30 SMS Templates for Tradies You Can Copy Today

Five rules before you copy anything

A text only works if the customer knows who sent it, understands what you want, and can act on it in one tap. Every template below follows the same handful of rules. Keep them in mind when you edit.

Say who you are in the first line. Your name and your business. Customers get scam texts every day; an unnamed number asking for a reply gets deleted.
One message, one ask. Confirm, reply YES, send a photo, pay the invoice. Not all four.
Stay under 160 characters. Longer texts get split by the carrier and arrive as two half-messages. Every template here fits in one.
Send at sensible hours. Between 7am and 8pm, and not on Sunday unless the customer texted you first. Around 64% of people read a text within a few minutes of it landing, according to LocaliQ, so treat it like a knock on the door.
Marketing texts need an opt-out. Under the Spam Act, seasonal offers and win-backs must name your business and give a way to stop. Booking confirmations, on-the-way texts and invoices are service messages and do not.

Missed-call text-backs

This is the text that fires the moment you let a call ring out. Most callers who hit voicemail do not leave a message; they ring the next name on Google. A text within a minute keeps them talking to you instead. Three versions, for three situations.

1. On the tools, business hours: Hi, it's Dave from Frankston Plumbing. Sorry I missed you, I'm mid-job. Text me what's going on and your suburb and I'll get back to you shortly.
2. After hours: Hi, you've reached Logan Sparks after hours. Reply with a few details about the job and we'll call you first thing tomorrow. Reply URGENT if it can't wait.
3. Short and casual: Missed your call, sorry! Mick from Mick's Roofing here. Is it a leak, a quote or something else? Reply here and I'll sort it between jobs.

Send these by hand and you will forget half the time, usually on the busiest days when you need the work most. This is the one message that is worth automating. InstantLead sends it for you the second a call goes unanswered, then asks the caller for the job details, the address and photos so you ring back already knowing what the job is.

Enquiries and quotes

New enquiry replies

Whether it came through your website, hipages or a Facebook post, the first reply sets the tone. Ask for the one thing that lets you price it faster, which is nearly always a photo.

4. Website or form enquiry: Hi [Name], thanks for your enquiry. I'm [Your name] from [Business]. Could you send a photo or two of the job so I can give you a rough idea on price?
5. hipages or Oneflare lead: Hi [Name], [Your name] from [Business] re your [job] request. Licensed, local and free [day]. What time suits for a quick look?

Sending the quote

Text the customer the moment the quote leaves your inbox. Email lands in a folder; the text tells them to go and look for it. Always put the expiry and the next free date in, because those two facts do more to close a quote than any discount.

6. Quote link: Hi [Name], your quote for the [job] is ready: [Link]. Valid for 14 days. Any questions, reply here. Cheers, [Your name] at [Business]
7. Quote emailed: Hi [Name], just emailed your quote for [Amount] inc GST. If you'd like to lock in a date, my next free slot is [Date]. [Your name], [Business]

Chasing the quote without being a pest

Most quotes are lost not to a cheaper competitor but to silence. A customer in Joondalup gets three quotes for a deck, life gets busy, and the tradie who follows up is the one who gets the job. Use these as a sequence: day two, day five, day ten. Each one is softer and more final than the last.

8. Day two check-in: Hi [Name], just checking you got the quote for the [job]. Happy to walk you through it if anything's unclear. [Your name], [Business]
9. Day five nudge: Hi [Name], no pressure, but I'm filling up [Month] now. If you'd like to go ahead with the [job], reply YES and I'll hold a spot for you.
10. Day ten close-out: Hi [Name], I'll close off your [job] quote on [Date] so I'm not chasing you. If you've gone another way, no worries at all. Reply if you still want it.

Bookings, reminders and on the way

Booking confirmations

The confirmation is where you set the rules. Access, the dog, the meter box, the two-hour window. Put it in writing now and nobody can say they were not told.

