Quoting software for tradies and builders: what to check before you pay

Good quoting software lets you build a priced quote from saved items in a few minutes, send it from your phone, and see whether the homeowner opened it. The features that matter most are the ones after you hit send: reminders, status and a clear accept step. Many trade businesses never set those up, and quotes go quiet after they are sent.

This guide is a checklist. It names no products, because the right choice depends on your trade, your volume and how you already work.

What you need it to do

Start with the job, not the feature list. A quote has to do four things.

1. Get the price out quickly, while the homeowner is still thinking about you.
2. Show the scope clearly, so the homeowner knows what is and is not included.
3. Make it easy to say yes.
4. Tell you what happened after you sent it.

If a tool does the first three but not the fourth, you have a faster way to lose track of quotes. Write down how many quotes you send in a normal month and how many you currently lose track of. That is the number the software has to improve.

Quoting software features that matter on the tools

Check these on the phone you carry. A lot of quoting happens in the ute or on the driveway.

• Saved items and templates. Can you save your common jobs, materials and labour rates, and edit a line without rebuilding the quote? A template that is slower than a blank page will not get used.
• Scope wording. Is there room for inclusions, exclusions and assumptions in plain words? Queensland’s building regulator tells homeowners to compare quotes that price the same work, specifications, materials, finishes, labour and timelines (QBCC, Seeking and comparing quotes). Software should let your scope run to as many lines as it needs.
• Options. Can you give a good, better, best choice on one quote, or do you have to send three?
• Photos and attachments. Can you attach site photos, drawings and product sheets?
• Your branding and licence details. Does the quote carry your business name and licence number where your state requires it? Rules differ by state, so check yours with the regulator.
• Quote to invoice. When a quote is accepted, can it become a deposit invoice and later a progress or final invoice without retyping?
• Taxes and rounding. Does it handle GST (or the sales tax rule where you are) the way your accountant expects? Ask your accountant.

The follow-up features most people skip

This is the part that earns its keep. Often a homeowner does not reply to a quote because they are busy, unsure or comparing, not because the price is wrong. We cover why in why builder quotes go quiet.

Look for these.

• Status you can see. Sent, viewed, accepted, declined. Even a plain list sorted by status helps.
• Reminders for you. A prompt on day two, day seven and day fourteen that tells you which quote to chase. You do the calling.
• Reminders to them. A short message that goes out on a schedule if you want it to. Check you can edit the wording so it sounds like you, and switch it off for a particular quote.
• A note on each quote. What did the homeowner say on the phone? When did they say they would decide?
• Expiry date. Prices change. Can the quote say how long it is valid?
• A way to reopen a lost quote. Declined or old quotes should stay searchable so you can go back to them. Reopening quiet quotes is often cheap work.

If you want the follow-up message itself, see a follow-up email after a quote. The software only helps you send it on time.

Questions to ask before you sign up

Put these to the vendor, in writing if you can.

1. What does it cost per month at my size, and what moves me to the next price? Are there set-up or per-user fees?
2. Is there a contract term? What happens if I cancel?
3. Can I export all my quotes, customers and items to a file I can open anywhere? If you leave, you should be able to take your records with you.
4. Where is my data held, and who can see it?
5. Does the homeowner need to create an account to view or accept a quote? If so, some will not bother.
6. If the software is down on the morning I need to send a quote, what do I do?
7. Does it connect to the accounting software my bookkeeper uses?
8. Who helps me in business hours, and how do I reach them?

Beware of a tool that does everything. Quoting, scheduling, payroll, timesheets and stock control in one place can be good for a business with an office. For a one or two person operation it can be a lot of screens for something you do on a phone.

Running a trial with real quotes

Do not test with a made-up job. Use three real quotes you need to send anyway.

1. Time yourself building each one, from a blank screen to ready to send. Note where you got stuck.
2. Send them to real homeowners. You do not need to tell them you are testing, but check that the quote looks right on a phone.
3. Watch the status for a week. Did you know when each was opened? Did the reminders prompt you at sensible times?
4. Ask one homeowner how it was to receive and accept.
5. Try to get your data out. If export is hard during the trial, it will be harder later.

After the trial, compare the time it took against your normal method. If it is not faster, or you did not follow up any better, it is not worth paying for.

When a spreadsheet is enough

A spreadsheet and a saved document template will do for many small businesses. If you send a handful of quotes a month, a template for the quote and a simple list of who you quoted, on what date, for how much and what you said you would do next works fine.

The test is whether you look at the list every week. A spreadsheet you open every Monday beats software you never log in to. Move to software when the list is too long to read, when you are missing follow-ups, or when re-keying the same figures into invoices is costing you time.

If you would rather not run this yourself, PreBuild can follow up quotes for you or build a system to keep track of enquiries and quotes.

Common questions

What is the difference between quoting and estimating software?

Estimating tools work out cost from quantities, takeoffs and rates. Quoting tools turn a price into a document you send and track. Some do both. A small trade business often needs the second more than the first.

Do I need quote and invoice software in one?

It helps if you want an accepted quote to turn into a deposit invoice without retyping. It is not essential. Check that your invoices still match what your accountant needs.

Should the software send reminders to homeowners automatically?

Only if you can edit the wording and stop it per quote. Automatic messages that sound like a machine can annoy a homeowner who has already spoken to you. Reminders to you are the safer feature.

Is free quoting software worth it?

It can be, for a handful of quotes a month. Ask how you export your data, what happens at the free limit, and whether the quote carries your name and licence details properly.