Bramblewood Heating and Air. HVAC company, Boise
A month of estimates that never got an answer.
Bramblewood sent 12 estimates in October, from a water heater to a full furnace and AC swap. Jess followed up on 2 of them between jobs. Most of the rest never got a yes or a no.
Sample business, made-up data
Before
October, by hand. Every estimate Jess sent, and what came back.
- Oct 1Hannah Lindgren, North EndFurnace replacement, 1940s bungalowNo answer.
- Oct 2Marcus Oyelaran, MeridianAC and furnace replacement1 follow-up by hand. Said yes.
- Oct 5Rita Calloway, BenchWater heater, 50 gallonSaid yes.
- Oct 6Grant Hollis, EagleHeat pump installNo answer.
- Oct 8Sofia Brandt, Southeast BoiseDuct repair in the crawlspaceNo answer.
- Oct 9Devon Pike, MeridianFurnace replacementNo answer.
- Oct 12Joanna Fry, North EndMini split for the garage1 follow-up by hand. No answer.
- Oct 14Ken Watanabe, EagleWhole-house humidifierNo answer.
- Oct 15Leah Morrison, BenchAC replacementNo answer.
- Oct 19Carl Jensen, KunaFurnace replacement, rental houseNo answer.
- Oct 22Nadia Petrov, MeridianTankless water heaterNo answer.
- Oct 23Owen Tate, Garden CityFurnace and smart thermostatNo answer.
Run it
The same month, played through the Follow-up list. Each morning Jess gets one email with the follow-ups due and a draft for each.
- Follow-ups
- 0
- Yes
- 0
- No
- 0
- Worth a call
- 0
Press Run it to play the week through the build, one step at a time.
After
Same customers, same answers. The difference is that each one gets asked.
| Measure | By hand | With the build |
|---|---|---|
| Follow-ups sent | 2 | 20 |
| Said yes | 2 | 5 |
| Said no, so Jess can stop chasing | 0 | 2 |
| Asked a question worth a call | 0 | 3 |
| No answer yet | 10 | 2 |
| Typing removed | None | 1h 40m |
Worth a call this Monday, biggest job first
- Grant Hollis, EagleHeat pump install. Asked: "Does a heat pump keep up when it drops below zero?"
- Leah Morrison, BenchAC replacement. Asked: "Could someone walk me through the two options in person?"
- Owen Tate, Garden CityFurnace and smart thermostat. Asked: "Can the thermostat work with our solar app? Call me."
- Sofia Brandt, Southeast BoiseDuct repair in the crawlspace. No answer after 3 follow-ups.
A follow-up draft Jess copies into her own email
Hi Hannah, I wanted to follow up on the proposal for your furnace replacement. Do you have any questions about it, or would a short call help? Thanks, Jess
How the numbers are counted
- Follow-ups fall 3, 7, 14 days after the estimate, moved to Monday when that lands on a weekend. They stop at a yes or a no.
- Each customer answers after the same follow-up in both columns. By hand, most never got that follow-up.
- A follow-up written by hand takes about 5 minutes, so 20 drafts is 1h 40m of typing.
What waits for a person
Nothing goes to a customer. "Draft a follow-up" gives you text to copy into your own email, and you decide whether to send it.
Try the full version
Follow-up list. The working app has every screen, on its own made-up data.
Next step
Start with the process that costs you the most.
Bring rough numbers. Isaiah takes every call himself.