Good visit, no reply
The surveyor had a good visit. The homeowner liked the sample of the flush casement, asked about the difference between uPVC and aluminium, and wanted to talk to their partner about the colour. The quote went out two days later. Then nothing. The surveyor meant to ring but had five more visits that week. Two weeks later the homeowner mentions, when finally called, that they went with another company who had been back in touch with a photo of a similar house.
Why window quotes stall
Replacing windows is a big, infrequent purchase, and homeowners take time. They compare quotes, discuss colours, wait for a bonus or check their savings. That pause is normal. What loses the job is silence from your side, or a generic chaser that ignores what they said.
- The homeowner's questions and hesitations are not recorded at the visit.
- Follow-up relies on the surveyor, whose diary is full.
- Chasers are generic, asking whether they have made a decision.
- Quotes are not reviewed as a list, so stalled ones go unnoticed.
- Lost quotes are not recorded with a reason.
What silence costs
Each home visit costs a surveyor's time, fuel and the marketing that produced the lead. A quote that goes quiet without a proper follow-up throws that away. Because homeowners usually get several quotes, the installer who stays in helpful contact, with something relevant to their choice, is often the one they pick even if the price is similar.
Follow-up tied to each quote
- At the visit, the surveyor ticks a few quick fields: what the homeowner is unsure about, such as colour, style, material, price or timing, and whether they are getting other quotes.
- Follow-up tasks are scheduled from those fields, not on a fixed calendar, and appear in the surveyor's or office's day list.
- Messages are drafted from the quote and the notes, for example photos of fitted frames in the colour they were considering, or an explanation of the material they asked about. A person approves before anything goes.
- Homeowners who said they are waiting until a later month are contacted then, not next week.
- Stalled quotes appear in a weekly list for the owner or sales manager.
- When a quote is lost, the reason is recorded, so patterns in price, product or speed become visible.
| What the homeowner said | Follow-up it sets |
|---|---|
| Not sure about anthracite grey | Photos of fitted frames in that colour nearby |
| Getting two more quotes | Early contact before those visits happen |
| Waiting until spring | Contact planned for the start of spring |
| Worried about the price | Call to discuss options, such as fewer frames first |
If you use a CRM such as HubSpot or Salesforce, we build this there, or connect your quoting software to it.
The difference in the sales pipeline
Surveyors spend their follow-up time on the homeowners most likely to go ahead, with something helpful to say. The office sees every live quote and its state. Homeowners hear from you at the right time with something relevant. And the lost reasons tell you, over a few months, whether you are losing on price, speed or product.
None of this makes a hard-sell operation. Follow-ups are based on what the homeowner said, and a person approves each one, so the tone stays yours.
Sound familiar?
- Quotes go out and you never hear back from a large share of them.
- Surveyors follow up when they have time, which is rarely.
- You do not know why quotes are lost.
- Homeowners have told you another company kept in touch better.
- Nobody reviews open quotes as a list.