Start with the last real response
A sent estimate tells you that your team issued a price. It does not tell you that the customer received it, understood it or is ready to decide. Start with the estimate version, the last customer response and the next action you agreed.
If those details are missing, the first job is to recover the context. Ask the person who sent the estimate. Check whether a reply is sitting in another conversation. Avoid treating a missing update in your records as proof that the customer ignored you.
Choose the branch that matches the situation
On a small screen, swipe or scroll sideways to read the full table.
| What you know | Useful next action | Owner |
|---|---|---|
| Receipt is unclear | Check that the correct estimate reached the right person. | Person who sent it |
| The scope needs changing | Clarify whether the request replaces the earlier scope or adds an alternative; label the current version or options. | Estimator |
| The customer needs time | Agree whether and when another conversation would help. | Customer-facing team member |
| The customer accepts | Confirm the acceptance requirements and the next operational step. | Named handoff recipient |
| The customer declines or asks you to stop | Record that decision and stop unnecessary follow-up. | Current owner |
A revision is not a reminder problem
Fictional example: a customer asks whether an estimate includes repairing a second room. The office records “waiting for reply,” then schedules another check-in. The customer is actually waiting on the business.
Change the next action to “Estimator to confirm the second room and issue the revised estimate.” Keep the old version visible as history, but make the current version obvious. The improvement is an accurate handoff, not a more persuasive message.
Is this a replacement or another option?
Fictional example: A customer is considering a hallway estimate and asks for a price that also includes the ceiling. Before replacing the original, the estimator asks whether the customer wants a revised scope or both options for comparison.
On a small screen, swipe or scroll sideways to read the full table.
| Request | What to make clear |
|---|---|
| Correct or replace the earlier scope. | Identify the current revision and which earlier version it replaces. Keep the earlier record as history. |
| Add a ceiling option beside the hallway-only estimate. | Label both alternatives and explain what differs. Do not silently mark the base option obsolete. |
| Change work that was already agreed. | Send the request to the person who handles changes under the actual agreement. Do not treat a request as an accepted change. |
The next-action note should name what the customer is being asked to decide. In this example, “choose hallway only or hallway plus ceiling” is clearer than “review the latest quote.” If the customer has not clarified the request yet, keep that question open before issuing competing versions.
Write a useful next-action note
Waiting on: our estimator.
Next action: confirm the additional room and send the revised estimate.
Owner: assigned estimator.
Due: the date agreed with the customer.
Stop or change: customer withdraws the request or changes the scope.
Use a named person or an explicitly owned team queue. “Follow up” alone leaves the purpose, timing and responsibility open to interpretation.
Know when another message is not the answer
Price, timing, trust, capacity and fit can all influence a decision. A clean follow-up process does not remove those factors. Respect a refusal or request to stop. Do not create an endless sequence simply because a status is still open.
Start with a shared list if it can hold the current version, responsible person and agreed action reliably. Consider help managing follow-up when the next steps keep getting lost despite a clear team routine.
Explore Keep the next action from getting lost. for related questions and a useful starting point.