See what is stuck before the trucks roll

The prompt

Paste it into ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini and fill in each part in [BRACKETS]. Owners who want one look at the business before the day starts.

Copy prompt

I run a home services business. Every morning I want one short look at what is stuck before the trucks roll, so nothing sits for a week because nobody saw it.

What I have:
- Quotes sent and not answered, with the day each went out: [OPEN QUOTES]
- Jobs sold but not on the schedule yet: [UNSCHEDULED JOBS]
- Jobs finished but not invoiced, and invoices still open: [BILLING STATUS]
- Requests with no reply yet: [UNANSWERED REQUESTS]
- How long is too long for each of these: [MY LIMITS]

What I want:
1. Using my limits, list what is stuck in each group, oldest first.
2. Put the three things that most need me today at the top, with one line each on why.
3. For each stuck item, name the next step from what I gave you.
4. Point out any customer who shows up in more than one group, such as an open quote and an unanswered request.

Rules:
- Write a draft for me to read. Do not send anything and do not change anything.
- Use only what I gave you. If something is missing, ask me instead of guessing.
- Do not decide anything about money, discounts or complaints. Put them on my list.
- Leave out card details, customers' last names and addresses, and anything else private.

Give me back:
- The top three for today
- Each group's stuck list, oldest first
- A one-line count for each group

When to use it

Early, before the crews head out, when you have a few minutes and an export or a screenshot of your board.

When not to

Do not use it to decide who gets a discount or a firmer call about money. It shows you what is waiting; you decide what to do.

What to paste in

• [OPEN QUOTES]: First name, job and the day the quote went out, one per line.
• [UNSCHEDULED JOBS]: First name, job and the day they said yes.
• [BILLING STATUS]: Finished jobs with no invoice, and open invoices with how long they have been open.
• [UNANSWERED REQUESTS]: First name, what they asked and when, from voicemail, texts, email or your web form.
• [MY LIMITS]: How long is too long for each group, for example quotes over a week or invoices over three weeks.

Never paste

• Customers' last names, street addresses, phone numbers or card details
• Logins for your scheduling or billing app

A filled-in example

OPEN QUOTES: Sam, water softener install, sent Oct 10; Bea, bathroom remodel rough-in, sent Oct 20; Ray, sewer line camera and repair, sent Oct 2.
UNSCHEDULED JOBS: Nora, whole-house repipe, said yes Oct 15; Ray, said yes to the camera only, Oct 21.
BILLING STATUS: Not invoiced: Glen, sump pump replacement, finished Oct 17. Open: Pat, water heater, 26 days.
UNANSWERED REQUESTS: Bea, texted Oct 22 asking if the quote includes moving the vent; Tia, web form Oct 23, leaky outdoor spigot.
MY LIMITS: Quotes over 7 days, sold jobs not scheduled after 5 days, finished jobs not invoiced after 2 days, open invoices over 21 days, any request over 1 day.

What you should get back

• The three things that need you today, each with a reason
• Stuck quotes, jobs, invoices and requests by your limits, oldest first
• Customers who show up in more than one group
• Nothing changed or sent, and every money call left to you

What stays with you

The prompt writes a draft. You decide what happens to it, and nothing should reach a customer until you have read it. Decisions about money stay with a person every time, and so do health questions and complaints. When KeenHand builds a routine like this, every message carries the same four decisions: Automate, Approve, Revise, Reject.

Related

• Count quotes sent and won each week. A weekly count of quotes sent, won, lost and still waiting by kind of job, with how fast each went out and a few questions for you.
• Write a polite reminder for an unpaid invoice. A reminder for an open invoice that fits how late it is and names the job, and that stops for you if the customer questioned the work.
• Follow up on a quote that went quiet. A short follow-up that names the job you quoted, asks where the customer stands, and leaves any change to the price for you.

More: every prompt for home services, the owner's desk, and AI for home services.

Which three fit your home services business?

The free quiz scores your home services business on sixteen things and picks the three prompts aimed at your three lowest. It takes about three minutes.

Take the quiz