The problem
Buyers needing a survey often ring or email several firms and book the first one that replies with a price. If inquiries wait 4 to 6 hours while you're on site, some go elsewhere. If quoting within minutes won 2 more of 30 monthly inquiries at a $732£550€655A$1,056C$1,034 fee, that would be $1,463£1,100€1,309A$2,112C$2,068 a month of extra work.
What the AI does
Build a quote form in Tally asking for the survey level, purchase price, property type, number of bedrooms and post code. Tally's free plan includes conditional logic and calculations, so the form works out the fee from your own price bands. A two-step Zapier automation starts on each new Tally response and sends the client an email from your Gmail account with the fee, what the survey includes and how to book. Tally's free plan only emails you, so the client's email goes through Zapier. You check each inquiry before confirming a booking, and unusual properties are quoted as subject to confirmation.
A worked example
A two-surveyor firm in Leeds gets about 30 web inquiries a month and replies with a quote when back from site, often 4 to 6 hours later. They add a Tally quote form to their website, with a Zapier email to each client.
Before
Quotes sent 4 to 6 hours after each of 30 inquiries a month
After
Every inquiry quoted within minutes, with an assumed 2 more bookings a month at $732£550€655A$1,056C$1,034 each
What it's worth
About $878£660€785A$1,267C$1,241 a month in profit, at an assumed 60% margin on $1,463£1,100€1,309A$2,112C$2,068 of extra fees from 2 more bookings at $732£550€655A$1,056C$1,034. The margin allows for travel, insurance and the time on site and writing. Tally's free plan and Zapier's free plan (two-step Zaps, 100 tasks a month) cover 30 inquiries a month at no cost.
How to set it up
- Write your price table: fee by survey level and purchase price band, plus any extras for size, age or distance.
- Build the Tally form with fields for survey level, purchase price, property type, bedrooms, post code and contact details, and use its calculations to work out the fee.
- In Zapier, start a Zap on each new Tally response and add one action: send an email from your Gmail account with the fee, what is included and how to book.
- Say in the email that listed, thatched, very large or unusual properties are quoted subject to confirmation, and check those inquiries yourself the same day.
- Test with 5 dummy inquiries at different prices and check each emailed fee against your price table.
What goes wrong
- If a calculation is set up wrong, every client gets the wrong price. Re-test whenever you change your fees.
- Zapier can fail silently. Compare the Zap history with Tally's responses every week.
- Zapier's free plan allows two-step Zaps and 100 tasks a month. Adding a step, such as a spreadsheet log, needs Pro at $19.99 (about $20£15€18A$29C$28) a month billed annually.
- A fast quote isn't a booking. Terms of engagement still need agreeing before the inspection.