What information should you collect before quoting a job?
The best pre-quote information is not the longest form. It is the smallest set of details that helps you understand the job, spot constraints and decide what needs to happen next.
Start with the outcome the customer wants.
A job request is easier to assess when the customer explains the result they want, not only the object involved. ‘Replace this unit’, ‘fix this leak’ and ‘add a gate here’ all lead to different follow-up questions.
Keep the first part of the intake simple: what needs to change, which area is involved and whether there is a deadline or event driving the timing.
Desired outcome or problem to solve.
Exact room, area, boundary or equipment involved.
Whether the job is new work, replacement, repair or upgrade.
Timing, deadline or access window if it materially affects the quote.
Collect the site context that can change price, preparation or travel.
Two jobs with the same headline scope can be very different once access and existing conditions are considered. Apartment access, stairs, parking, building height, existing equipment, obstructions and long carries can all matter before the work itself is assessed.
Ask only for context your business actually uses. A good intake form should feel shorter when the job is simple and more detailed only where the consequences justify it.
Use photos, measurements and files to answer a specific question.
A photo is useful when the person reviewing it knows what it is meant to show. The same applies to plans, model labels, bills and customer measurements. Ask for each piece of evidence because it closes a known information gap, not because the form has an upload field available.
Customer measurements should be treated as approximate unless your process explicitly verifies them. Technical, safety and compliance decisions stay with the professional.
Photo of the whole work area for context.
Closer photo of the relevant equipment, surface or condition where safe.
Model label, plan or existing document when it changes the assessment.
Approximate measurement only when it is useful and safe for the customer to provide.
A final open note for anything important the structured questions did not cover.
Collect the information in one guided HomeWalk.
Start with a trade workflow, change the questions to match your business, then send the customer one link.