11. Standard confirmation: Hi [Name], you're booked with [Business] on [Date] between [Time] and [Time] at [Address]. Reply C to confirm or call [Phone] to change.
12. Confirmation with access note: Booked: [job] with [Your name] on [Date] at [Time]. Please clear access to the [area] before we arrive. Reply here with any questions.

Reminders

A reminder the day before cuts no-shows and gives the customer a painless way to move the job. If rescheduling means ringing you, they will just not answer the door. Make it a single-digit reply.

13. Day before: Reminder from [Business]: [Your name] is coming tomorrow, [Date], between [Time] and [Time]. Reply 1 to confirm or 2 to reschedule.
14. Morning of: Morning [Name], confirming [Your name] is on for today between [Time] and [Time]. If the dog needs to go inside, now's the time. See you soon.
15. Annual service: Hi [Name], it's been 12 months since we serviced the air con at [Address]. Time for a clean and check before summer. Reply BOOK and we'll find a slot.

On-the-way and running-late texts

Nothing builds trust like telling people where you are. Nothing burns it like turning up at 3:40 for a 1pm slot without a word. Send the late text before the customer has to ask.

16. Leaving now: Hi [Name], [Your name] from [Business] here. Leaving my last job now and should be at yours in about [X] minutes. See you soon.
17. Running late: Hi [Name], sorry, the job before yours has run over. I'm now looking at [Time] rather than [Time]. Reply if that doesn't work and we'll sort another time.
18. Out the front, no answer: Hi [Name], I'm out the front at [Address] but nobody's answering. Are you home? I can wait 10 minutes, then I'll need to head to my next job.

After the job

Job done

A short wrap-up text does two jobs. It tells the customer exactly what they paid for, which heads off invoice arguments, and it opens the door for the review and the next booking. A check-in a few days later is rare enough that people remember it.

19. Wrap-up: Hi [Name], all done at [Address]. We replaced the [part] and tested everything. Invoice to follow tonight. Any issues, reply here. Cheers, [Your name]
20. Three days later: Hi [Name], [Your name] from [Business]. Just checking everything's still working well since we were out on [Day]. If anything's off, let me know.

Review requests

Ask on the same day, while the relief of a fixed problem is fresh. Use the direct link to your Google Business Profile review form, not your homepage. One ask, one gentle reminder a week later, then stop.

21. Same day: Hi [Name], glad we could help with the [job]. If you've got 60 seconds, a Google review means a lot to a small local business: [Link]. Thanks!
22. One week later: Hi [Name], [Your name] here. If you were happy with the [job] last week, a quick review here would really help us: [Link]. No worries if not.

Invoices and overdue nudges

Text the invoice link with the amount and the due date, and give a card option. The friendly overdue text should go the day after the due date, not three weeks later when you are already annoyed. Keep the firm one polite; you may still want this customer's next job.

23. Invoice sent: Hi [Name], invoice #[Number] for [Amount] is here: [Link]. Due [Date]. Pay by card or bank transfer. Thanks again, [Business]
24. Friendly overdue: Hi [Name], quick one from [Business]: invoice #[Number] for [Amount] was due [Date]. Could you sort it this week? Pay here: [Link]. Cheers
25. Firm overdue: Hi [Name], invoice #[Number] ([Amount]) is now 14 days overdue. Please pay by [Date] to avoid a late fee: [Link]. Any problem, call me on [Phone].

Filling the calendar: seasonal offers and win-backs

Seasonal offers

These go to past customers only, people you have done work for, never to leads who did not book. That keeps you on the right side of the Spam Act and, more importantly, gets a far better response. A pre-summer air con text to 200 past customers in Parramatta will fill a fortnight. Note the opt-out line on each.

26. Pre-summer air con: Hi [Name], summer's coming. [Business] is doing air con services for $[Amount] until [Date] for past customers. Reply BOOK to grab a spot. Reply STOP to opt out
27. Pre-storm gutters and roof: Hi [Name], [Your name] from [Business]. Before storm season we're doing gutter cleans from $[Amount] in [Suburb]. Want a spot on the [Month] run? Reply STOP to opt out
28. EOFY for landlords: Hi [Name], EOFY is [Date]. If your investment property needs a safety check or repairs, [Business] can do and invoice it before June 30. Reply for a time. STOP to opt out

Win-backs

Go through last year's invoices and text everyone you have not heard from in 12 months. It costs nothing and most tradies never do it. Lead with the job you did for them so it is obviously not spam.

