How to follow up an enquiry or quote in the UK

GuideUKChecked 29 October 202614 primary sources7 min readUS version

The short answer

In the UK, reply to an enquiry quickly, send a clear quote, follow up once after a few days and once more a week later, then stop. Email or text marketing to individuals and sole traders needs consent or the PECR soft opt-in, with an opt-out every time, and live sales calls must be screened against the TPS.

How soon and how often should I follow up a quote?

Reply to a new enquiry as fast as you can, then follow up a quote twice: once after a few days and once a week later. Then leave it, and note the date.

Common reasons a quote goes quiet: someone else replied first, the quote was a number with no explanation, it was not clear what happens next, or the customer had a question and no easy way to ask it. Silence often means busy, not no.

  1. The same day if you can: acknowledge the enquiry, ask what you need to price it and say when the quote will arrive.
  2. The quote: the work in the customer's words, what is included and what is not, the price and whether it is fixed, what happens if the job changes, and how and when you expect to be paid (see how to price a quote).
  3. A few days later: a short message asking whether they have any questions.
  4. A week after that: one more, with an easy way to book in or say no.
  5. Then stop, and keep the enquiry on file only as long as your privacy notice says.

Do the PECR rules apply to a follow-up email or text?

PECR's consent rules are about direct marketing, so it depends on what the message does. A reminder about something already arranged, such as an appointment or a due date, is a service message; a message promoting your services or an offer is marketing.

A nudge about the quote the customer asked for sits close to that line. The safe course is to collect enquiry details in a way that also meets the soft opt-in, so your follow-ups and any later offers are covered.

Do I need consent to email or text someone who asked for a quote?

For marketing to an individual subscriber, yes, unless you meet every soft opt-in condition (PECR reg 22). Individual subscribers include sole traders and ordinary partnerships in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

  • You got their details in the course of a sale or negotiations for a sale.
  • You market only your own similar products or services.
  • You offered a free, simple opt-out when you collected the details, and you offer one in every message.

A sale or negotiation alone is not enough: the opt-out at the point of collection is the condition most easily missed, so build it into your enquiry form. Bought-in lists rarely carry valid consent in your name.

Limited companies, LLPs and Scottish partnerships are corporate subscribers. You can email them without consent, but you must identify yourself and give a valid address to opt out (reg 23), and a named employee's work email is still personal data. For PECR breaches on or after 5 February 2026, fines reach £17.5 million or 4% of worldwide turnover, whichever is higher (Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 Sch 13; Data Protection Act 2018 s.157). As of Oct 2026.

Can I phone to follow up a quote?

Yes, but screen live sales and marketing calls against the Telephone Preference Service, and the Corporate TPS for businesses, before you dial (PECR reg 21). Automated recorded marketing calls need prior consent (reg 19).

Note on the enquiry when the customer asked you to call, and on what number.

What does UK GDPR mean for enquiry details?

Hold what you need, say why, and delete it on schedule. UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, as amended by the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025, apply to any business holding personal data. As of Oct 2026.

  • A lawful basis: for most trade work it is contract or legitimate interests rather than consent. Marketing by email or text still follows PECR.
  • A privacy notice saying what you hold, why and how long you keep it, with a written retention period for each kind of record.
  • Access requests: answer without undue delay and normally within one month, extendable by two months for complex requests (UK GDPR Art 12, as amended by the 2025 Act s.76).
  • Breaches: report one that risks people's rights to the ICO without undue delay and, where feasible, within 72 hours (Art 33).
  • Complaints: since 19 June 2026 you need a process for data protection complaints (Data Protection Act 2018 s.164A, inserted by the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 s.103).
  • Objections: if someone objects to direct marketing, stop. The objection is absolute (Art 21(3)), so keep a suppression list.
  • The ICO fee: £52 a year for tier 1, £78 for tier 2, £3,763 for tier 3, with £5 off by direct debit; tier 1 covers turnover up to £632,000 or no more than 10 staff. As of Oct 2026.

The Academy covers winning work in the trades, such as proving to homeowners that you are a safe pair of hands and winning more domestic rounds.

Greymill

How Greymill helps

Connect Outlook and every email is sorted to the specialist who can help, so a new enquiry reaches Sales & Quotes, which covers quotes, follow-ups and winning the work, including a quote that went quiet. Writing drafts the messages in your style, Outlook can hold the drafts you approve, and nothing is sent unless you press Send.

Rules & Licensing tells you which rules apply to your business and drafts a data protection policy, and Marketing plans how you get found. The specialists share one memory, so the enquiry, the quote and the customer's questions are known to all of them, and you can see, edit or delete anything Greymill remembers.

Your books change and an email goes only when you approve it, and conversations are not used to train AI. Greymill owes no professional duty and says when a regulated professional must sign something off. Try it free for 7 days on full Scale access, no card needed; plans from £100 a month plus VAT. See pricing, how it works and the FAQ.

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Questions owners ask

How many times should I follow up a quote?

Twice is a sensible pattern: a short message a few days after the quote asking if they have questions, and one more a week later. Then stop and note the date.

Do I need consent to email someone who asked for a quote?

If the message markets your services to an individual or sole trader, you need consent or the soft opt-in: details from a sale or negotiation, your own similar services, and a free opt-out at collection and in every message (PECR reg 22).

Can I email limited companies without consent?

Yes. Limited companies and LLPs are corporate subscribers, so marketing emails need no consent, but each must identify you and give an opt-out address (PECR reg 23). UK GDPR still applies to a named person's email.

Do I have to check the TPS before calling?

For live sales or marketing calls, yes: screen the number against the Telephone Preference Service, or the Corporate TPS for a business, before you call (PECR reg 21).

How long can I keep enquiry details?

Set a written retention period for each kind of record, say it in your privacy notice, keep only what you need and delete on schedule.

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