Most roofing websites have a “request a quote” form. Many ask too little to be useful, or so much that people give up halfway. Here’s what’s worth asking, what isn’t, and how to get better enquiries from the same form.

The questions worth asking

  • Name, email and phone. Make email required and phone optional. Some people won’t give a number to a form, and you still want their enquiry.
  • Postcode. It tells you straight away whether the job is in your area.
  • What kind of job. A repair, a replacement or a new roof. These are different conversations.
  • What kind of roof. Flat or pitched, and the covering if they know it: felt, EPDM, GRP, tile or slate.
  • Roughly how big. Many people don’t know, so give them a way to say “not sure” rather than forcing a guess.
  • What they can see. A free-text box for the leak, the slipped tiles or the chimney. This is often the most useful answer on the form.
  • Photos, if they have them. Optional, never required.

What to leave out

  • Budget. Most homeowners don’t know what a roof costs, which is why they’re asking. A budget box gets left blank or filled with a guess.
  • Long address forms. A postcode is enough until you book a visit.
  • Anything you won’t use. Every extra box loses a few people.

Make it quick on a phone

Most people looking for a roofing company are on a phone. Use buttons for the choices instead of drop-down menus, keep the text boxes few, and make sure the form works without zooming. Fill it in on your own phone before you decide it’s done.

Tell them what happens next

Say when you’ll be in touch and how, and then do it. A plain “We’ll reply within one working day” sets the expectation. There’s more on this in replying to roofing enquiries.

Give them a figure back

The answers on a good quote form (job type, roof type, covering and size) are the same answers you’d use to give a rough price. An instant estimate uses them to show the homeowner a guide range from your own rates as they finish the form, and sends you the enquiry with the figure they saw. It gives the homeowner something back for filling in the form, and you start the call knowing what they expect.

If you’re weighing this up, read should roofing companies show prices online? and the checklist for choosing an instant quote tool.