AI quote drafting for tradies: photos plus a voice memo

Can AI write quotes for tradies?

AI can draft quotes for standard trade jobs well: repairs, replacements and installs where you already know your rates. Given site photos, a short spoken description and your own rate card, Claude writes the scope, itemises labour and materials, works out GST and adds your terms. It does not know your prices unless you give them, and it cannot judge a tricky job, so you stay the estimator.

This method suits plumbers, electricians, carpenters, painters, gas fitters, locksmiths, HVAC techs and cleaners who quote after a day on the tools. It is not for renovation tenders, commercial fit-outs or multi-trade coordination, where the estimating is the work.

What do you need before you start?

You need a phone that takes photos and records voice memos, a Claude account (a paid plan is the practical choice for photo-heavy use and Projects), your current rates written down, your usual quote layout, and three to five past quotes you were happy with. Everything else is set up once in about 30 minutes. If you have never used Claude before, run the first 10 prompts for Australian small business owners first.

How do you set up Claude to draft your quotes?

Create one Claude Project for your business and give it three things: instructions on who you are and how you quote, a rate card, and a quote template with your terms. Add a few past quotes so the drafts sound like you. Every new chat inside that Project starts with all of it, so you never retype your rates.

1. Project instructions. Fill in the brackets and paste this in:

WHO I AM
I run [BUSINESS NAME], a [TRADE] business in [SUBURB, STATE].
Mostly residential and small commercial [TYPE OF WORK].

HOW I WRITE
Direct, friendly, plain Australian English. No sales talk.
Say what the job needs, what it costs and when I can do it.

HOW I QUOTE
- Every quote: scope of works, itemised labour and materials,
  subtotal ex GST, GST, total inc GST, payment terms, warranty,
  validity (30 days unless I say otherwise), how to accept.
- ABN [ABN], registered for GST.
- Use ONLY prices from RATE_CARD. If an item is not on the rate
  card, write "PRICE NEEDED" next to it. Never guess a price.
- Flag anything in the photos or memo that looks like extra work,
  an access problem or a safety issue, under "Notes for me".
- Dates as DD/MM/YYYY. Money in AUD.

2. Rate card (a file in the Project, all prices ex GST):

LABOUR
- Standard hours: $[X] per hour
- After hours / weekends: $[X] per hour
- Call-out fee: $[X]

COMMON JOBS
- [Job]: $[parts] parts + [time] labour
- [Job]: $[parts] parts + [time] labour

MATERIALS
- Standard markup: [X]%

3. Quote template and terms (another file): your layout from business name and ABN through quote number, date, customer details, scope, line items, subtotal, GST, total, payment terms, warranty, validity and how to accept.

4. Past quotes: paste three to five good ones into a file so the wording matches yours.

Test it by typing “Write a sample quote for [a job you do every week]”. If the structure, prices or tone are off, fix the files, not the chat.

What do you do on site?

On site you only capture information; the thinking happens later. Take 4–8 photos covering the work area, close-ups of what needs doing, access problems and any visible brand or model numbers. Then record a 60-second voice memo: what the customer wants, what you found, any complications and your gut feel for the labour time.

Back in the ute or office:

1. Transcribe the voice memo with your phone’s built-in transcription (iPhone Voice Memos and most Android recorder apps do this).
2. Open your Project and start a new chat.
3. Paste the transcript and add the photos.
4. Type: “Draft a quote for this job. Customer: [name], [address].”
5. Read the draft and fix anything marked PRICE NEEDED.

How do you check an AI-drafted quote before sending?

Check five things every time: every price came from your rate card, the GST maths is right, the scope matches what you saw and what the customer asked for, the payment and deposit terms are allowed for that job in your state, and nothing has been added that you did not mean to offer. It takes a couple of minutes and catches the errors that matter.

• Prices: no PRICE NEEDED left, no item priced from thin air.
• GST: 10% on taxable items, subtotal plus GST equals the total. The ATO’s GST basics cover what is taxable.
• Scope: matches the photos and memo, with exclusions stated.
• Deposits and contracts: some states cap deposits and require written contracts for larger residential building work. Check your state regulator, such as Consumer Affairs Victoria or NSW Fair Trading, before your template asks for a deposit.
• Promises: warranty and timing are what you actually offer.

A quote is not a tax invoice. When the job is done, invoice from your normal system so the tax invoice requirements are met.

What this doesn’t do

This workflow drafts the quote; it does not win the job or run it. The follow-up call, your pricing decisions and the estimating on complex work stay with you, and once a quote is accepted the job should live in ServiceM8, Tradify, Fergus or whatever you already use. Our guide to AI for Australian tradies covers the next two jobs worth automating: invoice follow-up and after-hours enquiries.

How On Autopilot can help

If you would rather not set this up yourself, On Autopilot’s Quick Start ($497 one-off) builds one automation like this for your business: your rate card and template loaded, tested on your real jobs, and handed over. If after-hours enquiries are the bigger problem, the AI Front Desk ($1,500 setup + $199/month) answers website chat, SMS and email enquiries and books jobs into ServiceM8. Start with a free 30-minute AI audit with Jenn Yang.