Who can help a small building firm automate its quoting?
An independent automation consultant can help a small building firm automate its quoting, working alongside whoever already looks after its IT. I'm Will Darbey, and Practical Automation is my one-person AI and IT consultancy for UK small and medium businesses. Slow quoting is the problem trade owners raise with me most. Start with a free 30 minute call.
What "automating quoting" means for a building firm
It's rarely about new software from scratch. Usually it means a setup that catches an inbound quote request as it lands, handles the early back and forth, and moves the enquiry along before you've had to sit down and do the admin yourself. One flooring business owner I spoke to wanted a customer to enter the size of a room, get a rough estimate straight away, then a 'take this further' step. That works for work priced by area. Most building jobs need a visit first, so there the automatic step is more likely to be gathering the details and booking the visit.
The point isn't just speed for its own sake. The same owner said what he'd actually want from it: something that "cuts out the noise to real people who actually want business." Speed helps, but the bigger win is sorting the serious enquiries from the rest, so the serious ones get your time before they go cold while you're on site.
How I'd actually work with you
The first conversation is a free 30 minute call. I record it, with your say-so, so I'm not taking notes while you talk. I ask what's slow, what's costing you jobs, and how quoting actually happens day to day, on site as much as in the office. There's nothing to sign and nothing built until we've agreed what's worth doing. From there I write it up as a plain English document reflecting your process back to you, so you can check I've understood it before anything gets built.
I don't replace whoever already looks after your IT. This work sits alongside them, filling in the gap they haven't got round to or don't want to take on, not taking over your systems generally. If you don't have anyone looking after your IT, that's fine too.
Worth saying too: some of this you can try yourself first, with an autoresponder, a shared inbox, or a simple form on your own website. If that gets you most of the way, it's worth trying before paying anyone.
What I won't take on
If what you need turns out to be too big, or outside what I do well, I'll tell you on the call rather than take it on. I'd rather point you somewhere better than build you something that doesn't fit. I also don't provide ongoing IT support or manage Microsoft 365. That stays with your IT provider.