What is a virtual estimate?
A virtual estimate is a quote produced from customer-supplied photos, video, and answers rather than an in-person site visit. For most residential repair and replacement work, the evidence needed to scope the job can be captured on a customer's phone in a few minutes.
Are virtual estimates accurate enough to quote from?
For diagnostic and repair work they are, provided the intake is structured. The determining factor is whether you captured the equipment nameplate, the failure symptom, and the surrounding conditions — not whether a person stood in the room.
How many more jobs can you quote with virtual estimates?
Since a virtual estimate consumes no truck roll and no drive time, an estimator can handle several times the daily volume of in-person visits. The practical limit becomes intake quality rather than windshield time.
Do customers accept virtual estimates?
Customers already send photos by text. A structured intake link asks for the same thing in a usable form, and most complete it in under four minutes on their own phone with no app to install.