How to use AI to quote jobs (you set the prices, AI does the typing)

Step 1: What AI should and shouldn't do in a quote

AI is good at: turning scribbles or a voice memo into tidy line items; laying out a table, subtotal, GST and total from your figures; writing clear inclusions, exclusions and assumptions; spotting gaps ("you didn't give a price for disposal"); making every quote look the same.

You always do:

• Set every price, rate, margin and markup
• Decide what's in and out of the job
• Check every number on a calculator
• Add the customer's name and address in your own software
• Send it from your normal system

⚠️ If a number shows up that you didn't give it, delete it. AI can sound sure and still make up a figure.

Step 2: Set up your price list once (5 minutes, saves time on every quote)

Write your common items in your phone's notes app, one per line: hourly rate, call-out fee, travel, disposal or tip fees, standard materials and fittings. Say if each one is excluding GST or including GST. Update it whenever supplier prices change.

Lay it out like this, with your own figures in place of the brackets:

• Labour: [your rate] per hour, excl. GST
• Call-out: [your fee], excl. GST
• Disposal: [your fee] per load, excl. GST

Copy this prompt and fill in the [square brackets]:

Turn my rough list of rates below into a tidy price list I can reuse. One item per line: Item | Unit (hour, each, metre, load) | Price | excl. or incl. GST.
Use only the numbers I've written. Don't add items or change any price. If something has no price or no unit, list it at the end under "Missing" so I can fill it in.
My rates: [paste]

Tip: Keep supplier invoices handy. The price list is only as good as the numbers you put in.

Step 3: Get your site notes in (typed, photo or voice)

Typed notes: paste them straight in.

Photo of your notebook: ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini can all read a photo you attach in the chat. Free plans have upload limits, so check yours.

Voice memo: talk through the job in the ute, then use your phone keyboard's microphone (dictation) to turn it into text, or follow Use voice notes on site.

Remove the customer's surname, phone number and street address before pasting. Use first name and suburb. See Is ChatGPT safe for business data? and Safe AI habits.

Optional: if the notes are a real mess, tidy them first with this prompt (no prices yet).

Copy this prompt and fill in the [square brackets]:

Tidy my site notes below into a clear job list: what's wrong, what needs doing, measurements, materials, access and anything unusual. Keep my words where you can.
Do NOT add prices, quantities or work I haven't mentioned. If something is unclear, put it under "Not sure about".
My notes (or voice memo text): [paste]

Step 4: Paste the master quote prompt

Start a new chat. Paste this prompt, fill in the [square brackets], then paste your price list and notes at the bottom.

The two lines that matter most are 'Use ONLY the prices I give you' and 'PRICE NEEDED'. They stop the AI filling gaps with made-up numbers.

See this kind of prompt used on a real-looking hot water cylinder job in Write a clear quote from a messy job note.

Copy this prompt and fill in the [square brackets]:

You're helping me, a [trade] in [town], [New Zealand / Australia], turn my site notes into an itemised quote draft for a homeowner.

Rules:
- Use ONLY the prices, rates and quantities I give you below. Never make up, estimate or suggest a price, rate, margin or markup.
- If an item has no price from me, write "PRICE NEEDED" in that line and add it to "Questions to check".
- Don't add any work, materials or items I haven't mentioned.
- My prices are [excluding GST / including GST].
- GST: I am [GST-registered / not GST-registered]. If registered, use [15% (NZ) / 10% (AU)]. If not registered, don't add GST.
- Show your working on every line (quantity x rate = line total). Round to the cent.
- Put "(verify)" after the GST line and the total so I remember to check them on a calculator.
- Plain [NZ / AU] English. No jargon, no fluff.

Lay it out like this:
1. Job summary (2 short sentences)
2. Line items table: Item | Qty | Unit | Rate (excl. GST) | Line total (excl. GST)
3. Subtotal (excl. GST), GST, Total (incl. GST)
4. What's included
5. What's not included
6. Assumptions
7. This quote is valid for [30] days
8. Next step for the customer (one line)
9. Questions to check: anything missing, unclear or without a price

My price list:
[paste your price list]

My site notes (customer surname and address removed):
[paste your notes]

Tip: Want a starter set of AI tools that suits your trade? Take the free 6-question quiz.

Step 5: GST in plain English (NZ and AU)

Not tax advice. A quote isn't a tax invoice; your accounting software handles invoices. Official guidance: IRD: Charging GST (opens in a new tab) (NZ) and ATO: How GST works (opens in a new tab) (AU).

