The 10 questions every estimate call should capture (and the order to ask them)
An estimate call is the cheapest hour you'll spend on a job, and most of them end with a name, a number and "he'll call you back." Here are the ten things to get before you hang up, in the order that keeps the caller talking, and why each one matters on the visit.
Why the order matters
Start with "what's your name and number?" and you sound like a form. Start with the job and you sound like someone who can help. The order below goes from what the caller wants to talk about (their problem) to what you need (their details) to what you both need (a time). By the time you're asking for the email, they've already decided you're the one coming out.
The ten
1. What's the job?
Ask: "What are you looking to have done?" Then let them talk. Follow with one or two trade questions: interior or exterior, how many rooms, is it a repair or a replacement, is it leaking right now.
What it saves: the wrong estimator, the wrong truck, a visit for work you don't do. And if they already told you ("I need my deck stained"), don't ask again. Confirm it in a few words and move on. Asking a question they just answered is the fastest way to sound like you weren't listening.
2. Where is it, with the city?
Ask: "And what's the address?" Then: "That's in [city], right?"
What it saves: the drive to an address outside your area, and the estimator typing it into a map. The city matters more than people think: street names repeat across suburbs.
3. When are they hoping to have it done?
Ask: "Is there a date you're working toward?" A wedding, a listing, a move-in, before winter.
What it saves: a quote for a job you can't fit in their window, and it tells you how warm the lead is. "Sometime next year" and "before the house goes on the market in three weeks" are different calls.
4. First and last name
Ask: "And who am I speaking with?" Then: "And your last name?"
What it saves: the estimator showing up and saying "Mike?" to a Michael. Ask for the name on its own. Don't ask for the name and the phone number in one question; people answer one and skip the other.
5. The best phone number, read back
Ask: "What's the best number to reach you at?" Then read it back, digit by digit.
What it saves: the appointment you can't confirm because one digit is wrong. The number on your caller ID isn't always the one they want texts on.
6. An email
Ask: "And an email for the confirmation and the written quote?" Spell it back.
What it saves: the quote that never gets delivered. Some people won't give one. Ask once and move on.
7. Who else is deciding?
Ask: "Will anyone else be part of the decision? It helps if they can be there for the estimate."
What it saves: the visit where you present to one spouse and get "I'll have to talk to my husband." The buyer types page is about this one; it changes how the visit should go.
8. How did they find you?
Ask: "Can I ask how you heard about us?"
What it saves: money, over a year. If you don't know which ads and referrals turn into booked estimates, you're guessing where to spend. One question, every call, and you'll know by spring.
9. Is anything making it urgent?
Ask: "Is there anything going on that makes this urgent? Water coming in, a safety thing, an inspection?"
What it saves: treating an emergency like a Thursday estimate. For HVAC, plumbing and roofing this is the question that decides whether the call goes to the on-call phone right now. The after-hours page covers what to do with the answer.
10. A booked time, confirmed back
Ask: "I've got Thursday at 10 or Friday at 2. Which is better?" Then: "So that's Thursday the 16th at 10 a.m., and you'll get a text confirming it."
What it saves: everything. A call that ends with "I'll call you back with some times" is a call you'll make twice. Offer two times, book one, say it back. If you can't book on the call, set a specific next step: "I'll text you two times by 5 today."
What's not on the list
- The price. On a call, the price question gets one of three answers, and none of them is a guess. Here they are.
- The budget. Some trades ask it. Most homeowners don't have one or won't say it, and asking too early sounds like you're sizing them up. If you ask, ask it after the time is booked.
- The whole story. You'll get it at the house. The call is for enough to send the right person, prepared.
Put it on a card
Ten lines, by the phone, or in the notes on your cell. Whoever answers, whether it's you, your spouse or the office, works down the card. After a month, the calls get shorter and the visits get better, because the estimator arrives knowing the job, the deadline, who's deciding and what's urgent.
How we hold our AI to it
This list is what our AI receptionist, Alex, is graded on. After every call it handles, the call is checked against a checklist: found out the job, got the address with the city, first and last name, phone, email, booked or set a next step, confirmed it back, answered without guessing, ended cleanly. The owner sees the score for each call, and when Alex missed one, the exact line it said and what to say instead. If a step didn't apply (the caller only had a question), it's marked not needed rather than missed. Before the visit, the assigned rep gets a text with what the call captured, so the ten questions turn into a prepared estimator, not a note on a pad.
Questions contractors ask
What should I ask on an estimate call?
The job, the address with the city, their timeline, first and last name, the best phone number read back, an email, who else is deciding, how they found you, whether anything makes it urgent, and a booked time you confirm back. In that order.
Should I ask for the name first?
No. Start with the job. People call to talk about their problem, and once they've described it they'll give you their details without thinking about it. Leading with name and number sounds like a form.
Why ask who else is deciding?
Because the estimate where one spouse says "I'll have to check with my wife" is a second visit or a lost job. If both deciders are home for the estimate, you present once.
Should I ask for a budget on the phone?
Usually not. Most homeowners don't have one or won't say it, and asking early sounds like you're sizing them up. If your trade needs it, ask after the time is booked.
What if the caller won't give an email?
Ask once, say what it's for (the confirmation and the written quote), and move on. A phone number read back is the one you can't skip.
How does an AI receptionist handle this list?
Ours works through the core of this list on every call and is graded on it afterward: job, address with city, name, phone, email, booked, confirmed back, answered without guessing, clean ending. The owner sees each call's score and where it slipped.
Fifteen minutes. We call your business number, run a real call, and show you what happens after it. You decide.
Book a demoRelated: what to say when a caller asks for a price, know who you're walking into, how to follow up on estimates that go cold, and why an AI receptionist for a home service business.