How do you set up automated follow-ups for unapproved auto repair estimates?

Set up a status-triggered sequence: one text about 24 hours after the estimate goes unapproved, an email on day 3, and a final text on day 7. Before any text goes out automatically, make sure the customer has consented, because the FCC says a text sent using an autodialer is a call subject to the TCPA.

The timing is a recommendation from us, not a rule from any regulator. The consent and opt-out rules below come from the FCC.

What should trigger the follow-up sequence?

The trigger is a ticket status, not a person remembering to check. Create or rename one status such as Estimate Presented - Not Approved and make sure every advisor uses it when a customer leaves without a yes.

Your shop management system or CRM will have its own way to build a workflow from a status change. Check your vendor's help center for the exact steps. This article does not cover any vendor's workflow screens. If you are still choosing software, our page on a CRM for auto repair shops is a starting point.

Record these fields on every unapproved ticket so the messages can pull from them:

• Customer first name
• Mobile number and email address
• Vehicle year, make and model
• Estimate number and estimate total
• Date the estimate was presented
• Text consent: yes or no, plus date and how it was given

Do you need consent before sending automated texts?

Yes. The FCC states that rules require consent before an autodialed or prerecorded text is sent to a wireless number. More broadly, the FCC says the TCPA restricts robocalls and robotexts unless the sender has prior express consent or a recognized exemption.

The same FCC guide says consent for commercial texts must be in writing. That is why the next section matters: if a follow-up reads like an advertisement, the bar goes up.

Who has to prove consent?

You do. The FCC says the sender bears the burden of proving that it obtained consent for robotexts to mobile devices.

In practice, that means a checkbox or signature on your check-in or repair order that says the customer agrees to receive texts from your shop about their vehicle and service. Store three things on the customer record:

1. The exact consent wording the customer saw
2. The date and time consent was given
3. How it was given (paper repair order, tablet signature, web form)

The FCC states that its one-to-one consent rule takes effect January 27, 2025 and applies consent to one seller at a time. Your consent language should name your shop, not a list of partners.

Is an estimate reminder transactional or promotional?

The FCC material we reviewed does not decide whether an auto repair estimate reminder is transactional or promotional. We cannot tell you which bucket a given message falls into, because that depends on the message content, how it is sent, your consent language and the recipient.

What the FCC does say is that prior express written consent is required for autodialed texts that include or introduce an advertisement. The safe approach is to keep reminders about the specific estimate the customer already received.

Safer wording	Wording to avoid unless you hold written marketing consent
"Your estimate for your 2018 Camry is ready to review."	"Book this week and save on your repair!"
"Questions about the estimate? Call us."	"Check out our tire specials too."
"We can hold your appointment slot."	Coupons, discount codes or upsell offers

If you want to send discounts or seasonal offers, build that as a separate list with its own written consent. Do not mix it into the estimate sequence.

What is the best follow-up timeline for unapproved estimates?

Use three touches over seven days, then stop. Again, this is an operational recommendation, not a schedule required by any source.

Touch	When	Channel	Purpose
1	24 hours after estimate	Text	Confirm they received it and offer to answer questions
2	Day 3	Email	Give the fuller picture: line items, what each repair does, a link to approve
3	Day 7	Text	Final check-in, plus a plain statement that you will not message again

Use email for the longer explanation because it has room for line items and links. Keep texts short, since a customer reads them on a phone in a few seconds.

What message templates should you use?

The bracketed fields below are placeholders. Replace each one with the matching field insert in your own software, since the syntax in your system will be whatever your vendor provides.

Touch 1: 24-hour text

Hi [First Name], this is [Shop Name]. Your estimate #[Estimate Number] for your [Vehicle Year Make Model] is ready to review: [Estimate Link]. Questions? Call [Shop Phone]. Reply STOP to opt out.

Touch 2: day 3 email

Subject: Your [Vehicle Year Make Model] estimate from [Shop Name]

Hi [First Name],
We wanted to follow up on estimate #[Estimate Number], presented on [Estimate Date], for [Estimate Total]. You can review each line item and approve the work here: [Estimate Link].
If anything on the estimate is unclear, reply to this email or call [Shop Phone] and [Advisor Name] will walk you through it.
[Shop Name], [Shop Address]

Touch 3: day 7 final text

Hi [First Name], [Shop Name] here. This is our last note about estimate #[Estimate Number] for your [Vehicle Year Make Model]. Call [Shop Phone] if you would like to go ahead or have questions. Reply STOP to opt out.

Notice what is missing: no discount, no urgency pitch, no offer for other services. That keeps the text tied to the estimate itself.

How do you handle opt-outs?

Build opt-out handling before you turn the workflow on. The FCC says consumers may revoke consent by replying with commonly recognized opt-out terms such as STOP, QUIT, END, REVOKE, OPT OUT, CANCEL, or UNSUBSCRIBE.

The deadline is firm. A sender must honor consent-revocation requests within a reasonable time not exceeding 10 business days. Do not treat 10 business days as a target. Set your system to stop all texts to that number as soon as it receives one of those words.

The FCC also says a later opt-out request means the sender must stop sending text advertisements even when the consumer previously gave consent. A signed repair order does not override a customer who says STOP.

Can you reply to a STOP message?

Once, and only to confirm. The FCC permits a one-time text confirming an opt-out if it only confirms the opt-out and contains no marketing information. A good version: "You are unsubscribed from [Shop Name] texts. No more messages will be sent."

When should the sequence stop early?

Add exit conditions so nobody gets a reminder for a repair that is already handled. End the workflow when any of these happens:

• The estimate is approved or the ticket moves to a work-in-progress status
• The customer declines and the advisor marks it Declined
• The customer sends any opt-out word
• The advisor logs a phone conversation about the estimate

After the day 7 text, move the ticket to a status like Follow-Up Complete. Then an advisor can decide whether to make a personal call.

What should you check before going live?

Run this checklist with one test ticket and your own mobile number:

1. Consent wording is on the repair order or check-in form and names your shop.
2. The consent field is filled in on the customer record, with date and method.
3. The workflow sends texts only when the consent field says yes. Email can run separately.
4. Each message pulls the right name, vehicle and estimate number.
5. Replying STOP halts all further texts and sends at most one confirmation.
6. Approving the estimate stops the remaining messages.

This article covers FCC rules only. Because TCPA classification depends on message content, how the message is sent, your consent language and the recipient, have an attorney review your consent wording and templates before launch. For background on how these tools fit together, see what a CRM does, and see how we pick the CRMs we compare. Rules may change, so recheck the FCC pages above as of October 2026 before you launch.