• NZ: GST is 15%. Example: $100 + GST = $115.
• AU: GST is 10%.
• Only add GST if you're GST-registered. Not sure? Ask your accountant.
• Tell the AI whether your prices are excluding or including GST, or it may add GST twice.
• Show GST the way you normally do and the way your accountant recommends.

⚠️ AI can get maths wrong. The prompt marks the GST and total lines '(verify)' so you re-add them on a calculator every time.

Step 6: Check before you send

Go down this list every time. It's mirrored in the checklist at the bottom of the page. For the full pre-send check, see Can you trust ChatGPT? Check AI answers.

1. Every rate and price matches your price list. Nothing invented.
2. Qty × rate = line total, on every line, done on a calculator.
3. Subtotal, GST (15% NZ / 10% AU) and total re-added by you. Remove the "(verify)" marks only after you've checked.
4. No "PRICE NEEDED" left. Every gap is filled with your figure or the line is deleted.
5. No extra items, materials or promises you didn't mention (start dates, guarantees, discounts).
6. Exclusions written down (e.g. "electrical reconnection by others").
7. Validity period and a clear next step ("Reply YES to book").
8. Would you sign it? Your name's on it.

Copy this prompt and fill in the [square brackets]:

Check this quote draft against my notes and price list.
1. List anything in the quote that's NOT in my notes or price list (added items, prices, promises, dates).
2. Re-calculate every line (qty x rate) and the subtotal, GST at [15% NZ / 10% AU] and total, showing your working step by step.
3. List any line marked PRICE NEEDED.
Don't rewrite the quote. Just give me the list.
Price list: [paste] Notes: [paste] Quote: [paste]

Tip: This helps you catch mistakes, but it doesn't replace you re-adding the totals yourself. AI can miss its own errors.

Step 7: Before you quote, ask the right questions (optional)

Use this when the enquiry or your notes have gaps: access, height, age of the existing gear, who's doing the other trades.

For bigger jobs, draft a scope of works. For good/better/best quotes, explain options in plain English.

Copy this prompt and fill in the [square brackets]:

I'm a [trade] quoting [job] in [suburb]. Here are my notes: [paste].
List the questions I should ask the customer, or check on site, before I can quote properly (access, sizes, existing gear, other trades, consents, timing). Short list, most important first. Don't give me any prices.

Step 8: Send it from your usual system

Copy the scope, inclusions, exclusions and assumptions into your quoting or accounting app, then add the line items there, so they flow through to the invoice. Customer name and address go in there, not into the AI.

Tool notes: Xero, MYOB, Tradify, Fergus, ServiceM8, Jobber.

Comparing job apps and their built-in AI? See our job management app comparison.

Then set up an automatic nudge: Automate quote follow-ups. If the job changes mid-way: Variations and progress updates.

Step 9: Save it for next time

Save the master prompt in your notes app with your trade, town, country and GST setting already filled in, and keep your price list right underneath. Next time: paste prompt, paste price list, paste notes, check, send.

Trade-specific quote prompts: electricians, plumbers, builders, landscapers, mechanics, or the prompt library. Back to AI for writing quotes.

Can ChatGPT create quotes?

It can write and lay out a quote from your notes and your prices: line items, GST, inclusions and exclusions. It shouldn't decide the prices. You set those and check every number.

Will AI work out my prices for me?

No, and don't let it. It doesn't know your supplier costs, your rates or what the job's worth in your area. Give it your price list and tell it to use only those figures.

Does AI get GST right?

Usually, but not always. AI can make maths mistakes. Tell it your country (NZ 15%, AU 10%), whether your prices include GST, and whether you're registered. Then re-add the total yourself.

Is it safe to put customer details into AI?

Keep them out. Use first name and suburb only, and add the full details in your quoting software. See Is ChatGPT safe for business data?.

Which AI app should I use?

Any of the main free ones will do this: ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini. Pick the one you'll actually open on your phone. Not sure where to start? Take the 6-question quiz.

Can I send the AI quote straight to the customer?

Better not. Copy the wording into your usual quoting or accounting app and add the line items there, so the quote turns into an invoice later and your details are right.

What's the difference between this page and the job note tutorial?

This page is the full method. Write a clear quote from a messy job note walks through one example job, step by step.