How to follow up on estimates in Workiz?
By the Escloser team · Last updated
Open Estimates, click the Pending widget, and work that list highest dollar first. Call the same business hour the estimate went out, then again on days 2, 4, 7 and 14 until you get a yes, a logged no, or they ask you to stop. Workiz can email or text a reminder. The call is the part that is missing.
This is the click path for a 2-to-10 truck shop on Workiz whose quotes sit in Pending.
What Pending actually means
An unsold estimate in Workiz is still open until it is approved, won, declined, or archived. Pending only means they got a link.
| Status | What it means | Follow up? |
|---|---|---|
| Unsent | Created, never sent | Send it, then call |
| Pending | Sent, waiting on approval | Yes, today |
| Approved | They signed in the portal, or you marked it | Yes, until you copy it to a job |
| Won | Copied to a job | No. Book the install |
| Declined | They rejected it, or you logged the no | No. Keep the reason |
| Archived | Tied to a job that was later canceled | No |
Workiz’s status help (updated 2024-01-05) lists those six; it says Denied for a rejection. The Estimates dashboard (updated 2025-02-21) labels that bucket Declined. Use Declined on the working list.
Approved is not booked. Workiz’s Estimates FAQ (updated 2025-10-22) says portal approval marks it Approved, and it becomes Won when you convert it to a job.
Open the Pending list
Work the office list, not last week’s memory.
- From the sidebar, open Estimates. It is also under Reports.
- Click the Pending widget at the top. Workiz shows the count and the combined dollar value for that status.
- Sort highest dollar first.
- Open a row. Read the notes, the items, and whether Message Center logged a view, a signature, or a deposit.
Workiz’s viewed-estimate help (updated 2023-09-06) pings Message Center when the client views, signs, or pays a deposit. Call the viewed ones first.
Unsent sitting next to Pending is not a pipeline. Send those, then they belong on today’s call list. Tags cannot go on an estimate; Workiz’s Estimates FAQ puts them on jobs, clients, and calls.
Turn on the reminder Workiz already has
Leave the automated nudge on. It is the safety net, not the call.
- Open Feature Center and enable Workiz Automations if it is not on. Pin it so Automations shows in the sidebar.
- Open Automations. Under Follow-ups, use the Email follow-up / 3 days after template. Workiz’s pending-estimate automation help (updated 2024-01-31) is that path.
- Switch it to text, or email and text. Set the delay. Save Add automation.
Workiz rechecks the trigger (updated 2025-12-19) right before it sends. If they approved or you marked it Declined, the reminder does not go out.
Workiz’s pricing page (read 2026-10-07) lists 5 automation rules on Standard, 10 on Pro, 30 on Ultimate. The Automations FAQ (updated 2026-04-23) says you cannot buy extra rules, and a new rule does not fire for estimates already in Pending. Last month’s pile is still a phone list.
On a sales proposal (Ultimate), leftover options can keep matching “sent but not approved” if you approve one by hand. Mark the rest Declined, or turn on auto-decline in Estimates settings. Workiz’s proposal-automation help (updated 2026-05-14) is that split. Texts count against the phone plan. They are not a substitute for the call.
A cadence that gets used
One CSR job post for this work asks for a callback within 30 minutes, then days 2, 4, 6 and 7. Five phone attempts in two weeks is a cadence a small shop can run. Leave the Workiz email or text on.
| When | What you do | What you are trying to learn |
|---|---|---|
| Same business hour (day 0) | Call. Confirm the estimate arrived | Did they get it, and is there a first question |
| Day 2 | Call. Text if you cannot reach them | Who else needs to see it, and is financing in play |
| Day 4 | Call. Offer the next two open install slots | Timing vs price vs a second bid |
| Day 7 | Call. Ask what is stopping them | A real objection, or a polite stall |
| Day 14 | Last call. Close it won or declined | A reason in the notes, then stop |
If they already gave you a date, park it and call then. If nobody answers, leave a short voicemail with your name, the shop, the address, and a callback number. Do not pitch into the mailbox.
Workiz estimate links expire 30 days after send. The create-and-send help (updated 2025-02-03) says the document itself stays. Finish the cadence before the link dies.
There is no reliable public number for how much this raises close rate. Score it from your own dashboard. How to follow up on HVAC estimates that haven’t closed has the scripts.
