What’s your process for following up on unscheduled quotes?

We use a lead nurturing system from Funnelpros.ai that is really amazing. However, we've split tested calling customers as soon as they submit a request and found it's been much more successful in selling projects. Jobber has a follow-up to estimates/quotes but it really lacks without any automations after that.

Curious about one step beyond the follow-up itself. If you have a backlog of older quotes that never closed, does your current system already make it obvious which 5–10 are actually worth following up with first? Or is prioritizing those older quotes still mostly a manual judgment based on things like quote age, value, previous engagement and notes? I'm trying to understand whether this is actually a problem for contractors, or whether Jobber/automation already solves it well enough. Either answer would be really helpful.

I think a mix of both works best. Automated reminders help make sure no quote gets forgotten, but a personal follow-up can make the difference. I would also prioritize older quotes based on value, how recently the customer engaged, and whether they seemed genuinely interested. Sometimes people are interested but just need that extra nudge.

Speed-to-lead is a big priority for us, so we try to get quotes out quickly and use automated reminders to keep them from getting forgotten. If someone has questions or seems interested but hasn't approved the quote, we'll reach out personally to understand what's holding them back.

One thing that's helped our close rate is using the exact language from our customer reviews in our follow-ups. We talk about the things customers consistently value, such as reliability, gate photos, waste haul-away, and having one less chore to worry about. That builds trust before someone makes a decision.

We also automatically archive quotes after 10 days so they don't sit open indefinitely.

I learned the hard way that automation needs proper safeguards. A technical issue caused messages to continue going to someone who no longer wanted to receive them, resulting in our only 1-star Google review. Now I'm much more conscious of respecting opt-outs and making sure follow-up feels helpful rather than pushy.

For us, the combination of fast quotes, relevant follow-up, and clear boundaries has worked well.

One thing I’d add is that the wording of the follow-up matters just as much as the timing.  
A message that only says “just checking in” doesn’t give the customer much reason to reply. I think it works better to refer to the actual quote and give them one easy question or next step.  
Something as simple as asking whether they have any questions about the quote, or whether timing is the issue, makes the follow-up feel more useful and less pushy.