A template does not create permission
These texts are for homeowners who requested a residential replacement estimate from your HVAC business and whose documented consent supports the follow-up. They are not cold outreach scripts or permission to revive a purchased list. Putting “Reply STOP” at the end does not repair missing consent.
Federal calling and texting rules distinguish consent requirements by message and technology. Marketing robotexts can require prior express written consent; revocation must be honored. State rules and provider requirements may add restrictions. Have counsel approve your actual workflow rather than treating this article as a legal determination.
Our stricter operating starting point is written consent naming the contractor, captured with the disclosure text, time, source and number. A number on an estimate is not sufficient for our process. If evidence is missing, hold SMS and review other permitted channels separately.
Run this check before every send
- Correct household: match the number to the current estimate and check wrong-number flags.
- Permission: locate the approved consent record and confirm no later withdrawal or do-not-contact instruction.
- Current status: stop for a sale, booking, confirmed loss, expired proposal or opt-out. Pause for any reply.
- Local time: verify the recipient’s time zone. Our default is 9 a.m.–6 p.m. on approved days, excluding Sundays and federal holidays, subject to stricter restrictions.
- One owner: check whether the advisor or CSR already contacted the household. Avoid stacked messages from different tools.
- Working inbox: confirm a person is available to review replies and apply suppression.
An area code alone is a weak time-zone assumption because people move and keep their numbers. If time zone or permission is unknown, do not schedule the text. Resolve the record through an authorized process.
Six copyable texts for real conversations
These are the wording for the five-touch sequence in the follow-up guide: touch 1 is text 1, touch 2 is text 2 or 3, touch 3 is text 4, touch 4 is text 5 and touch 5 is text 6. Replace every bracketed field and read the completed message before approval. These are alternatives for different situations, not six messages to send together. Keep the company name and opt-out instruction in each estimate follow-up text, even in an existing thread.
1. Receipt check after the visit
Hi [First name], it’s [Advisor] with [Company]. Were you able to open the replacement estimate from our visit? Happy to help with a question. Reply STOP to opt out.
Use after delivery, not while the advisor is still preparing the proposal. A missing attachment needs a corrected delivery, not a sales reminder. Confirm any replacement link points to the right customer record.
2. Clarify the equipment options
Hi [First name], [Advisor] at [Company]. Would a short comparison of the replacement options help, or is there another question on your estimate? Reply STOP to opt out.
This invites the homeowner to name the issue. The office can acknowledge a reply, but equipment recommendations, warranty details and price changes should come from the authorized advisor using approved information.
3. Financing information, when previously discussed
Hi [First name], [Advisor] with [Company]. You asked about financing at our visit. Would you like the lender’s current information for your estimate? Reply STOP to opt out.
Use only when financing exists and was discussed. Do not insert an unapproved monthly payment, rate, guaranteed approval or offer deadline. Direct applications and sensitive financial details to the approved lender process.
4. Include another decision-maker
Hi [First name], [Advisor] from [Company]. Would a call together with anyone else involved help you compare the replacement options? Reply STOP to opt out.
Offer the conversation without presuming who makes household decisions. Let the customer coordinate participation. Their consent does not automatically authorize texts to another person’s number.
5. Check timing without pressure
Hi [First name], [Advisor] at [Company]. Are you still considering the replacement, planning for later, or going another direction? I can update our notes. Reply STOP to opt out.
Respect “later” as an answer. Ask whether a specific future reminder is wanted; otherwise end the active sequence. Do not turn an unanswered timing question into weekly messages indefinitely.
6. The final scheduled follow-up
Hi [First name], [Advisor] with [Company]. This is my last scheduled estimate follow-up. If you want to revisit it, call [Company phone]. Reply STOP to opt out.
Send only while the proposal remains eligible for follow-up. If it expired earlier, stop earlier. “Last” must mean the sequence ends, not that a differently named campaign begins tomorrow.