Work one pending estimate
Click the row. Read the estimator’s notes, then dial. After the call, pick one ending:
- They buy. Actions, then Copy to job. Workiz’s copy-to-job help is that path. Status should move to Won. Book from the new job.
- They need time. Put the real reason in the notes. Stay Pending. Call on the date they gave you.
- They want a different option. Edit this estimate and resend. Workiz cannot duplicate one.
- They are done. Set Status to Declined and write the reason. Bulk status change exists on the Estimates page for true nos you already asked.
Do not leave Approved sitting with no job. That is a sold estimate nobody scheduled.
What Workiz already sends
Workiz wins the reminder, the portal, and the viewed ping. Those are already in the product. They do not pick up the phone.
| Job | Workiz email or text | A person on the phone |
|---|---|---|
| Sends every time | Yes, on the delay you set | Only if someone owns Pending |
| Picks up the phone | No | Yes |
| Answers what the visit included | No | Yes, from the estimator’s notes |
| Books the install | If they approve in the portal | Yes, then Copy to job |
| Logs why they said no | Not captured | Only if you write it down |
| Cost | Inside the plan’s automation allotment | Time, a CSR, or a hire |
Genius Marketing is a separate add-on with estimate follow-up blasts. Keep the 3-day Automation on. Add the call.
When to stop
- They said no, hired someone else, or asked you not to call. Mark it Declined that day so CSRs are not calling dead quotes.
- They replied STOP, or they put you on their do-not-call list on the call. Honor it immediately.
- The FCC (updated 2026-02-27) prohibits telemarketing calls to the home before 8 a.m. and after 9 p.m. local time, and says telemarketers must comply immediately with a do-not-call request. This is not legal advice. Check with your own counsel.
Five attempts in two weeks, then a logged no, ends this estimate. A year-old quote they bring up again is a new one.
Four ways shops actually keep Pending moving
1. Run the Estimates dashboard as designed
Every morning. Pending widget, highest dollar first. Call, then copy to a job or decline before you leave the row. Right answer when someone is at the desk. It breaks the first week.
2. The tech calls from the truck
Same-hour check-in from the person who wrote the quote. Best first call. It stops the afternoon they have three more jobs.
3. Hire someone whose job is the list
Job posts from 2025 list a sales VA for estimate follow-up at about $700 a month and an estimator or lead converter at about $400 a month. You still hire, train them, and check that they log the reason.
4. Use software that builds the daily call list from open estimates
A newer set of tools leaves Workiz in place, pulls open estimates, and puts each one on a call cadence so the office, or a caller working as the shop, dials. We make Escloser, which does this, so weigh that suggestion accordingly. Ask who is on the phone.
How to tell this week
Follow-up is working when yesterday’s Pending rows have a same-day call, viewed estimates got called first, Approved rows are already jobs, declined jobs have a reason, and Friday’s Pending value is smaller than Monday’s. If the widget only grows, the 3-day email is sending and nobody is calling.
Open last month’s estimates in Workiz. Lay the Pending rows next to the phone. Start there. They already exist.
Frequently asked questions
Does Workiz automatically email or text pending estimates?
Workiz Automations can, once you turn a rule on. The stock template is Email follow-up / 3 days after, under Follow-ups, and you can switch it to text. Standard includes 5 rules, Pro 10, Ultimate 30, as of 2026-10-07 on Workiz's pricing page. None of that picks up the phone or writes down why they said no.
What happens when a Workiz estimate link expires after 30 days?
The link expires 30 days after you send it. Workiz's send-estimate help, updated 2025-02-03, says the estimate document is not archived. The customer can request a new link, which lands in Message Center, or open it from the client portal if they still have access.
Should I mark a pending estimate Declined if the customer never replies?
No. Ghosting is the usual no, not a logged one. Call through the cadence. After day 14, if they still will not answer, mark it Declined with a reason so the office stops calling it. If they come back later, send a new estimate. Pricing may have moved.
Will a new Workiz automation follow up on estimates I already sent?
No. Workiz's Automations FAQ, updated 2026-04-23, says a new rule fires when something later matches the trigger. Estimates already sitting in Pending will not get the 3-day email. Work those from the dashboard by hand, highest dollar first.