Quote sent, no reply: how to follow up without having to remember it
The best time to follow up on a quote is three to five working days after sending it, with a short email and a question about the timeframe. That is the advice from Bosch officeON. bytebrise from Fürstenfeldbruck sets up a workflow for businesses in Upper Bavaria that sends this email by itself and stops as soon as there is a reply.
bytebrise GO is new in our range and runs in our own business, but not yet at customers. The example comes from Martin’s fictional joinery. You can also use the template further down without us.
Why quotes in a trade business go unanswered
A quote takes time: measuring up, calculating, writing. If no reply follows, the minute for a follow-up is often missing in everyday work, and after three weeks it feels awkward to get in touch at all.
On the other side, many customers get several quotes and decide when they have time. A friendly follow-up reminds them that your quote is still on the table and clarifies whether the project has been postponed.
You can see how many of your quotes stay open in your sent-mail folder. Count how many quotes from the last few months never got a reply. That is the number we work with in the first conversation.
When should you follow up on a quote?
Follow up on a quote for the first time after three to five working days and for the second time after ten to 14 days. The guide from Bosch officeON advises no more than two to three contacts at increasing intervals, accessed on 25 September 2026. After that, large jobs are better followed up by phone yourself.
| When | What | How |
|---|---|---|
| Day 0 | Quote goes out | With the date it is valid until and a sentence saying when you will be in touch again |
| After 3 to 5 working days | First follow-up email | Short, quote attached, one specific question |
| After 10 to 14 days | Second and last follow-up email | Even shorter, asking for a quick yes or no |
| After that | No more emails | You follow up on large jobs by phone yourself and let the rest go |
That is why our workflow sends no more than two follow-up emails. You make a third contact yourself if the job matters to you. The sentence in the quote about when you will be in touch has a side effect: the follow-up then does not come as a surprise.
Template: follow-up email to copy
A good follow-up email is short, refers to exactly one quote and asks a question that is easy to answer. Here are two versions to copy; you replace the details in square brackets.
Version 1: first follow-up with a question about the timeframe
Subject: Your quote [number] for [service] Dear [Ms/Mr surname], A few days ago we sent you our quote [number] for [service]. To be on the safe side, you will find it attached again. Does the [month] timeframe still work for you? If you have any questions about the quote or would like to change something, simply reply to this email or call us on [phone]. Kind regards [Your name] [Company]
Version 2: second and last follow-up
Subject: Still relevant? Quote [number] Dear [Ms/Mr surname], Is our quote [number] for [service] still relevant for you? If the project is no longer going ahead or you have changed your mind, a short reply is enough. We will then not contact you about this quote again. The quote is valid until [date]. Kind regards [Your name] [Company]
What to leave out when following up:
- Discounts in the follow-up email. Lowering the price when following up teaches customers to wait for the next reminder.
- Advertising for other services. The email sticks to the quote that was requested.
- Sentences like “I just wanted to check whether you have had time yet”. A specific question is easier to answer.
Call or write?
When following up on a quote, write if you only need to send a reminder and call if the job is large or something needs clarifying. The customer replies to an email as soon as they get round to it; a call clears up questions straight away. After two emails without a reply, pick up the phone for important jobs.
| Better to write | Better to call |
|---|---|
| Standard quotes and smaller jobs | Large jobs and regular customers |
| First and second reminder | After the second email without a reply, if the job matters to you |
| Customers who are hard to reach during the day | Customers who still had questions when you measured up |
How following up runs by itself
The workflow remembers every quote sent, checks after a few working days whether a reply has come in and otherwise sends your follow-up email. As soon as the customer replies, it stops.
| Step | What happens | Who acts |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Send the quote | You send the quote as usual, with a dedicated address copied in. The workflow remembers the customer, quote number and date. | You, as before |
| 2 Wait and check | After the agreed number of working days, the workflow checks whether the customer has replied or whether you have marked the quote as done. | Automatic |
| 3 First follow-up email | No reply: your first follow-up email goes out from your address, with the quote attached. | Automatic, text approved by you in advance |
| 4 Second follow-up email | Still no reply: after ten to 14 days, the second and last email goes out. | Automatic, text approved by you in advance |
| 5 A reply comes in | The workflow stops immediately, and the reply lands with you. | Automatic |
| 6 No reply | After the second email, the quote goes on your list: call about it or close it. | You |
The workflow stops as soon as one of these happens:
- The customer replies to the quote or to a follow-up email.
- The quote is marked as accepted, declined or done.
- The customer is on your exception list.
- Two follow-up emails have been sent.
If you would rather see every follow-up email first, it is ready as a draft and only goes out after your approval. The workflow then reminds you instead of writing to the customer itself.
Example: quote 2041, decking boards
This is how it could run in Martin’s joinery. The business and the customer are fictional.
| Day | What happens |
|---|---|
| Tuesday, day 0 | Quote 2041 for decking boards, totalling €4,800, goes to the customer, with the workflow’s address copied in. |
| Monday, day 6 | No reply, no rejection. The follow-up email goes out by itself, quote attached, with the question: “Does October still suit you?” |
| Tuesday, day 7 | Reply from the customer: “Yes, October suits us. Please schedule it.” The workflow stops, and the reply is with the master craftsman. |
How the workflow knows which quotes are open
The workflow needs one place where every quote is listed with date and customer. The simplest is a dedicated address that you copy in when sending a quote. That way it does not depend on your software, as long as you can copy in a second address when you send.
