A customer who submits a service enquiry needs to know what happens next. A response-time statement explains when they can expect an initial reply, what that reply covers and how to follow up if it does not arrive. Keep this separate from the time needed to complete the service.
Separate a reply from delivery
An enquiry acknowledgement, a personal response, a quotation and a completed job are different events. Name the one your statement describes. Saying “we respond within two days” leaves room for confusion if the customer expects a finished quotation while your team only intends to confirm receipt.
Connect the wording to the actual process. If an estimate requires photographs or a consultation, explain that requirement without implying that the first reply will contain a final price or delivery date.
Define when the clock starts
Choose an event your team can recognise, such as receiving an enquiry through a named form. Then identify whether the estimate uses working days or calendar days and whether office hours affect it. Publish the business’s real operating details rather than copying another provider’s promise.
If enquiries arriving outside working hours wait until the next working day, make that clear near the contact route. Customers should not need to search several pages to work out what a response estimate means.
Write from the process you can support
The following wording is fictional and must be adapted to a business’s actual staffing and hours:
“Our team aims to send an initial reply within two working days of receiving your enquiry. This reply confirms the next step; a quotation may require more project information. If you have not heard back after that time, reply to your confirmation email and include your enquiry reference.”
This example names the event, distinguishes the reply from the quotation and provides a follow-up route. It does not turn an internal target into a guaranteed completion time. Replace every detail that your team cannot support before publishing similar wording.
Put the statement where the customer needs it
- Near the enquiry form’s submit control, before the customer sends their message.
- In the submission confirmation, alongside the enquiry reference if one exists.
- In an acknowledgement email, using the same definition of a reply.
- On the relevant service page when customers commonly ask about the next step.
Keep these locations consistent. A page promising a same-day reply and an acknowledgement allowing several days create uncertainty even when both messages were written with good intentions.
Provide one useful follow-up route
Tell customers which channel to use and what identifying information to include. Avoid encouraging them to submit the same enquiry repeatedly. If different channels serve different purposes, explain the distinction using the service-page contact-options guide.
Do not describe an ordinary enquiry channel as an emergency service. If a business has a separate urgent-support process, verify its eligibility, availability and instructions with the responsible team before mentioning it.
Use a response-time review sheet
| Field | Question to resolve |
|---|---|
| Trigger | Which received message starts the estimate? |
| Meaning | Is the promise an acknowledgement, personal reply or quotation? |
| Hours | How do working days and closures affect the estimate? |
| Owner | Who maintains the wording when the process changes? |
| Follow-up | Which route and reference should the customer use? |
Ask someone outside the enquiry team to explain what they expect after reading the statement. If their answer differs from the actual process, revise the wording before publishing.
For the later delivery stage, use the service turnaround-time guide. Record changes to response wording in your website change log so that the page, form and confirmation messages can be reviewed together.