Answer an instant-price request by explaining what you can confirm now, what you still need and what will happen next. If you cannot price the work from the information given, make the missing detail specific.
A useful response moves the conversation forward. “It depends” leaves the customer to work out the next question; “I need to know whether this includes the oven and inside windows” gives them something they can answer.
Decide what prevents a useful answer
Before replying, identify the actual gap. It may be the extent of the work, location, access, materials or whether an assessment is needed. Ask the smallest set of questions that changes your next decision.
If your business already offers a defined service at a published price, use its current description and exclusions. This worksheet is for handling the conversation; it is not a method for calculating a price or changing your commercial terms.
Copy a reply that explains the next step
“Thanks for asking about [work]. Before I can discuss the price, please confirm [specific missing detail] and [second detail if needed]. You can send those here or use [our enquiry link] to keep the request and optional photos together. I will then explain whether we can quote from that information or need an assessment.”
If a visit is the next step, explain its purpose and any applicable charge before agreeing it. Give a response time only when it reflects how your business actually operates.
Use a three-column scope worksheet
In your existing notes, write “confirmed”, “unknown” and “next action”. Keep customer assumptions out of the confirmed column until you have clarified them.
- Confirmed: tasks and areas the customer has explicitly requested.
- Unknown: the detail that changes your assessment or pricing process.
- Next action: one question, a call or an explanation of a proposed visit.
- After the conversation: record the scope you actually discussed and any remaining conditions in your usual quotation or job record.
Worked example: an end-of-tenancy cleaning price
Fictional example: a cleaner receives “How much for a two-bedroom flat?” The confirmed column contains the property type and bedroom count. Unknowns include bathrooms, whether the property will be empty and which extras the customer wants considered.
The owner replies with those questions instead of inventing a figure. The customer says the flat will be empty and asks about the oven. The owner can now explain the business’s next quoting step. A photo may add context, but it does not automatically settle condition or scope.
Use the enquiry page to collect context
Enquiry Fox can hold the description, contact details and enabled optional details such as contact preference and photos in one saved request. It does not estimate the job, issue a quotation or agree a booking. You review the inbox, contact the customer and update the follow-up status after taking action.
If your current email exchange reliably captures this information, keep it. If repeated requests arrive with no usable brief, test the demo below using the cleaning example and see whether the saved request gives you a better starting point. Preview the branded page and review the current subscription only if it fills that gap.
Sources and further reading
Enquiry Fox helps service businesses collect enquiries. Assessment, quotations, service delivery and customer arrangements stay with the business.
Try the example customer formSee pricing and set up your enquiry page