Two neighbours in identical houses ask for the same charger. One quote is straightforward. The other needs a consumer unit upgrade, a long cable run around a conservatory and a trench under a path. Same street, same charger, very different jobs.
Everything that separates those two quotes can be captured in a conversation, with four photos.
Step 1: the parking space
Ask where the car parks, whether it is a driveway, garage, carport or on-street, and which side of the car the charging port is on. On-street parking usually means the answer is different, and saying so early is kinder than a wasted survey.
Step 2: the electrics
Ask for a photo of the consumer unit with the door open, a photo of the main fuse and meter, and whether the customer knows the supply type. Installers can read more from those two photos than from any description.
Step 3: the route
Ask roughly how far it is from the fuse box to the proposed charger position, and what the cable would pass through: loft, garage, external wall, under a path, across a driveway. Distance is the single biggest variable in most quotes.
Step 4: the charger itself
Tethered or untethered, preferred position on the wall, whether they want app control and load management, and whether the car or tariff has any specific requirement.
Step 5: capture it in conversation
SpideyChat for electricians asks for each of these at any hour and captures the photos and measurements for your quote.
Customer: How much to install a home charger? Assistant: The installation page shows the standard price and what it includes, up to the cable length listed. To quote properly, could you send a photo of your fuse box with the door open, one of your meter, and one of where you would like the charger? It also helps to know roughly how many metres of cable would be needed between them.
Step 6: flag the extras honestly
Consumer unit upgrades, earth rod installation, longer cable runs, trenching and scaffolding all add cost. Listing them as possible extras, with rough figures, means the final quote never feels like a bait and switch.
Step 7: book the install
Once the quote is accepted, capture availability and any access requirements, so the first visit is the only visit.
Landlords, flats and shared parking
Enquiries from flats and shared parking need a different answer, often involving permissions. Capturing the situation lets you respond honestly rather than sending a standard quote that cannot work.
Grants and schemes
Where schemes exist, point to official guidance rather than promising eligibility. Your website should never confirm that a customer qualifies.
Commercial and workplace charging
Businesses installing several chargers need a site survey, load assessment and a phased plan. Capturing site details, vehicle numbers and timescales separates these from domestic jobs, in the same way security installers separate site enquiries, described in alarm and CCTV quote requests that need site details.
Related electrical work
Charger enquiries often surface consumer unit problems, covered in rewire and consumer unit quote requests, and homeowners ask many of the same questions covered in EV charger installation questions homeowners ask. Captured leads can flow into your systems through webhooks on Pro, as described on the integrations page. Access and logistics questions matter as much as they do in removals, described in AI receptionist for moving companies.
Getting started
Publish your standard price, what it includes, the likely extras and the photos you need. Try SpideyChat on your own site, or read about capture on the features page.