01 / WHY IT SLIPS
Fifty estimates, three people, five places to look
After a hailstorm the phone rings all day, the door knockers fill notebooks, and the estimator is up on roofs from first light. Inspections get booked on sticky notes, in texts and in a shared calendar. Estimates go out from a laptop at night, some by email, some as a photo of a printed page.
The loud jobs are fine. The ones that slip are the quiet ones: the homeowner who wanted to talk it over, the insurance job waiting on an adjuster, the estimate sent from someone's personal phone. Three weeks later nobody can say which of the fifty are still open, and the homeowner has signed with whoever called back.
What works is one record per estimate, started at the first contact, with a status and a next date that the whole crew can see, and follow-ups that go out without anyone having to remember them.
02 / WHAT THE SYSTEM DOES
What happens from the storm to the signature
Each estimate moves through the same few steps, and the system keeps the date of the next one. The follow-ups work the same way as following up on quotes that go quiet: they start when the estimate goes out and stop by themselves when the homeowner replies.
- FIRST CONTACTOne record per address
A call, a web form or a door knock becomes one record with the address, the source and insurance or retail.
- INSPECTIONPhotos and notes on the roof
The estimator adds photos and measurements from a phone, and the record moves to estimate due.
- ESTIMATE SENTThe follow-ups start
Polite follow-ups go out a few days apart and stop the moment the homeowner replies.
- INSURANCE JOBWaiting on the adjuster
The record sits in its own lane with the claim number and the adjuster meeting date, so follow-ups pause instead of nagging.
- SIGNEDThe cancel window is tracked
The signing date is recorded, and the board shows when any cancel window on your contract closes, before materials are ordered.
The storm also fills the phones. If calls are the part that slips first, the HVAC heat wave post covers the same rush from the phone side.
03 / WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE
What the homeowner gets, and what you see
One short follow-up for the homeowner, from your company, with the estimate a tap away. One board for you, showing where every estimate stands and what is due today.
04 / THE RULES
The rules that apply
Some tools on the market send texts in ways these rules do not allow. Check any tool you are offered against them, and check your own state's law with your attorney.
- Register before you text. Automated texts from a business number need registering first. In the US, anyone sending texts from an application "must register for A2P 10DLC". Registration covers who is sending and how people opt in and out. Until it is done, send follow-ups by email.
- Know your cancel window. Before materials are ordered, find out from your attorney whether a homeowner who signed at home can still cancel, and until when, under federal law and your state's. Put that date on every signed job, so nobody orders shingles for a contract that can still be cancelled.
- A storm mailer is not a follow-up. A follow-up on an estimate the homeowner asked for is one thing. A note to your whole list that you are inspecting in their area is marketing, which has its own rules (CAN-SPAM in the US). Keep the two separate, and keep the mailer's unsubscribe link working.
05 / WAYS TO GET THERE
Three ways to get there
| ROUTE | WHAT IT TAKES | GOOD TO KNOW |
|---|---|---|
| Start today, free | One shared sheet, one row per address, with a status and a next date. Add the free follow-up starter from our quote follow-up post. | It holds up as long as everyone updates it from the truck. In a storm week, rows get skipped, and photos and claim numbers live somewhere else. |
| Roofing CRM software | A monthly subscription built for roofers, with a board, follow-ups and a phone app. | Check how the bill changes when you add storm-season help, that it keeps insurance jobs separate from retail, and that you can export your records. |
| Built into your business | One record per estimate from your website form, your phones and your door knockers, with follow-ups and the cancel window tracked, under your own name. | Worth it when you want it to fit how your crew already works, alongside the rest of your systems. |
A roofing CRM is often one more monthly bill beside your estimating, measuring and accounting tools. Add up what your whole stack costs, hours included, before choosing.
06 / QUESTIONS
Questions roofers ask
Can the follow-ups go out by text instead of email?
Yes, once you are registered. In the US, anyone sending texts from an application "must register for A2P 10DLC". Email needs no registration, so start there and add texts later.
How long should I keep following up on an estimate?
We would send three short follow-ups over about two weeks, the last one asking whether to close the estimate out. Insurance jobs are different: they wait on the adjuster, so they sit in their own lane with a date rather than getting reminders.
Do I need a roofing CRM, or will a spreadsheet do?
If you run a handful of estimates a week and one person keeps the sheet up to date, a free sheet may be all you need. The storm is the test: if the sheet fell behind last time, the problem is the setup, not the people. This comparison helps you decide between another tool and one system.
What about the calls nobody can answer during the storm?
That is a separate decision from tracking estimates. We compare answering services, voicemail and AI receptionists honestly, including when voicemail is enough.
What happens after the roof is done?
The same record can send one review request after the final invoice is paid. The review request post covers Google's rules for asking, which apply to roofers too.