29. Simple check-in: Hi [Name], [Your name] from [Business]. We did your [job] back in [Year]. Anything on the list around the house we can help with? No obligation. Reply STOP to opt out
30. Past-customer offer: Hi [Name], it's been a while. As a past customer you get $[Amount] off your next job with [Business] this month. Reply YES and we'll book you in. STOP to opt out

How to make these templates yours

A template is a starting point, not a script. Read each one out loud and change anything you would not say on the phone. If you call everyone mate, put mate in. If you never say cheers, take it out. The customer should not be able to tell it was a template.

Fill the placeholders properly. [Name] is their first name, not their full name from the invoice. [Business] is what you actually answer the phone with.
Save them where you can reach them. Text replacement shortcuts on your phone (type qfu2 and the day-two quote follow-up appears), or the templates section of whatever job software you use.
Add your licence number where it matters. Sparkies and plumbers quoting a stranger can drop the licence number into template 5. It takes 12 characters and answers the first question a careful customer has.
Watch the count. After you fill in a long suburb or job description, check you are still under 160. Trim the sign-off before you trim the ask.
Decide what to automate. Templates 1 to 3, 11, 13 and 23 are the same every time and should fire on their own. Everything else is better sent by a human, from the ute, in your own words.

The trap is trying to do all 30 at once. Start with the missed-call text-back and the day-before reminder, because those two are where the most money leaks out. Once those are running, add the quote follow-up sequence. Give it a month and you will wonder how you ever ran the business by voicemail.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need customer consent to send these texts?

For service messages tied to a job you are already doing, such as confirmations, on-the-way texts and invoices, no. The customer contacted you and the text is part of the work. For marketing texts like seasonal offers and win-backs, the Spam Act requires consent, which can be inferred from an existing customer relationship, plus your business name and a working opt-out. Never send offers to people who only asked for a quote and never booked.

Why do all the templates need to be under 160 characters?

A standard SMS is 160 characters. Go over and the carrier splits it into two messages, which can arrive out of order and look like two separate half-texts on the customer's phone. Some SMS tools also charge per segment, so a 170-character message costs double. Every template here fits in one segment with normal placeholders filled in, but check again if you add a long address.

How many follow-up texts should I send on a quote?

Three is plenty: a check-in around day two, a gentle nudge around day five, and a polite close-out around day ten. After that, stop. If they reply at any point, drop the sequence and talk to them normally. Most tradies send zero follow-ups, so even one puts you ahead. Three, spaced out and getting softer each time, wins quotes without anyone feeling hassled.

Should I text from my own mobile or a separate business number?

Your own mobile is fine when you are starting out and most customers prefer texting a real person. The problem comes when you cannot pick up. A separate business number that can text back missed calls automatically, forward to your mobile and keep a record of every conversation is worth it once you are getting more than a handful of calls a day, or the moment you hire someone.

What is the best time of day to send a marketing text?

Late morning on a weekday, between about 10am and midday, or early evening around 6pm to 7pm when people are home and looking at their phones. Avoid before 8am, after 8pm and Sundays. Service texts are different: an on-the-way text goes whenever you are on the way, and a missed-call text-back should fire within a minute regardless of the time, because that is when the caller is holding the phone.

Let the first three send themselves

You can copy every template on this page into your phone in ten minutes. The catch is the missed-call text-back: it only works if it goes out every single time, including at 2pm on a Tuesday when you are under a house with no hands free. InstantLead sends it for you the moment a call rings out, collects the job details and photos, and lets the customer book straight into your calendar. Your first month is free at portal.instantlead.com.au/register, no card needed. Questions about setting it up for your trade? get in touch and we will walk you through it.