What does AI quoting actually do?
AI quoting features generally work as a drafting assistant inside or alongside your job software. They read the job description from the enquiry or your site notes, find matching items in your price list or past quotes, and assemble line items, quantities and a written scope. Some also suggest exclusions and terms from your templates. The output depends on the inputs: an out-of-date price list produces an out-of-date quote, and vague notes produce a vague scope. The time saving is in typing and formatting, while the pricing judgement stays with you.
- Reads the enquiry, call summary or site notes.
- Matches the work to items in your price list or past quotes.
- Fills in labour, materials and quantities from templates.
- Writes a scope description and lists exclusions.
- Flags information that is missing before the quote can be finished.
Which trade jobs suit AI-drafted quotes?
Jobs with a set scope and predictable time suit drafting best: like-for-like hot water replacements, standard split system installs, set-size fence runs, gutter cleans or a count of downlights. Jobs that depend on diagnosis or measurement suit it poorly, such as renovations, leaks from an unknown source or older wiring. ServiceM8's online booking shows the rule-based version of this: customers answer questions about a listed service and see a price, and bookings that exceed distance or value criteria can be held for manual approval. AI drafting applies the same idea to free-text descriptions and site notes.
What does the AI need from you before it can draft a quote?
Give it the same information a new office manager would need on day one. Business Queensland's guide to preparing a quote lists what a quote should contain, including a quote number, date and expiry date, a line-item breakdown with the total and the GST component, payment terms, a timeline and a place for the customer to accept. It notes that without an expiry date you may have to honour a quote after material costs have risen. Load these into templates first, then let the AI fill in the job-specific parts.
- A current price list and labour rates, with GST treatment shown.
- Templates for your common job types, with standard inclusions and exclusions.
- Your payment terms, deposit rules and quote validity period.
- Callout fees and after-hours or weekend rates.
- Examples of good past quotes, to match the tone and level of detail.
Can voice notes or photos become a quote?
They can become the input. A tech can record a voice note on site, have it transcribed and let the AI turn it into draft line items and a scope. Customer photos help confirm the make and model, access and the condition of existing work, though they rarely give reliable measurements. The weak point is numbers: a transcription that hears 'fifteen' as 'fifty' changes the quote, so check every quantity against your own notes. Separately, the OAIC recommends that businesses do not enter personal information into publicly available generative AI tools, so use business tools with clear data terms for anything that includes customer details.
What must a person check before a quote goes out?
Read the draft as the customer will. Consumer Affairs Victoria tells tradespeople to make clear what a quote covers, including travel, time spent getting materials, materials, labour and apprentice costs and how they are calculated, and any call-out fees and weekend or public holiday rates. It also says to explain, before the job starts, how changes to the quote or timeframe will be handled. Business Queensland notes that once a customer accepts a quote, it forms part of a legally binding contract. That is why approval by a named person is the step you keep.
- The scope matches what the customer asked for and what was seen on site.
- Every quantity and measurement has been checked.
- Inclusions, exclusions and assumptions are written out.
- Fees, rates and GST are shown correctly.
- The expiry date and payment terms are present.
Should AI produce a quote or an estimate?
When information is missing, an estimate or a site-visit booking is the honest output. Business Queensland describes an estimate as a rough guide to cost without full specifications, and says that, unlike quotes, estimates are not legally binding. Label an AI draft built from a phone description as an estimate, give a range only if you are comfortable standing behind it, and state what would change it. Convert it to a fixed quote after a site visit, or once photos and measurements confirm the scope. Tell the AI which job types must always go to a site visit first.