How to turn website enquiries into jobs
By Harry Pickering ·
Getting people to your website is only half the battle. The other half is what happens after they hit "send". For a lot of trade businesses, that's where good jobs quietly go cold.
Here's where enquiries get lost, and a simple process to turn more of them into work, whether you're a plumber, sparky, chippy, painter or handyman.
Where website enquiries go cold
Follow a typical enquiry:
- A homeowner finds you on their phone at 8:30pm.
- They fill in "Contact us" with "need a quote for a leaking shower".
- You see it the next day between jobs.
- You ring. No answer. You leave a message.
- They ring back while you're under a house.
- By the time you talk, they've had two other quotes.
Nobody did anything wrong. There were just too many steps between "I need this done" and "you've got the job".
Step 1: Collect the right details the first time
Every question you have to ask later is another round of phone tag. Ask on the form:
- what the job is (from a short list of your usual jobs)
- the suburb
- photos
- when they'd like you there
- how they want to be contacted
More on this in our guide to online quote forms for tradie websites.
Step 2: Answer straight away, even if it isn't you
Customers often contact several businesses at once. The first business to give a useful answer has a real advantage. You can't drop tools every time your website gets a message, so let the website respond:
- At minimum: an automatic reply that says what happens next and when.
- Better: a price for common jobs, worked out from your own rates, shown while they're still on your site.
Software can answer 24/7. You don't have to.
Step 3: Show a price, or a clear next step
"We'll be in touch" is a dead end. Give the customer something to act on:
- a price for the job they described, or
- an honest "this one needs a look on site, here's how that works."
Jobs you haven't priced can still come to you to quote yourself. Nothing is lost.
Step 4: Let them ask for a time
Once someone has a price, the next question is always "when can you come?" Let them pick an arrival window that suits them and send it as a booking request.
The key word is request. You look at it, check it fits your week, and approve it. Approve the customer's requested time and the job's yours. If it doesn't suit, you sort out another time. Either way you've skipped three phone calls.
Step 5: Review requests once or twice a day
Set a habit: check new requests at smoko and at knock-off. Look at the photos, check the price makes sense, approve or follow up. Ten minutes, twice a day, beats chasing callbacks all week.
Step 6: Follow up once on quotes that went quiet
If someone got a price but didn't send a request, one short, friendly follow-up a day or two later is fine: "Just checking you got the price for your shower. Happy to answer any questions." One message, not five.
Step 7: Make sure the quote option is everywhere
Customers rarely land on your contact page first. They land on a service page from Google. Put your quote button or widget on every page, and make sure it works on mobile.
On WordPress, Wix or Squarespace, a widget is usually a small snippet pasted once for the whole site. See our install guide.
The process on one page
| Stage | Old way | Better way |
|---|---|---|
| Enquiry | "Describe your job" box | Job type, suburb, photos, preferred time |
| First reply | Next day, by phone | On your website, any hour |
| Price | After a callback or visit | Shown from your own rates for common jobs |
| Timing | Phone tag | Customer requests a window, you approve it |
| Your time | Scattered all day | Two short review sessions |
FAQ
Why do my website enquiries never turn into jobs? Usually it's slow replies, missing details and too many calls before a price. Fix the form, show a price sooner, and let customers request a time.
Should I let customers book themselves? Letting them request a time, which you then approve, gets you the speed without losing control of your schedule.
How fast should I reply to a website enquiry? As quickly as you reasonably can. Customers often contact several businesses, so an automatic answer with a useful next step helps.
Do I need a new website to do this? No. Most quote and booking-request widgets add to the site you already have.
Instaquote does steps 2 to 4 on your existing website: a quote from your own rates, photos, and a booking request you approve. No subscription, and you only pay when the job's done. Find out more.