Creating a quote for a job - is it a nuisance?

[Steve1970]

Hi everyone
At the end of last year I had some work done in my bathroom, tiling and plumbing. It took a while to get the quotes in and it occurred to me creating the quote might be a tedious part of being self emplyed? Over Christmas I thought it would be good if a quote for a job could be quickly created using a smartphone or simple web site and sent to the customer electronically. I think it would only take about 2-3 minutes to create and send a simple quote like this.
If anyone thinks this would be useful please let me know in the thread below or by a private forum message. I do a little programming in my job and I'd like to have a go at creating such a system but only if it would be useful.
Thanks
Steve

 

[Sherman]

Hi everyone
At the end of last year I had some work done in my bathroom, tiling and plumbing. It took a while to get the quotes in and it occurred to me creating the quote might be a tedious part of being self emplyed? Over Christmas I thought it would be good if a quote for a job could be quickly created using a smartphone or simple web site and sent to the customer electronically. I think it would only take about 2-3 minutes to create and send a simple quote like this.
If anyone thinks this would be useful please let me know in the thread below or by a private forum message. I do a little programming in my job and I'd like to have a go at creating such a system but only if it would be useful.
Thanks
Steve

Good question, however, IMHO there is no better way to estimate and sell a job than a personal site examination followed by an estimate or job proposal. I like a saying I read Monday: If you think hiring a professional is expensive wait until you hire an amateur. A buyer may want to get quotes for a job even though they know little about the job process. If that is attempted by smart phone just to save time, either the buyer or the seller will get the short end of the wishbone. And still, to this day, a lot of people don't use a smart phone for anything more than a phone. When prospects call to ask what is my fee to do work I give huge range in price to wake them up to the fact that 1. The job must be visually assessed for what is needed and how it can be achieved, 2. Our work is often complex and might involve other tradespeople or specialists, 3. I do not yield to price shoppers and I run a waiting list all year long, 4. My work is done safely in professional manner with no spectators nearby, and 5. The cost of doing business has forced us to make an appointment for the assessment and I will be paid to do the estimate trip. If the caller challenges these issues, I do not need to continue the conversation as there is plenty of work to keep us going. I have been in this business since 1998 in the same town and apprenticed for six years beforehand.

 

[2treeornot2tree]

There is already a handful of apps that you can prepare and email a quote.

Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk

 

[Steve1970]

@Sherman, thanks for you reply. I was thinking the quote would proceed in the usual way, the person would attend the house, discuss requirements with the customer, begin to formulate a price in their mind....At the end of the meeting they'd go to their vehicle (or back home) and create and send the formal quote in a few minutes.

@2treeornot2tree, thanks. Would you mind posting a few links to these other apps? I'm going to use this example to teach myself Ruby on Rails, so if there are other apps out there I'm not bothered. If what I build is useful then so much the better.

regards
Steve

 

[Sherman]

@Sherman, thanks for you reply. I was thinking the quote would proceed in the usual way, the person would attend the house, discuss requirements with the customer, begin to formulate a price in their mind....At the end of the meeting they'd go to their vehicle (or back home) and create and send the formal quote in a few minutes.

@2treeornot2tree, thanks. Would you mind posting a few links to these other apps? I'm going to use this example to teach myself Ruby on Rails, so if there are other apps out there I'm not bothered. If what I build is useful then so much the better.

regards
Steve

Steve, please follow through back to this thread so we can learn from you. Good discussion. I want to add the apps to my iPad.
Sherm

 

[old_soul]

Tree work quotes are much different than home improvement. Most people are price shopping and just looking for the lowest bid.

Whereas in building trades you need to spec out certain tile, pipe etc. which may involve researching price and availability. Which adds a considerable amount of time to creating an estimate for the customer.

I still mail out written quotes to our customers even though it does take a few days for me to send them. If they can't wait for the mail to come, then they sure are not going to want to wait 6 weeks to schedule the job.

I would say 90% of our customers are old people, they would not look kindly on a quote sent by "smart phone" lol

 

[JimmyTree]

Tree work quotes are much different than home improvement. Most people are price shopping and just looking for the lowest bid.

Whereas in building trades you need to spec out certain tile, pipe etc. which may involve researching price and availability. Which adds a considerable amount of time to creating an estimate for the customer.

I still mail out written quotes to our customers even though it does take a few days for me to send them. If they can't wait for the mail to come, then they sure are not going to want to wait 6 weeks to schedule the job.

I would say 90% of our customers are old people, they would not look kindly on a quote sent by "smart phone" lol