A moving quote request form that prices the move before the walkthrough
A move is priced on volume, distance, access at both ends and the date. Customers rarely know their volume, so the form asks for what they do know: rooms, large items, what is in the garage. Then it asks again when an answer still leaves the truck size open.
What should moving companies ask first?
| Ask | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Where are you moving from, and where to? | Distance decides whether this is a local job priced by the hour or a long-distance one, and whether you serve that route at all. |
| How many bedrooms, and is anything else coming: a garage, a basement, a storage unit? | Rooms are the nearest thing to volume a customer knows. The garage and the storage unit are where estimates go wrong. |
| Which large or awkward items are moving: a piano, a safe, a pool table, gym equipment? | Some need extra crew or equipment, and some you may not move at all. |
| What floor is each home on, and is there an elevator? | Stairs at either end add hours, and an elevator that has to be reserved adds a time window. |
| How far will the truck be from the door at each address? | A long carry or no truck parking is labor the customer will not think to mention. |
| Do you need packing, or only loading and driving? | Packing can be a second day of work and a materials bill. |
| What is the move date, and how flexible is it? | Popular dates fill first. A flexible customer can be offered a date you actually have. |
If an answer would not change what you do next, leave the question out. Each extra question is one more reason for someone to stop before they finish.
Which answers come back too vague to use, and what do you ask next?
The answers that cause a phone call are rarely missing. They are present and too loose to act on. A narrower follow-up, asked straight away while the person is still there, usually settles them. Offering likely answers shows the person the level of detail you need.
| What comes back | The follow-up that settles it |
|---|---|
| “It’s a normal three-bedroom.” | Is every room furnished, and is anything coming from a garage, basement or attic too? |
| “Just a few big pieces.” | Which ones? A sofa and a dresser need two movers; a piano or a safe may need a specialist. |
| “We’re on the third floor.” | Is there an elevator, and does the building need it reserved for the move? |
Follow up once per gap, then move on. If an answer is still unclear after one follow-up, flag it for whoever picks the request up rather than pressing.
When is a call or a visit still the right move?
A large house, a move with a lot of storage, or a customer who cannot describe what they own still needs a walkthrough, in person or by video. The written request decides which moves need one, and lets you give everyone else a range they can book on instead of sending someone to look at a studio apartment.
How do you set this up from the Quote request template?
Acquainto has a Quote request template to start from. After you sign up, open Browse templates, pick Quote request, and it lands in the editor as a draft you can change before anything is published.
The template asks what the quote is for, a rough budget, a date, whether the person has another quote, and where to send yours. For a moving company, make the first question the two addresses, replace “How many people would be using this?” with the bedroom count and what else is coming, keep the date and the competing-quote question, and add the floors, the carry and packing as choices.
Acquainto runs it as a short written conversation instead of a form. It:
- asks a follow-up when an answer is incomplete, and asks for clarification when one is vague;
- uses a structured choice where precision matters and open conversation where detail matters;
- shows the person every answer before it is sent, so they correct their own mistakes;
- hands back one clean value per question, delivered to your own systems by webhook.
The person answering needs no account, and nothing has to be scheduled. Start free trial, see how it works, or compare plans.