How to Write a Quote for a Service Job
Starting your service based business involves so many different aspects that hold everything together. And acquiring your first clients is exciting. However, you need to ensure that every aspect of your business is presented as professionally and competently as possible to ensure loyal, happy and satisfied customers.
It all starts with writing a professional service business quote. If this is new to you or you aren’t sure where to start, this post is for you. Below, we break down what a quote is for a service business, mention some of the key elements that go into it and cover the most important steps to ensuring that you write a professional quote for the best results. Let’s get started.
What is a quote?
Quoting for a field service job involves one crucial element: the quote itself. This is either a physical document or a digital one that contains every detail of the job your customer has booked you for.
Its most important element is the breakdown of the work to be carried out and the final cost. In essence, a quote acts as a type of agreement between your business and the customer. You agree to perform a job for them while they agree to pay you the fixed sum expressed on the quote.
Examples of a professional quote
If you want to prepare a business quote, there are several important elements that go into each one. For example, some of the essential aspects you must include in your quote will include:
- Quote number or sales tax number
- Sent date
- Your business name and company information
- A detailed description of the work to be completed
- Cost breakdown of the job
- Labour costs, material prices or any other associated costs
- Any other notes or additional details
- Any seasonal or referral discount that applies
- Expiry date
- Total cost
- Customer information
How to create a quote for a client
Now that you know what goes into preparing it, you need to know how do I write a quote that appears as professional as possible. Below, we outline the eight steps you should follow to achieve your goal.
1. Create a template
Whether you create a physical or digital quote, make sure you use one and the same template for all jobs. This will create a level of consistency that your customers will expect from you. On this template, you need to add your company name, logo, use a letterhead with your company details and also add your tax number, if applicable. The easiest way to do this is by using Word documents or creating your quote as a PDF document. Also, you need to add the word “quote” to the top of your document so that it’s clear right from the outset what the purpose of the document is.
2. Add the client’s details
Since your quote will be a living document that changes with every client, each quote document must be adjusted accordingly. This means that for every new job and new client that you take on, you need to ensure that the client’s details are correct and appear on the quote. In the long run, this will save you when tracking and sorting through a plethora of jobs. The details you should include here are the customer’s name, title, telephone number, address, the job site (if it’s different from the address given) and an email address.
3. Add your quote number
Another important aspect of how to write a quote for a job that helps you with tracking different jobs is adding your quote number to your document. It can be alphanumeric, alphabetical or only numerical. And if you use certain software, the quote number can be automatically generated for you. It should be sequential and follow on from other quote numbers and it should also be unique so that there are no duplicates when you quote different clients.
4. Insert relevant dates
When preparing your quote, the dates matter. This means not only including the date on which your quote has been issued but also the expiry date of the quote and the proposed date for the service job. This is important because prices may change after a certain period of time and this means the quote will no longer be valid.
5. Mention the job details
Running a service business is much different than selling physical products. That’s because every job is unique. For this reason, you’ll need to write a detailed description of the job. If you run a cleaning service, you’ll want to indicate how many rooms need to be cleaned and how. If you run a landscaping or gardening business, you’ll also need to include line items such as the specifics of the job in question.
6. It’s time to add the costs
Every service business charges differently. Some charge on a per-hour basis, others charge per finished job, while others focus on the individual job in question as a fixed amount. You’ll need to include the cost of your materials and labour and don’t forget your mark-up that represents your profit margin. You need to run at a profit, so it’s essential that you include this in your final price, irrespective of the means you are using for charging. Other information you could add here include payment terms and methods.
7. Provide additional information
Many professional quotes include notes, terms and conditions or even overviews of the business processes. However, if you want to go a step further, you can express gratitude to your customers for their patronage through a personalised message. You can also use the space for additional information to provide for any discounts on the price.
8. Make space for the signatures
And don’t forget a signature section where both you and your customer are required to sign as a form of agreement that the job is to proceed as agreed upon and that a price will be paid upon its completion.
How ServiceOS can help you with preparing business quotes
In a nutshell, the steps below are what you’ll need to follow when it comes to how to write a quote for services. But if you’re looking for more streamlined ways of running your business and issuing quotes, you may consider price optimisation software. It’s a great way to save you a lot of time and resources.
And it’s a fantastic way to keep your team on the same page when customer orders and requests for quotes are flooding in.
With ServiceOS, this resource boosting process through price optimisation is now at your fingertips. It’s simply a matter of choosing the plan that works best for your business needs.