For builders

A good quote is not a good job until someone chases it.

Capture renovation, new-build and reclad enquiries, book the measure-up, and keep the quote alive with follow-up — so a job you already priced does not die from six weeks of silence.

Book a Free Building Front Desk Audit See how it works

Fig. — the enquiries you can't afford to lose

The building enquiries that slip first.

You are mid-pour, up a ladder, or three trades deep into a build when the phone goes. A renovation enquiry, a new build question, a reclad quote — by the time you check your phone at knock-off, the caller has already messaged two other builders. These are the enquiries, and the quotes that follow them, that slip first.

  1. Job 01

    Renovation quote request

    These carry the highest value and the longest fuse of any enquiry you get. Get the scope and budget range up front, and follow-up keeps it alive long after the first conversation goes quiet.

  2. Job 02

    New build enquiry

    Someone chasing a full build wants a serious first response, not a missed call. It gets captured and qualified early, so you can tell a genuine build from someone testing the market.

  3. Job 03

    Kitchen or bathroom reno

    The bread-and-butter renovation job — valuable enough to chase properly, common enough that it is easy to let one slip while you are focused on the job in front of you.

  4. Job 04

    Deck or reclad job

    Exterior work often carries a timeline pressure the caller does not say out loud — before winter, before the weather turns. Getting scope and urgency clear early means you are not guessing when you call back.

  5. Job 05

    Measure-up booking request

    Someone ready to move past a phone conversation and get a builder on site. It gets booked against times you have actually made available, instead of a back-and-forth that costs the job momentum.

Every one of these comes down to the same four leaks: calls you cannot take, quotes that go quiet, enquiries after knock-off, and time spent quoting jobs that were never real.

Fig. — the building enquiry path

One clear path for every building enquiry.

A missed renovation enquiry gets a text back within minutes, not a voicemail nobody checks until knock-off. Real jobs get qualified and moved toward a measure-up on your terms — and once the quote is out, it stays visible and gets followed up on a schedule you set.

  1. 01

    Renovation enquiry

  2. 02

    Qualified

  3. 03

    Measure-up booked

  4. 04

    Quote followed up
How the front desk handles building enquiries.

Fig. — what the front desk does

What's included for builders.

Not a call centre, and not another app to log into. A managed front desk that keeps a quote alive through a six-week decision.

  • Missed-call text-back

    You are on the tools, up a ladder, or mid-pour and the phone rings out. The caller gets a text straight away, so they know they have been heard instead of ringing the next builder in their search.

  • Instant enquiry reply

    A form from someone wanting a renovation quoted gets a fast, professional reply — not a message sitting in an inbox until knock-off, by which time they have emailed two other builders.

  • Quote request form

    Job type, address, rough scope, and photos of the space collected up front — kitchen, extension, reclad, new build — so you walk into the first call already knowing what you are pricing.

  • Job qualification

    The questions that separate a real renovation from a browsing enquiry get asked before it reaches you — budget range, timeframe, whether they own the property, whether council involvement is likely.

  • Callback and site-visit booking

    Good-fit enquiries get moved toward a measure-up, booked against times you have made available, not a vague promise to call back.

  • Follow-up engine

    Enquiries that go quiet after the first conversation get a second, approved touch on a schedule, instead of relying on you remembering three weeks later.

  • Quote follow-up

    The kitchen-and-bathroom quote you sent a fortnight ago gets chased properly, on wording you signed off, instead of sitting in your sent folder while the homeowner talks to two other builders.

  • Simple pipeline

    Every live enquiry and quote in one place — new, qualified, quoted, follow-up due, won, lost — instead of tracked across texts, a whiteboard, and what you can remember on site.

  • Review requests

    Once a job is signed off and the client is happy, they get asked for a Google review, while the work is still fresh in their mind.

  • Optional phone answering

    For calls you genuinely cannot get to, an answering assistant can take the caller's details on a script you write and approve, with clear rules for what comes straight to you.

Fig. — one job, start to finish

How it runs on a live job.

A renovation quote does not live or die in a day. Here is the real shape of one, from enquiry to decision.

  1. Day 0

    You are on site pouring a slab. A renovation enquiry comes in through the website — kitchen and bathroom, rough budget, no fixed timeline. You do not see it until knock-off.

  2. Day 0

    It gets a fast, approved reply and a short set of qualifying questions: rough scope, address, timeframe, whether they own the property.

  3. Day 1

    Answers come back. It is a real job — established homeowners, budget in range, wanting to start in the next few months. A measure-up gets booked for a day that suits you.

  4. Day 4

    You do the measure-up, walking in already knowing the scope instead of starting the conversation from zero.

  5. Day 12

    You have priced it and sent the quote. Then nothing. No reply.

  6. Day 19

    A follow-up goes out on wording you approved — checking whether they have questions, not chasing a yes. No pressure, just visible.

  7. Week 4

    They reply: still deciding, waiting to hear back from the bank. It stays open in the pipeline instead of falling off your radar.

  8. Week 6

    They come back ready to go. A callback gets booked to talk contract and start date — the parts that are yours to handle.

That is the real shape of a renovation quote. Not lost in a day, but forgotten slowly over six weeks while life, finance and other builders' quotes get in the way. The front desk's job is making sure it is not forgotten on your side of the ledger.

