When we talk to trade business owners about follow-up, one question comes up more often than any other: should I text or email?
We decided to stop guessing and start measuring. Here's what we found.
The Numbers
Across follow-ups sent through WinYourQuote, the difference between SMS and email is stark:
Open rates:
- SMS: 97%
- Email: 21%
Response rates (when a follow-up was the first contact after quote send):
- SMS: 38%
- Email: 11%
Conversion to job (quote accepted after receiving a follow-up):
- SMS: 29%
- Email: 9%
Put simply: SMS follow-ups are roughly 3x more likely to result in a booked job than email follow-ups.
Why SMS Wins for Trade Businesses
The reasons aren't complicated.
1. Texts get read immediately. The average person checks their SMS within 3 minutes of receiving it. Compare that to email, where unread messages pile up in a crowded inbox for hours — or days.
2. Trade customers expect SMS. The relationship between a tradesperson and a homeowner is personal. You come to their home, you shake their hand, you talk about their family. An SMS feels natural in that context. An email feels corporate.
3. SMS requires less effort to reply to. Replying to a text is a two-second tap. Replying to an email means opening an app, navigating a thread, composing a response. The friction is real.
4. SMS cuts through notification fatigue. The average person receives 120 emails per day. They receive far fewer texts from business contacts. Your message stands out.
When Email Still Has a Role
This isn't a complete dismissal of email. There are situations where it works better:
For the initial quote: Send your detailed quote by email. Customers need to be able to read it carefully, reference it later, forward it to a partner, and print it. Email is the right channel for documents.
For commercial clients: Property managers, business owners, and builders often prefer email for business correspondence. When in doubt, match the channel they first used to contact you.
For attaching updated quotes: If you're sending a revised quote with new pricing or scope, email is the cleaner choice.
The rule of thumb: Quote by email, follow up by SMS.
The Message Matters Too
Channel choice matters, but so does the message itself. The best-performing SMS follow-ups share a few characteristics:
They're short. 2–3 sentences maximum. Anything longer starts to feel like a marketing message.
They reference the specific job. "The quote for your kitchen reno" is better than "the quote I sent."
They end with an easy next step. "Happy to answer any questions" or "just let me know if you'd like to go ahead" gives the customer a clear path forward without pressure.
They sound like a person. Contractions, casual tone, no corporate language. "Just checking in" beats "I am following up regarding."
The best-performing template we've seen:
"Hi [Name], just checking in on the quote for [job type] — happy to answer any questions or adjust anything. Cheers, [Your name]"
That's it. 22 words. It converts at 31% in our data.
What About Calls?
Phone calls have their place, but they're the wrong channel for initial follow-ups. Here's why:
- You're likely to get voicemail, which creates an awkward dynamic
- Customers who are at work or in a meeting feel ambushed
- A call feels like more pressure than a text
Use calls for: Larger jobs (over $10,000), when you've already had an SMS exchange and they seem engaged, or when a customer has specifically said they prefer to talk on the phone.
Don't use calls for: Cold follow-ups to customers you haven't heard back from.
Setting Up SMS Follow-Ups
The simplest approach is to build SMS into your quote workflow manually:
- After sending a quote, note the customer's mobile number and the send date
- Set a reminder for 48 hours later
- Send the template above
For businesses sending more than 5–10 quotes per week, this quickly becomes a time drain. WinYourQuote automates the entire sequence — you send the quote, and the SMS follow-up goes out automatically at the right time. If the customer replies, the sequence stops.
Either way, start texting. The data is clear.
