Three Most electricians do not lose work at the quoting stage. They lose it in the quiet bits either side of the job. The quote that went out and never got chased. The happy customer who was never asked for a review. The landlord whose smoke alarms were due last month, who booked whoever turned up first in a Google search.
None of that is about being a better electrician. It is about follow-up, and follow-up is the first thing to go when you are flat out on the tools. The good news is that almost all of it can be handled by a handful of text messages and emails that send themselves.
Why SMS and email work best as a pair
They do different jobs, and the businesses that get the most out of them use each one for what it is good at.
- SMS is for now. Texts are read almost immediately, so they suit anything time-sensitive: confirmations, reminders, "we are on our way" and quick nudges that need a reply.
- Email is for detail. Quotes, photos, explanations, seasonal offers and your monthly newsletter all need more room than 160 characters.
Six automations every electrical business should switch on
Each of these is set up once, then runs in the background for years.
1. The quote follow-up. A surprising number of quotes are lost to silence, not price. The customer meant to get back to you, got busy, and then a competitor rang them. A friendly text two or three days after the quote goes out, followed by an email a week later, wins back a share of those jobs for no extra effort.
2. Booking confirmation and day-before reminder. A text when the job is booked and another the day before cuts down on wasted trips: nobody home, a locked side gate, the dog loose in the yard. Every no-show is a slot you cannot get back.
3. "On our way". A short text when you leave the previous job. Customers love it, it makes a small business look organised, and it means fewer calls asking where you are.
4. Thank you and review request. Sent the same day the job is marked complete, while the customer is still pleased with the work. Include a direct link to your Google review page so it takes them ten seconds. Reviews are still the strongest signal you have when someone searches for an electrician near them, as we covered in what actually works for electrician marketing.
5. Safety check reminders. This is the one most electricians leave on the table. In Victoria, rental providers must have smoke alarms checked every 12 months and electrical safety checks done every two years, and those rules now cover every rental, whatever date the lease started. If you have landlords and property managers in your customer list, an automated reminder at the right time turns a one-off job into recurring work. Homeowners respond well too: a yearly nudge to test smoke alarms and safety switches is genuinely useful, and it keeps your name front of mind.
6. Seasonal nudges. A short email before summer about air-conditioner servicing and ceiling fans. Outdoor and festoon lighting before Christmas entertaining. Surge protection ahead of storm season. EV chargers whenever the topic is in the news. These go to your whole list, so keep them occasional and helpful rather than salesy.
What it looks like in practice
Here is a simple sequence after a quote for a switchboard upgrade. Every message is written once and then sends automatically.
Nothing pushy, nothing complicated. Just the follow-up you would do yourself if you had the time.
Keep it legal, and keep it human
Australia's Spam Act applies to commercial texts and emails, so a few habits matter:
- Only message people who have dealt with you or agreed to hear from you. Past customers are fine.
- Always say who the message is from. Your business name, every time.
- Make it easy to opt out of anything promotional, such as "Reply STOP to opt out" on marketing texts and an unsubscribe link in every email.
- Go easy on promotional texts. Reminders and job updates are welcome. Sales texts every week are not. One or two marketing texts a quarter is plenty for most electricians.
- Sound like you. First names, plain language, signed off by a real person. Automated should never mean robotic.
Where to start
You do not need all six this month. Most job management software can already send confirmations and reminders, and often those features are simply never switched on. A sensible order:
- Check what your job management software can already send, and turn on booking confirmations and reminders.
- Add the review request. It is the quickest win and it compounds every month.
- Add the quote follow-up, and watch how many "forgotten" quotes come back to life.
- Set up safety check reminders for landlords, property managers and homeowners.
- Layer a consistent monthly newsletter on top, so everyone else on your list remembers you too.
If you would rather stay on the tools, that is exactly what we do. We write the messages in your voice, set up the automations, and keep an eye on what they bring in.
Want your follow-ups to run themselves?
Let's talk about the texts and emails that will win you more work from the customers you already have.