How to Send a Quote on WhatsApp as a UK Tradesperson

The tradesperson who quotes first usually wins the job. WhatsApp is already where most UK customers are talking to you — so sending a professional quote within the same conversation is the fastest way to get the price in front of them before anyone else does. Here's how to do it properly.

Why quoting speed wins jobs

When a customer asks for a quote on a non-emergency job, they usually ask two or three tradespeople at once. The one who responds first with a written quote — not just a verbal number — is the one who sets the benchmark. Everyone who follows is measured against that first quote.

The average UK tradesperson takes three to five days to send a written quote after a site visit. That's three to five days for the customer to accept someone else's price, go cold, or start comparing options they didn't originally consider. Sending the quote from WhatsApp while you're still in the customer's drive removes every step between finishing the site visit and having a professional written price in front of them.

What a UK quote must include to be legally useful

A quote in the UK is legally binding once a customer accepts it — so it needs to be clear and complete. At minimum, a professional quote from a UK tradesperson should include:

• Your business name, address, and contact details
• A unique quote reference number (sequential, for your own records)
• The date the quote was issued
• The customer's name and address
• A clear description of the work to be carried out
• The price — broken down into labour and materials if applicable
• VAT breakdown if you're VAT-registered (or the wording 'Not VAT registered' if you're not)
• How long the quote is valid for (typically 30 days)
• Your payment terms (e.g. 'Net 30 days from invoice')
• Your trade registration number if relevant (Gas Safe, NICEIC, NAPIT, ELECSA, SELECT)

The slow manual approach — create a PDF and share it

The simplest method: create the quote using a Word template, Google Docs, or a basic invoicing tool, export it as a PDF, and send it to the customer via WhatsApp as a file attachment. This works, and it's a genuine improvement over a verbal number or a text message — the customer receives a professional document they can read and refer back to.

The limitation is speed and process. You need to get back to a device where you can create the document, fill in the customer details, calculate the breakdown, export the PDF, find the customer's WhatsApp contact, and send it. If the site visit happens at 2pm and you get back to a laptop at 8pm, the quote goes out six hours later — not the same-day response that wins jobs.

The faster approach — quote from inside WhatsApp

The faster approach keeps the entire process inside WhatsApp. Send a plain-English message describing the job, the customer, and the price, and a professional branded PDF is generated and sent in under 60 seconds — ready to forward in the same conversation or by email.

A typical Wedge quote message looks like: "Quote Mr Davies £2,016 incl VAT for replacing the consumer unit and full rewire upstairs at 42 Church St, Coventry. £1,200 labour, £480 materials." Wedge parses the message, applies your VAT rate if you're registered, prints your NICEIC / Part P / SELECT number in the footer, and sends a branded PDF to Mr Davies with an online acceptance link in seconds.

Online acceptance links — why they matter

Most quotes die in a grey area: the customer received it, they're thinking about it, but there's been no firm acceptance. You don't want to seem pushy by chasing, but you also don't want to hold the diary slot open indefinitely.

An online acceptance link removes that awkwardness. The customer reads the quote on their phone, taps a button to accept, and the system records the acceptance with a timestamp. You know immediately — while you're still on site or driving to the next job — whether they want to proceed. For jobs where a customer wants to accept but isn't ready to commit by phone, the acceptance link is often the thing that closes the sale.

Following up on quotes that haven't been accepted

About half of all quotes don't get a same-day response. The customer is busy, thinking it over, or waiting to hear from another tradesperson. A follow-up within 5-7 days — polite, professional, with the quote reference — significantly improves acceptance rates.

Wedge's quote follow-up reminders run automatically. Seven days after sending a quote, you get a WhatsApp alert: 'Mr Davies hasn't accepted QUO-2026-018 yet. Want to chase?' One tap sends a professional follow-up. You don't have to remember, and you don't have to compose a message.

Quote-to-invoice conversion in one tap

When a customer accepts a quote and you do the work, the next step is invoicing — and most tradespeople waste time retyping the same details. With Wedge, once a quote is accepted you can convert it to an invoice with a single WhatsApp message: 'Convert QUO-2026-018 to invoice.' Customer details, line items, VAT treatment, and CIS handling all carry over; the only thing that changes is a fresh invoice number and a Stripe payment link.

Quoting for CIS jobs on WhatsApp

If you're working as a subcontractor under the UK Construction Industry Scheme, your quotes need to separate labour and materials clearly — because the 20% CIS deduction applies only to the labour element, not materials. Wedge handles this automatically: mention CIS in the message and the quote and follow-on invoice calculate the labour subtotal, the CIS deduction, and the net amount payable so the contractor gets a compliant document without you reaching for a calculator. See our full CIS invoicing guide for more.

The one thing that changes everything

The UK tradespeople who win more jobs aren't necessarily cheaper or more skilled. They're faster and more professional at the point of quoting. A branded PDF arriving in the customer's WhatsApp within an hour of the site visit signals that you're organised, trustworthy, and take your business seriously. That impression — formed before a single day's work is done — often makes the difference between getting the job and not.