Quote rules — teaching Voxinly to ballpark prices on your behalf
Configure price bands per job type, postcode multipliers, urgent-callout uplift and material allowances so Voxinly can give honest ballpark quotes in your voice — no more 'we'll get back to you'.
The number one reason customers ring three plumbers before booking the first one is the first one wouldn't give them a price. 'We'll have a look and let you know' is the right answer for a tradesman with grease on his hands, but on a website it's a conversion killer. Customers want a ballpark before they engage. Quote rules let Voxinly give them one — honestly, with the right caveats, and in your voice.
Step 1 — Open Quote rules
Navigate to /admin/chatbot
Scroll to the 'Quote rules' section, below 'Coverage'. You'll see a table where you can add as many job types as you like.
Step 2 — Add your job types
Add a row per job type
For each common job (boiler service, full bathroom, leaking tap, immersion tank replacement, etc.), add a row with: job name, low estimate, high estimate, typical inclusions, typical exclusions.
Step 3 — Set postcode multipliers
Apply uplifts for outer zones
If you configured an outer postcode zone, the uplift you set there applies automatically to every quote inside that zone. You don't need to repeat it in quote rules. If a postcode warrants extra (parking restrictions, congestion charge, ULEZ), add a 'postcode notes' override.
Step 4 — Urgent-callout rules
If a customer says 'today', 'tonight', 'emergency', 'leaking now', Voxinly picks up the urgency and applies your urgent-callout uplift. Configure this in the same section — a percentage uplift (typically 25-50%) and a flat callout fee (typically £40-£120). The widget surfaces this honestly: 'For an emergency callout today, we add a £80 callout on top — total likely £230–£350.'
Step 5 — Material allowances
Add materials separately
For jobs where materials dominate the bill (new boiler, full rewire, bathroom suite), the labour band is meaningless without a material allowance. Add a 'materials from' figure per job type and Voxinly will quote labour + materials separately.
Step 6 — Test it
Ask for a quote in the widget
Open your widget in a private window and ask 'how much for a boiler service in SE15?'. Voxinly should give a range, mention any postcode adjustment, and end with 'subject to a site visit'.
Test an emergency
Ask 'my boiler is leaking right now — can you come out tonight?'. The widget should pick up the urgency, apply your callout uplift, and offer a way to book immediately (WhatsApp or phone link).
How Voxinly phrases a quote
Voxinly is trained to quote like a tradesman talking to a customer at the kitchen table — friendly, honest, with the caveats. A typical answer:
“For a boiler service in SE15 we're usually £120–£180 — closer to £180 if it's been a few years since the last service and we need to do a full strip-and-clean. That includes everything except parts. We'd confirm the exact figure after a quick look — happy to book you in for next Tuesday, does that work?”
What NOT to put in quote rules
- Don't put single numbers — always a range
- Don't put 'free quotes' as a job — that goes in knowledge, not rules
- Don't put hourly rates without context — customers can't price-shop those
- Don't put materials as part of the labour band — keep them separate
FAQ
What if a job doesn't fit any of my rules?
Voxinly says it doesn't have a ballpark for that specific job and offers to take details for a site visit. It never invents a number.
Won't customers hold me to the high end of the range?
Customers psychologically anchor to the low end when they read a range. The legal protection is 'subject to a site visit' — which Voxinly always says.
Can I have different price bands by van or engineer?
Not yet — quote rules are per tenant. If you need engineer-level pricing, configure for your most common rate and adjust on-site.
Does Voxinly tell customers the rules are automated?
It says 'ballpark' or 'usually' or 'on our usual rates' — language a human tradesman would use. It never says 'a chatbot is telling you'. But it doesn't pretend to be a human either.