Fig. — the limits, in writing

What stays your call.

This is the part most builders want settled first, and on this trade some of it is a legal boundary rather than a preference.

You set the price
The front desk never quotes a number, discounts, or negotiates. Every dollar figure a customer hears comes from you.
No start dates promised
Nothing tells a customer when their job will start. That is your call, once you have scoped the work and, above the legal threshold, got a contract signed.
No advice on consents, licensing or contract terms
The front desk does not advise on building consents, restricted building work, or what belongs in a contract. Those stay with you as the licensed practitioner.
You decide which jobs you take
It does not accept work on your behalf. It books time for you to look at the job and decide whether it is worth taking on.
Every message is one you approved
Replies, qualifying questions and follow-ups use wording you signed off, not a generic script.
Follow-up stays inside limits you set
You decide how many touches a quiet quote gets and how far apart, so a big decision does not turn into nagging.

The short version: the front desk keeps a quote alive and visible. It does not price it, promise a start date, advise on compliance, or decide anything that is legally yours to decide.

Fig. — when the phone runs hot

Why building enquiries arrive in a rush.

Building demand in New Zealand does not move in a straight line, and a renovation quote lives inside that movement for weeks before it becomes a job.

New builds are consenting faster than renovations are starting

In the year to April 2026, Stats NZ recorded 39,087 new dwellings consented, up 16% on the year before. Renovation work tells a different story: the value of residential alteration work actually commencing fell from $3.309 billion in the year to March 2024 to $2.637 billion in the year to March 2026 — roughly a 20% drop — while the value being consented stayed close to flat. Quotes are still being written. Fewer are turning into work on site.

The consent clock adds weeks you do not control

Once a council has a complete application, the Building Act gives it 20 working days to process it. That clock stops every time it requests further information and only resumes once you answer. A straightforward renovation can sit for a month or more between a quote being accepted and a stud going up.

Anything over $30,000 comes with paperwork first

A written contract has been legally required for residential building work costing $30,000 or more including GST since January 2015. Most kitchen and bathroom jobs, extensions and full renovations sit above that line, so the quote is only step one.

Structural work needs a licensed sign-off

Restricted building work — anything affecting a home's structure or weathertightness — must be carried out or supervised by a Licensed Building Practitioner, with a formal record on completion. For a homeowner comparing builders, that is one more thing to check before committing, and one more reason a quote sits open a while.

Sources: Stats NZ Building Consents Issued statistical release (year ended April 2026); Stats NZ Value of Building Work Put in Place survey; MBIE Building Performance guidance on consent processing timeframes and restricted building work; Building Act 2004 Part 4A.

How the season lands depends on where you work — see the regional pages for Auckland and Christchurch and Canterbury.

What builders ask before they book the audit.

The two questions builders ask most before booking the audit, answered plainly.

  1. Job software

    “What if I already run Buildxact, Fergus, or Buildertrend?”

    It sits alongside Buildxact, Fergus or whatever you already price and manage jobs in. The front desk only touches enquiry capture, replies, booking and follow-up — the part that usually happens on a notepad before a job gets that far.

  2. Chasing clients

    “Won't this make me look like I'm hassling someone over a big decision?”

    Every follow-up is wording you approved, on a cadence you set. Most people who go quiet have not said no; they are waiting on a partner, a bank, or another quote, and a short check-in is what keeps you in the running.

Going deeper, for building businesses specifically:

FAQ

builders questions

FAQ. 01 Is this an AI quoting tool or an AI receptionist?

Neither. This is a managed front desk — a process built and run for you, using replies and follow-ups you approved. It does not generate quotes or make decisions on its own. If you add optional phone answering it works from a script you write.

FAQ. 02 What if I already run Buildxact, Fergus or Buildertrend?

The front desk handles enquiry capture, replies, qualification, booking and follow-up — the part that usually happens before a job gets logged in your job management software. It sits alongside whatever you use for estimating and scheduling.

FAQ. 03 Can it tell a customer about consents, licensing or contract terms?

No. The front desk captures and organises enquiries. It does not advise on building consents, restricted building work, or contract terms. Those conversations, and the paperwork that goes with any job over $30,000, stay with you.

FAQ. 04 Will chasing a quote make me look pushy?

The wording is yours to approve and the cadence is yours to set. It is a short, professional check-in, not a countdown. Most people who go quiet on a renovation quote are still deciding, not saying no.

FAQ. 05 Do I lose control of pricing or which jobs I take on?

No. You price every job and decide which ones you want. The front desk keeps enquiries and quotes moving and visible.

FAQ. 06 What do you need from me to get it running?

Your business details, the areas and job types you cover, access to the relevant accounts, your approved wording for messages, and reasonably prompt feedback while it is set up and tested.

Free Front Desk Audit

See where your building enquiries are leaking.

Capture renovation, new-build and reclad enquiries, book the measure-up, and keep the quote alive with follow-up — so a job you already priced does not die from six weeks of silence. Book a free audit and we'll map where jobs are slipping — no pressure, no lock-in.

Book a Free Building Front Desk Audit

Not shared leads. Not just ads. Not another app. A managed front desk built for trade businesses.