthly options: $102/mo for 3 months then $169 (1-year commitment), or $140/mo for 3 months then $199 (no commitment).
• If this lands in your inbox after Oct 30, plan on the regular price.
• Jobber Core ($29/mo yearly) won't work. It's 1 user only and doesn't include quote follow-ups. Connect for 1 user is $99/mo yearly (promo: $70 for 12 months).
• 14-day free trial (on the Grow plan), no credit card.

Jobber's schedule is shorter. You get 2 follow-ups per quote, each set up to 90 days out. They go out the same way the quote went: send the quote by text and the follow-up goes by text. They also go out at the same time of day you sent the quote, so don't send quotes at 11 PM. Use day 2 (the Day 1 text above) and day 7 (the Day 10 text). Find them under Settings → Automations, or under Emails and Text Messages if you don't see Automations. Each client needs "outstanding quote follow-ups" switched on in their communication settings.

Ignore this

• New AI "estimate recovery" services. Dozens launched in the last few months, pitching shops on X and by email to chase your quotes for you, often for an up-front "pilot" fee. The software you may already pay for does the automatic part, and the personal part is the sweep and the call above. Try those first.
• Housecall Pro just for quote follow-up. Its automatic follow-ups live in Pipeline. On the HVAC package, Pipeline only comes with MAX: $349/mo for 1 user or $649/mo for 8 users, plus $75/mo per extra user (currently $99/mo for the first 2 months). The same page's FAQ says MAX is $399/mo for 1 user, so the page contradicts itself. Either way, that's a lot to pay to fix this one problem.
• Software that won't show you a price. Workiz's pricing page lists plans with no dollar amounts. Podium says to talk to sales. If you can't see the number, you can't compare it.

What changed

Jobber's year-one discount ends Oct 30 at 11:59 PM PT. After that, Connect for up to 5 users goes back to $149/mo billed yearly. If you were already planning to switch, the deadline is real. If you weren't, don't switch for a discount. ServiceM8's prices didn't change this week.

The 10-minute task

Find your 3 biggest open quotes that are more than 2 weeks old. Put 3 calls on your calendar before Friday and use the script above. If even one of them closes, it pays for a year of ServiceM8.

Want next week's pick? Join free at news.linkedcontrols.com. Each week we pick one headache and the best tool for it, in plain English. The paid LinkedControls Digest adds the full shortlist, setup walkthroughs, and why we skip the rest (see plans).

Some links may be affiliate links. We pick tools before we check commissions.

Sources

• ServiceM8 US pricing: link. Free $0 (1 user, 30 jobs), Starter $29, Growing $79 (150 jobs), Premium $149, Premium Plus $349. Unlimited users on paid plans. Quote Follow-up listed under "All plans." 14-day trial, no card. No lock-ins. 7 days of grace if you go over your job limit. FAQ mentions a standard SMS "overage" fee but gives no US rate. The comparison table also shows "Additional Jobs: 20c per Job," but it's unclear which plans that applies to.
• ServiceM8 US plan cards (texts included): link. Free 10¢ per SMS; Starter 100+, Growing 300+, Premium 1000+, Premium Plus 3000+ SMS per month.
• ServiceM8 Quote Follow Up help: link. Up to 5 follow-ups by email and/or SMS. Cancels on reply, online acceptance, or status change. Can auto-mark quotes Unsuccessful, and they revert if the customer replies. Sends only to saved contacts. "The Automation add-on is available on all ServiceM8 plans. Each SMS (text) sent will consume a text credit under your plan."
• ServiceM8 long texts (opened Oct 18, 2026 for v2): link ("Messages longer than 153 characters will consume multiple SMS credits").
• Jobber pricing: link. Connect for up to 5 users: $199 no commitment ($140 for 3 months), $169 with a 1-year commitment ($102 for 3 months), $149 billed yearly ($105 for 12 months). Connect for 1 user: $99 yearly ($70 for 12 months). Core is 1 user, $29 yearly ($21 promo) / $49 monthly. Extra users $29/mo. Pipeline add-on $49/mo. Promo: "subscribe to an eligible Jobber plan before October 30, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. PT," new customers only. 14-day trial on Grow.
• Jobber Automations help: link. "Quote follow-ups are available [on] Jobber's Connect Plan and up." 2 follow-ups, up to 90 days, sent the same way as the quote, at the same time of day as the original quote. Requires "outstanding quote follow-ups" on each client.
• Housecall Pro HVAC pricing: link. MAX $349/mo (1 user) or $649/mo (8 users), $75/mo per extra user, $99/mo for 2 months promo. Pipeline included on MAX. The FAQ says "$399/mo on MAX" for 1 user, which contradicts the plan card.
• Workiz pricing: link (plans listed, no dollar amounts shown).
• Podium pricing: link ("talk to our sales team for details").
• Craigslist "Remote Estimate Closer," San Antonio (Sep 20, 2026): link. Quote and pay range verified by our Researcher on Oct 20, 2026. On Oct 21 the page shows the same title and "This posting has expired."
• LinkedControls HVAC field report, Oct 20, 2026 (our own, already published).