How to Respond to an Inquiry Email: A 5-Part Reply and 6 Templates for Small Service Businesses

Updated 2026-10-26 · AI Agent Starter Kit

A new inquiry is the most valuable email in your inbox. Someone found you, liked what they saw and took the time to write. What you send back, and how quickly, decides whether that turns into a booked job or a polite "we went with someone else."

Most small service businesses lose inquiries in one of two ways. Either the reply is slow, because the email arrived during a job and got buried, or the reply is fast but flat: a price list, a link and "let me know." This guide fixes both. You get a simple 5-part structure, six templates you can copy, and a safe way to have AI write the first draft so you only need to check it and press Send.

How fast should you reply?

As fast as you reasonably can, and on the same business day at the latest. People who send an inquiry often contact two or three businesses at once. The first helpful, personal reply has a real head start, because the person is still thinking about the problem when your email lands.

If you are on a job and can't write a full answer, a short honest holding reply beats silence:

Hi [Name],

Thanks for getting in touch about [job]. I'm on a job until about [time] and will send you a proper answer this evening.

[Your name]

Just make sure you keep that promise. To see what your current reply time is costing you, try the free lead response time calculator. The guide on speed to lead for solo businesses covers why the first reply matters so much.

The 5-part inquiry reply

A good reply to an inquiry email is short (often under 150 words) and does five things, in this order:

1. Use their name and their words. Repeat the specific thing they asked about. "A deep clean for a 3-bedroom before you move out" shows you actually read it. "Your inquiry" does not.
2. Answer the question they asked. If they asked about availability, say what you have. If they asked about price, give a range or explain what it depends on. Dodging the main question is the fastest way to lose them.
3. Ask one or two questions, not ten. Pick the questions that decide whether you can help and what it will cost. Save the rest for the call or the visit. The guide on lead qualification questions has a full list and which ones to ask first.
4. Give one clear next step. A booking link, two time options for a call, or "reply with a couple of photos." One step, not a menu.
5. Sign off like a person. Your first name, your business name, and a phone number if you take calls.

Here is the structure as a skeleton you can fill in:

Hi [Name],

Thanks for reaching out about [their words]. [Direct answer to their question.]

To [give you an accurate quote / make sure I'm the right fit], could you tell me:
- [Question 1]
- [Question 2]

[One next step: booking link, or "Would Tuesday at 10 or Thursday at 2 work for a quick call?"]

[Your name]
[Business name] | [Phone]

6 inquiry email templates

Copy these into Gmail templates or a notes file and change the bracketed parts. Keep anything you are not sure of (exact prices, start dates) as a placeholder until you have checked it.

1. General "Do you do this?" inquiry

Subject: Re: [their subject]

Hi [Name],

Thanks for getting in touch. Yes, [service] is exactly what we do, and [their specific job] is a common request.

A couple of quick questions so I can point you in the right direction:
- [Where is the job / roughly how big is it?]
- [When are you hoping to get it done?]

Once I know that I can give you a price range and some dates.

[Your name]

2. Price request ("How much does it cost?")

Hi [Name],

Thanks for asking. For [job type], most jobs land between [low] and [high]. Where yours falls depends mainly on [main factor, for example size, materials or travel].

If you can send [photos / measurements / the address], I'll give you a firm quote within [timeframe].

[Your name]

Giving a range builds trust and filters out people whose budget is far off. If you never quote by email, say what the price depends on and offer a quick call instead. When you have the details and are ready to send a firm price, see how to email a quote to a customer.

3. Availability request

Hi [Name],

Thanks for your message. I currently have openings on [day/date] and [day/date]. If neither works, the next free week is [week].

Would either of those suit you? If so, reply with the one you prefer and I'll hold it for you until [day].

[Your name]

4. Vague inquiry ("Can you help with my project?")

Hi [Name],

Thanks for reaching out. Happy to take a look.

To see if I'm the right fit, could you share a little more:
- What you'd like done, in a sentence or two
- Your rough timeline

Or if it's easier to explain by phone, here's my calendar: [booking link].

[Your name]

5. Not a fit, with a referral

Hi [Name],

Thanks for thinking of us. [Job] is outside what we do, so I don't want to waste your time. [Other business] is good for this kind of work: [their contact].

