Work unsold estimates on the Follow Up board

Overview#

The Follow Up board is your sales to-do list. Every open estimate becomes an opportunity on the board automatically, with its value, age, options and next step. You can also add leads by hand, like "wants a quote for a mini-split". Work the board each day: call the customers who need a call, resend the options link, and record which option the customer approved or why the sale was lost.

Before you start#

• To see the board you need jobs.read. Owners, admins, dispatchers, customer service, accounting and viewers all have it.

• To work the board (move cards, add tasks, log calls, send texts, mark lost) you need pipeline.write. Owners, admins, dispatchers and customer service have it. Accounting and viewers see the board read-only, without edit buttons.

• To record which option was approved on an estimate opportunity you also need estimates.write (owners, admins and dispatchers). Customer service sees "Ask a dispatcher or the owner to record which option was approved."

• Texts from the board go through your company's texting number. If texting isn't connected, texts are recorded as not sent and the panel tells you so.

Steps#

Open the board#

1. In the left menu, go to Follow Up › Estimates. The page is titled Follow Up.

2. Read the four tiles across the top:

   • Open pipeline: the sum of each open opportunity's highest option.

   • Close rate (30 days): won ÷ (won + lost), by the date each was decided. The line under it shows the 90-day rate.

   • Avg. days to close: from the estimate (or lead) to the sale, for opportunities won in the last 90 days.

   • Won (30 days): value of options sold in the last 30 days. A tile shows "—" when there isn't enough data yet, never a misleading zero.

3. Pick Board or List in the top right. Board shows columns; List shows a sortable table.

Understand the columns#

The board has five columns: New, Presented, Follow-up, Won and Lost. Each column header shows the card count and total value.

• An estimate with open options lands in Presented when it's created.

• When the first automatic follow-up text goes out, the card moves to Follow-up by itself.

• Leads you add by hand start in New.

• When the customer approves an option (on site, from the options link, or in the office), the card moves to Won.

• When every option is dismissed, the card moves to Lost and shows a Why lost? badge until someone picks a reason.

• Won and Lost columns show the last 30 days only.

Each card shows the customer, job number and summary, the option names, the value (a range when options differ, for example "$4,200.00–$9,800.00"), the age ("12 days old · 3d in stage"), a Viewed badge when the customer opened the options link, the next task, the automatic text status (for example "Auto text 2 of 3 · Mon, Oct 20") and the owner.

Filter the board#

1. Use the filter bar: Owner (Anyone, Me, Unassigned or a person), Business unit, Value ($500+, $1,000+, $5,000+, $10,000+) and Age (3+, 7+, 14+ or 30+ days old).

2. Click Apply. Click Clear to reset. Filters stay when you switch between Board and List.

Work one opportunity#

1. Click the customer name on a card. A side panel opens.

2. The biggest button is the next best action, chosen for you:

   • Call [first name] when the next task is a call and there's a phone number.

   • Text the options link when the customer hasn't opened the estimate and automatic texts aren't running.

   • Customer said yes otherwise.

   • A Why was it lost? form when every option was dismissed.

3. Under Quick actions you can Call, Resend options link, Open link, Mark won or Book a job.

4. To text the customer, type in Text [first name] and click Send text. Texts need a job on the opportunity.

5. To record a conversation, type in Log a call or note and click Log call or Add note.

6. To change the owner, pick a person in Owner and click Assign.

Add a follow-up task#

1. In the panel, under Tasks, choose Next task: Call, Text or Visit (schedule).

2. Pick a Due date and add an optional Note, such as "Ask about financing".

3. Click Add task. The task shows on the card. It turns red when overdue.

4. Click Done next to a task when you've finished it.

Record a win#

1. Click Customer said yes (or Mark won).

2. For an estimate, the panel asks Which option did they approve? Click Approved next to the option. This records the approval, bills that option on the job's invoice and dismisses the other options, just like approving on site.

3. For a lead you added by hand, enter Value won and click Mark won.

4. You can also drag a card into the Won column. For estimates, TradesWork opens the panel so you can pick the option.

Record a loss#

1. In the panel, open Mark lost.

2. Pick a Reason: Price too high, Couldn't get financing, Went with a competitor, Repaired instead / elsewhere, No longer needed, Never responded, or Other. Add an optional note.

3. Click Mark lost. Any open options are dismissed (the button says how many).

4. You can also drag a card into Lost. A dialog asks Why was it lost? before it moves.

Add a lead by hand#

1. Click + Opportunity at the top of the page.

2. Under Find the customer, search by name, phone or email and click Search. Pick the customer.

3. Fill in What do they want?, an optional Expected value, the Owner and a Note.

4. Click Add opportunity. It starts in New.

Settings that change this#

• Settings › Marketing › Follow-Up Sequences: turn automatic follow-up texts on or off, the send time, weekends, and the text for each step. The Auto texts button on the board opens the same page (owners and admins).

• Settings › Communications › Customer Notifications: quiet hours and the texting number. Follow-up texts never go out during quiet hours.

Tips#

• Start each morning with Owner = Me and Age = 3+ days old. Work tasks that are due today first.

• The Viewed badge is your best signal. A customer who opened the link twice yesterday is ready for a call.

• Always pick a lost reason. The reasons feed your close-rate numbers and show you where sales slip, for example price versus financing.

• A customer reply stops the automatic texts and creates a call task "Customer replied to a text: call them back" for the owner.

Troubleshooting#

• I can't drag cards. → You don't have pipeline.write. → Ask an owner to change your role, or ask a dispatcher to move it.

• "These options were closed. Create a new estimate to reopen the sale." → Estimate opportunities that were won or lost can't be reopened, because their options are already sold or dismissed. → Create a new estimate on the job. Leads you added by hand can be reopened with Reopen.

• "Texts go through a job. Book a job for this customer first." → A hand-added lead has no job yet. → Use Book a job in Quick actions.

• The panel says texts will be recorded as not sent. → Texting isn't connected, or there is no texting number. → Share the link from your phone, or connect texting in Settings › Phones › Phone Numbers, Call Recording & Texting.

• A card is missing. → Check your filters. Won and Lost cards older than 30 days drop off the board.

FAQ#

Q: Where do opportunities come from? Every estimate group (all options on one proposal, or a single estimate) becomes one opportunity automatically. Hand-added leads are the only other source.

Q: Does marking won in the office do the same thing as the customer approving on site? Yes. It sells the option, adds it to the job's invoice and dismisses the other options.

Q: Who is the owner of an estimate opportunity? The person who created the estimate. You can reassign it.

Q: Can viewers see the board? Yes, read-only. They see no edit buttons.

Coming from ServiceTitan#

• Same: ServiceTitan's Follow Up › Estimates list of unsold estimates is here under the same menu name.

• Different: TradesWork shows the list as a board with stages (New, Presented, Follow-up, Won, Lost), totals per column, a "Viewed" signal from the options link, and automatic follow-up texts built in. Lost reasons are required and feed the close rate.

• Where it lived: ServiceTitan Follow Up › Estimates and the Sales follow-up views. Your imported estimates appear here automatically once they're in TradesWork.