A morning of surveys, one booking
Five enquiries for a new combi. Each one needs someone to look at the existing boiler, the flue, where the gas meter is, whether there's a hot water cylinder to take out, the condensate route and the controls. Your surveyor does three visits before lunch. One books. Two were comparing prices and have already had a quote from a firm that priced from photos.
That's a morning of skilled time spent on people who weren't ready to buy.
Why you can't quote from a phone call
Customers describe their boiler by brand, not by what matters: flue type and position, the size and route of the gas pipe, where condensate can go, whether they have a system boiler with a cylinder or a combi. Photos help, but when customers are left to take them, you get the front of the boiler and nothing else.
| What you need | What customers send |
|---|---|
| Boiler and data badge | The front of the casing |
| Flue outside, with surroundings | Nothing |
| Gas meter and pipe route | Nothing |
| Cylinder and airing cupboard | Not realising it matters |
| Condensate route | Not knowing what it is |
Conversions are where it matters most. Going from a system boiler with a cylinder to a combi changes the pipework, the hot water arrangement and the flue position, and the price depends on details the customer cannot describe. Without good photos, you either overquote to be safe or visit to find out.
What free surveys cost
Surveyor time is expensive and limited, and in winter it competes with breakdowns. Customers who were serious wait longer for a price while you're out visiting price-checkers. And firms that quote from photos get their price in front of the customer first.
Winter makes it worse. When your engineers are stretched with breakdowns, surveys for replacement boilers slip, and the customer whose old boiler has just been condemned needs a price quickly. Those are the jobs you least want to lose.
The photo survey we build
- Guided steps: the customer follows a page on their phone that asks for each photo in turn, with an example and a plain instruction, such as 'stand outside and photograph where the flue comes out, including the windows nearby'.
- Photo checks: an image model checks each photo is usable and shows roughly the right thing, and asks for a retake if not. It doesn't make any technical judgement.
- Questions: simple questions about the house, number of bathrooms and hot water use.
- Estimator view: your estimator sees the photos, answers and a draft price from your own rules for boiler type, flue, gas and cylinder work.
- Decision: the estimator sends a quote, or books a survey with a clear reason, so the customer knows why a visit is needed.
- Follow-up: unaccepted quotes are followed up at the interval you set, with a link to book an install date.
We write the photo steps with your estimator, in the words your customers understand, and test them on a few real enquiries before they go live.
Surveys only where they're needed
Straightforward swaps are quoted from the office. Surveys are kept for the jobs that need a closer look, and your surveyor arrives already knowing what they'll see. Customers get a price faster. Your engineer on site finds fewer surprises, because the photos are kept with the job.
Your estimator still makes every pricing and technical decision.
The photos are also useful evidence later. If a customer says the flue was always in a certain place, or that the old boiler had no filter, the survey photos settle it without argument.
Is this you?
- Most boiler enquiries need a visit before you can quote.
- Many surveyed customers never book.
- Photos customers send are of the wrong things.
- Other firms get their quote in before yours.
- Install engineers find surprises the survey missed.