If you ever need [your service], I'd be glad to help.

[Your name]

A kind "no" with a referral costs you nothing and often comes back as a referral the other way.

6. Inquiry that arrived late (you missed it)

Hi [Name],

I'm sorry for the slow reply. Your message about [job] got buried on my end, which isn't how I like to work.

If you're still looking, I can [answer to their question] and have time on [dates]. If you've already sorted it, no problem at all, and thanks for thinking of us.

[Your name]

Owning the delay in one sentence is enough. Don't over-apologize, and don't make excuses.

For other common customer messages (rescheduling, scope changes, late payments), see the customer email reply templates.

What not to put in the first reply

• A wall of text. Long first replies get skimmed. Put the detail in a quote or a call.
• Promises you haven't checked. "We can start Monday" is risky if you haven't looked at your calendar. Use a placeholder like [CONFIRM: start date] until you have.
• A firm price without the facts. A range is fine. A fixed number before you know the job creates trouble later.
• Attachments nobody asked for. A 6-page PDF brochure can trip spam filters and slows the conversation down.
• Anything about payment details. If an "inquiry" asks you to change bank details, buy gift cards or click a payment link, it is likely a scam. Don't reply from a template.

If they don't answer

Plenty of good leads go quiet after your first reply. They got busy, not uninterested. Plan two or three short check-ins over the next week or two, then stop. The lead follow-up email templates give you Day 2, 5 and 10 wording, and the free follow-up schedule generator turns them into dated, ready-to-send emails. If you already sent a price, use how to follow up on a quote instead.

Log each inquiry somewhere other than your inbox, too. One row per lead in a simple sheet keeps anyone from slipping through. The never miss a customer email or lead guide shows the full catch-everything setup.

Let AI draft the reply (safely)

Writing the first reply is the slow part, and it's where AI helps most, as long as it drafts and you send. A safe setup follows four rules:

• Drafts only. The AI puts a reply in Gmail Drafts. You read it, fix anything and press Send.
• Facts only. It uses your real services, hours, service area and booking link, and leaves [CONFIRM] placeholders for prices and dates.
• The email is data, not instructions. An inquiry can contain text meant to trick an AI tool. A careful setup ignores it and flags the message to you.
• Risky messages skip the draft. Anything about bank details, gift cards, passwords or legal threats comes straight to you.

If you write replies by hand for now, the free AI email reply prompt generator has a "new inquiry" type. Paste the email, add your facts, and it builds a safe prompt for ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini with the same placeholders and tripwires.

Not every inquiry is a job you want. How to decline a customer politely covers the polite no, with seven templates.

Skip the build

The Inbox + Leads Starter Pair handles new inquiries end to end in n8n, with you still pressing Send. Speed-to-Lead catches website form and Gmail inquiries, logs each one to a Google Sheet, drafts a personal first reply within about 5 minutes and drafts Day 2, 5 and 10 follow-ups that stop when the person answers. Inbox Chief of Staff sorts the rest of your email, drafts replies in your voice, sends risky requests straight to you and gives you a 6 PM digest of what still needs you. Nothing sends without you. Get the bundle

Want the Monday numbers too? The Solo Ops Command Center adds the Weekly CEO Report and a dashboard on top of the pair.

More guides

• Weekly Team Meeting Agenda Template for Small Businesses (30 Minutes, Copy-Paste)
• Time Blocking for Small Business Owners: A Simple Weekly Schedule That Leaves Room for Leads
• How to Take a Vacation as a Small Business Owner (Without Losing Leads or Customers)
• Email Batching for Small Business Owners: Check Email 3 Times a Day Without Missing Leads
• Virtual Assistant Tasks for Small Business: What to Delegate, What to Automate and What to Keep
• Small Business Operations Checklist: Daily, Weekly and Monthly Tasks for Owners Who Run It Alone
• Payment Reminder Email Templates: 7 Polite Overdue Invoice Emails (Before, On and After the Due Date)
• How to Never Miss a Customer Email or Lead Again: A Simple Catch-Everything System for Small Business Owners
• Monthly Business Review Template for Small Business Owners (60 Minutes, Free Copy-Paste)
• Lead Qualification Questions for Small Service Businesses: 15 Questions and a Simple Scoring System