The short answer
Set up a ChatGPT project once with your rates, materials markup, VAT status and standard terms. After each site visit, tap the microphone and describe the job in your own words. ChatGPT turns it into a tidy written quote with line items, totals, exclusions and the 14-day cancellation notice that applies to most jobs agreed at the customer’s home. You check the prices and send it. Cost: free, or £19.99 a month for heavy use.
- Who it’s for
- UK sole-trader and small-team plumbers, electricians, builders, decorators, cleaners and handypeople
- Time to set up
- 30 minutes once, then 2–5 minutes per quote
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Monthly cost
- £0–£19.99
What does this automation do?
You already explain the job out loud: to your mate, to the customer, to yourself in the van. This captures that explanation and turns it into a written quote that looks like it came from a much bigger firm. No typing on your phone, no evening admin.
What do you need before you start?
- The ChatGPT app on your phone (free works)
- Your rates: day rate, hourly rate, call-out charge, common job prices, materials markup
- Your standard terms (deposit, payment terms, what’s not included, guarantee)
How do I set it up?
Step 1: Write your price list and standard terms
Write it down once, in plain text. Example:
Business: Dave Smith Plumbing & Heating, Leeds. Gas Safe reg [number].
VAT registered: no.
Day rate: £280. Half day: £160. Call-out (first hour): £85, then £55/hr.
Materials: cost + 15%.
Common jobs: Replace kitchen tap (supply & fit, mid-range tap) £180.
Power flush (up to 10 rads) £450.
Payment: 25% deposit for jobs over £1,000, balance on completion, 7 days.
Not included unless stated: making good plaster, decorating, waste removal.
Guarantee: 12 months on workmanship.Step 2: Create a ChatGPT project called “Quotes”
In ChatGPT, create a Project named “Quotes” and paste your price list plus the prompt from the next section into the project instructions. If your plan doesn’t show Projects, save the text in your notes app and paste it at the start of each new chat.
Step 3: After the site visit, record the job as a voice note
Open the Quotes project, start a new chat, tap the microphone (dictation) button and talk naturally:
“Quote for Mrs Patel, 14 Oak Road, LS6. Replace the combi, she wants a Worcester 30 kilowatt, move it from the kitchen to the loft, new flue, about a day and a half, needs a magnetic filter and a powerflush first, eight rads. Agreed in her kitchen today. She wants it before Christmas.”
Send it. You’ll get a written quote back with line items and totals, plus a short list of anything it wasn’t sure about.
Step 4: Check the line items and prices
Read every line. Check the materials prices against your supplier, check the maths, and make sure nothing has been added that you didn’t say. Ask for changes in plain English: “Make the labour two days and drop the filter.”
Step 5: Send it from your usual app or template
Copy the text into your invoicing app’s quote screen (most have one), or into a Google Docs or Word template with your logo, and send it as a PDF. Keep a copy: if the customer accepts, it’s part of your contract.
Step 6 (optional): Automate it with Make
If you’d rather never open ChatGPT, email or share the voice memo to a Make mailhook and get a finished draft in your inbox (outline below). You’ll need a paid OpenAI API account or Make’s built-in AI credits for the transcription and writing steps.
The copy-paste prompt
You write quotes for my trade business. My price list and terms are above.
When I send a voice note or description of a job, write a quote with:
1. Customer name and address (as I said them), date, quote number QYYYYMMDD-01.
2. Description of the work: plain English, 2-4 sentences.
3. Line items table: item | qty | unit price | total. Use ONLY my rates and
job prices. For materials I haven't priced, write "[CHECK PRICE]" instead
of guessing.
4. Subtotal, VAT (only if I'm VAT registered), total.
5. Exclusions (from my standard list plus anything job-specific).
6. Payment terms and guarantee from my terms.
7. "This is a fixed quote for the work described, valid for 30 days."
8. If I say the job was agreed at the customer's home, add:
"Your right to cancel: you have 14 days from the date you accept this quote
to cancel without giving a reason. If you'd like us to start within that
period, please confirm in writing. If you then cancel, you'll pay for work
carried out up to that point." and attach a simple cancellation form line.
9. Then, separately, list QUESTIONS FOR ME: anything unclear or unpriced.
Style: British English, friendly, professional, no jargon the customer won't
know. Never invent measurements, brands or prices.Make template outline (optional)
| # | Module | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Webhooks › Custom mailhook | Email your voice memo (m4a) to this address |
| 2 | Iterator | Loop over attachments |
| 3 | OpenAI › Create a transcription (or Make AI transcription) | Audio file from the attachment |
| 4 | OpenAI › Generate a response | Your price list + prompt + transcript |
| 5 | Google Docs › Create a document from a template | Optional: drops the text into your branded template |
| 6 | Gmail › Send an email (to yourself) | The draft quote, ready to check and forward |
What UK rules apply?
- Cancellation rights for jobs agreed at home. For contracts agreed away from your business premises (for example in the customer’s kitchen), consumers usually have 14 days to cancel. You must give them the cancellation information and a model form. Don’t start work in those 14 days unless they ask in writing, and if you fail to give the information, the cancellation period can extend by up to 12 months (Consumer Contracts Regulations, Business Companion).
- VAT. Register once taxable turnover passes £90,000 in a rolling 12 months (GOV.UK). Don’t charge VAT if you’re not registered.
- CIS applies to payments from contractors to subcontractors for construction work, not to work for private homeowners (GOV.UK).
- Customer data. A customer’s name and address are personal data. Keep the chats tidy, delete old ones you don’t need, and turn off “Improve the model for everyone” in ChatGPT’s data controls if you don’t want chats used for training.
What can go wrong?
- Made-up prices. The prompt tells it to write “[CHECK PRICE]” instead of guessing. Search for that before sending.
- Maths slips. AI is a writer, not a calculator. Check the totals, or let your invoicing app do the maths.
- Background noise. Dictation struggles next to a running van or a radio. Record before you start the engine.
- Missing exclusions. The most common cause of arguments later. Read the exclusions list every time.
Frequently asked questions
Can ChatGPT work out my prices?
Only from the rates you give it. Put your day rate, call-out charge, typical job prices and materials markup in the project instructions. Always check the totals: AI can make arithmetic mistakes.
What’s the difference between a quote and an estimate?
A quote is normally a fixed price for the work described; an estimate is a best guess that can change. Say clearly which you’re giving, and what would change the price (for example, ‘if we find rotten joists’).
Do customers really have 14 days to cancel?
If the contract is agreed in the customer’s home (an ‘off-premises’ contract), they usually have 14 days to cancel under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013. You shouldn’t start in that period unless they ask you to in writing, and if they then cancel they pay for work done. If you don’t give them the cancellation information, the period can stretch to 12 months.
Should I add VAT?
Only if you’re VAT-registered. You must register once your taxable turnover goes over £90,000 in any rolling 12 months. If you’re registered, show prices including VAT to consumers.
Can I use this for CIS jobs?
Yes for the quote itself. CIS deductions apply when a contractor pays a subcontractor for construction work, not when you invoice a homeowner directly. Tell ChatGPT if the customer is a contractor so the quote reflects it.
Sources
- legislation.gov.uk: Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013, Part 3
- Business Companion (Trading Standards): Off-premises sales
- GOV.UK: VAT registration thresholds
- GOV.UK: What is the Construction Industry Scheme
- ChatGPT plans and pricing
This guide is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Tool prices and screens change; we re-check every guide regularly. Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we’ll fix it.