Guide · October 30, 2026

You sent the estimate and heard nothing: what to do next

Most quiet clients are not saying no. They are busy, comparing two other bids, or waiting for you to ask again. A short, friendly follow-up on the right day often decides who gets the job.

A schedule you can keep

Day 0: send the estimate and tell the client what happens next. "I will check in Thursday."
Day 2: one short message. Ask a question that is easy to answer.
Day 5 to 7: one more, with a clear offer. A call, or a visit to walk through the numbers.
After that, stop. Put a date on the calendar to try once more in a month, and move on.

Two messages that get answers

Keep both to two lines. No "just checking in". Ask something the client can answer in one word.

Hi Emma, did the estimate come through okay? Happy to go over any line with you, a quick call is enough.

Answer where the client wrote

If the client texted you, text back. If they wrote in a marketplace chat, answer there. A letter to someone who lives in text messages is one more thing to ignore. And always write down the next try the moment you send this one.

How it works in WorkTime CRM

On the Dashboard, "Recent Estimates" shows what the client did with each estimate: opened, how many times, or "Not opened" with the days since it was sent. It turns amber after two days and red after five, so you know whom to message first.

Open the conversation in the Inbox. Under the chat, "Write via" lets you answer by Thumbtack, SMS or Email, and "✨ AI text" writes a draft from this client's history. You edit it and press Send. A small ⚡ in the list marks a client waiting on your move, for example an estimate opened but not signed.

To not forget, use "Remind in 2 days" in the ⋯ menu of an estimate on the Clients page. It lands on the shared Calendar. When you send a text or an email from inside a Follow-up on the calendar, it closes by itself and sets a "Check for a reply" reminder three days ahead.

The Inbox of WorkTime CRM: conversations on the left, one client's Thumbtack chat on the right with Write via Thumbtack, SMS, Email and an AI text button — Open the client, see the whole conversation, answer on the same channel. Demo company, made-up people.

Questions

How many times should I follow up?+

Two or three times over about a week is normal. After that, one try a month later. More than that starts to feel like pressure.

Should I call or text?+

Use the channel the client used with you. If they texted first, text first. Call if the estimate is large and they have opened it more than once.

What does WorkTime CRM cost?+

7 days free, no card needed, then $99 a month per company. Texts go through your own Twilio account, which Twilio bills.

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