Opt-outs need a workflow, not just a footer
Test STOP and natural-language refusals before launch, including replies received after office hours. Under our policy, a clear refusal immediately suppresses the contractor’s follow-up across channels. This broader suppression is our operating choice; do not interpret it as a complete summary of every federal rule or exception.
If the system sends a permitted one-time confirmation, keep it purely administrative and avoid duplicate confirmations from staff and software. Do not include an offer, booking link or request to reconsider. A wrong-number reply also means suppress the number and review the customer record.
Log the request, its time, the systems updated and the person who checked completion. A spreadsheet flag is not enough if another sending tool still has the household queued. Test the actual sending path, including any delayed jobs.
When email is appropriate instead
Missing SMS consent does not make email an automatic workaround. Check contact restrictions first. For commercial email, the FTC’s CAN-SPAM guide addresses accurate sender information and subjects, advertising identification, a valid postal address and a clear opt-out. An estimate inquiry does not make every later promotional email transactional.
Keep the email to one useful question and use the contractor’s approved footer. Three starting versions, each needing your company’s approved footer (identity, postal address, working unsubscribe) before use:
Day 1 · subject: Your replacement estimate from [Company]
Hi [First name], thank you for walking through your home’s comfort needs with me. Were you able to open the estimate? If an equipment option, installation detail or price needs explaining, reply with the question and I’ll help. — [Advisor], [Company]
Day 3 · subject: A question about your [Company] options
Hi [First name], would a short comparison of the replacement options we discussed help? Attach only the current approved comparison, never an old price sheet. — [Advisor], [Company]
Day 28 · subject: Closing the loop on your [Company] estimate
Hi [First name], this is my last scheduled follow-up about your replacement estimate. If you would like to revisit it, reply here or call [Company phone]. We’ll check the scope, current pricing and availability together. Thank you for considering [Company]. — [Advisor]
A bounced email is a contact problem, not a rejection. Check the address through your normal authorized process rather than sending to guessed alternatives.
If the person asked to be left alone, honor that instruction rather than moving the pitch into a different inbox.
Make the reply worth sending
A short text creates an obligation to notice the answer. Assign monitoring hours, backup coverage and escalation routes before scheduling anything. Pause automation when a reply arrives, then let a person decide what happens next. Use the five-touch sequence for the overall plan and the advisor checklist for ownership.
If managing those conversations is the gap, review GablePath Follow-Up. The ROI calculator helps explore costs and assumed lift before a measured pilot; messages sent and replies received are not proof of additional sales.
Frequently asked questions
Does requesting an HVAC estimate automatically permit marketing texts?
Do not treat the request or a phone number alone as SMS permission. Our operating policy requires documented appropriate written consent naming the contractor before estimate follow-up texts. Have counsel approve the actual consent language and sending workflow.
What hours should we send estimate follow-up texts?
Our conservative operating default is 9 a.m.–6 p.m. in the recipient’s verified local time on approved days, with no Sundays or federal holidays. Apply stricter rules and customer preferences. This is a house policy, not a statement that these hours satisfy every jurisdiction.
What if someone says ‘leave me alone’ instead of STOP?
Treat a clear request to stop as an opt-out. Our policy is immediate suppression of this contractor’s follow-up across channels. Do not send another pitch, demand a specific keyword or switch to email to continue the same pursuit.
Sources
- eCFR — 47 CFR 64.1200, federal calling and texting restrictions, consent and revocation provisions — https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-47/chapter-I/subchapter-B/part-64/subpart-L/section-64.1200
- Federal Trade Commission — CAN-SPAM Act: A Compliance Guide for Business — https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/can-spam-act-compliance-guide-business
Federal source links checked on 22 October 2026. The timing, documentation and suppression defaults here are conservative GablePath operating policies, not a complete legal compliance program. Requirements vary by jurisdiction, message and technology; obtain counsel review before sending.