- Copy to a dedicated address: you add it as a bcc, and the workflow reads the customer, number and date from the email.
- Interface to your quoting software: we check with you whether your software has one. We cannot promise that in advance.
- A simple list: if you hand over quotes on paper or in person, enter them in a list that the workflow reads.
The workflow recognises replies by emails from the customer’s address or by the quote number in the subject line. If the customer calls, you send a short email such as “2041 done” to the workflow’s address or tick off the quote in the list. You do not need new trade software for this.
Is an automatic follow-up email advertising?
Whether an automatic follow-up email about a quote counts as advertising depends on the content and the individual case. We cannot give you legal advice on this. § 7 UWG (the German Act against Unfair Competition) classes advertising by electronic mail without prior express consent as an unreasonable nuisance. That is why our workflow only writes about a quote that was requested.
The workflow is narrowly built in other ways too: it promotes nothing else, stops immediately after a reply and sends no more than two reminders. How you assess this for your business is a legal question to clarify in each individual case.
What you approve once
During setup you decide what the emails say, when they go out and who is excluded. In everyday work you then only deal with the replies.
- the text of both follow-up emails
- the timing of both emails, with the schedule above as our suggestion
- exceptions, for example regular customers, quotes above an amount you set, or quotes where you will call anyway
- whether the emails go out by themselves or wait as drafts for your approval
- the address the emails are sent from
Requirements
You need quotes that go out by email or are kept in a list, access to the mailbox you send from, and approved texts. This workflow usually needs no AI at all; it follows a rule based on dates.
- Quotes as PDFs by email or a list of the quotes sent
- Access to the mailbox, to send from your address and recognise replies
- the approved texts for both follow-up emails
- in the first few weeks, brief feedback if an email went out too early, too late or to the wrong person
If you like, an AI can also sort customers’ replies, for example into acceptance, rejection or follow-up question. That is an add-on, not a requirement.
How do trade businesses in Upper Bavaria follow up on quotes?
As soon as a quote is recorded as open in bytebrise GO, GO prepares a short follow-up reminder with the quote attached after the agreed period. You approve it with one tap or switch it to automatic once for this workflow. If the customer replies, the workflow stops and you handle the reply yourself. We set this up from Fürstenfeldbruck for businesses in Munich and Upper Bavaria.
What does the “Following up on quotes” workflow cost?
The “Following up on quotes” workflow runs in bytebrise GO. GO costs €79 per month for one person, €149 for teams of up to five people and €399 for businesses of up to 20 people, and on request for more than 20 people. Setup costs a one-off €490, after which GO can be cancelled monthly. We clarify which channels and workflows we set up before the contract starts. The initial consultation is free.
All prices are final prices. Under § 19 UStG (the German small-business rule) no VAT is charged. All tiers are listed on the pricing page.
More about GO: bytebrise GO: automating inquiries, callbacks and appointments. If your business needs a workflow that GO does not cover, we build it as a custom build with its own price.
Frequently asked questions
How often can I follow up without being a nuisance?
Two emails at increasing intervals are a good guideline. The guide from Bosch officeON advises no more than two to three contacts. Our workflow sends no more than two; you make a third contact yourself if the job matters to you.
How many days after sending should I follow up on a quote?
The first follow-up after three to five working days, the second after ten to 14 days. For large jobs with a longer decision time, the intervals can be longer; you set the timing.
Is an automatic follow-up email advertising?
That depends on the content and the individual case. The workflow only writes about a quote that was requested, promotes nothing else and stops after a reply. The legal assessment under § 7 UWG (the German Act against Unfair Competition) is for you to clarify case by case.
Does this work with my quoting software?
We check that with you and do not promise it beforehand. If you can copy in a second address when you send a quote, that is enough, and the software does not matter.
What happens if the customer calls before the follow-up?
You mark the quote as done, for example with a short email to the workflow’s address or a tick in the list. Then no more follow-up emails go out.
Can the AI write or calculate my quotes?
No, that is not part of this workflow. You calculate quotes yourself or with your trade software. The workflow only makes sure that nobody forgets to follow up after sending.
What does the workflow cost?
The workflow runs in bytebrise GO: €79 per month for one person, €149 for teams of up to five people, €399 for businesses of up to 20 people, on request for more than 20 people. On top of that comes a one-off €490 setup fee, after which GO can be cancelled monthly.
Is this already running at other businesses?
GO already runs in our own business, but not yet at customers. bytebrise GO is new in our range, so we show a fictional example instead of customer figures.
Free initial consultation
Bring two or three quotes from the last few weeks that went unanswered. In 20 minutes we look at how they were sent and whether the workflow is worth it for you. We hold the conversation by phone or at our office in Fürstenfeldbruck, and we get back to you within one business day.
Prefer to reach us directly? Phone +49 8141 5098988, email hello@bytebrise.com, Balduin-Helm-Straße 71b, 82256 Fürstenfeldbruck.