Guide14 May 20265 min read
Estimate Follow-Ups Going to Junk? Fix Your Sender Setup
You believe you chased. The customer never saw it. Spam filtering is the silent killer of follow-up — and it's mostly a DNS fix.
You believe you chased. The customer never saw it. Spam filtering is the silent killer of follow-up — and it's mostly a DNS fix.
A follow-up that's sent but filtered is the worst of both worlds — you feel chased-up, the customer heard nothing.
Receiving mail servers check whether your sender is permitted to send for your domain. SPF declares who may. DKIM signs the message cryptographically. DMARC tells receivers what to do if checks fail. Without these, honest mail resembles spoofing.
They're DNS records at your domain host — typically a couple of TXT entries you paste in, live within hours. Follow the provided values exactly; one wrong character silently breaks authentication while appearing configured.
Less than authentication, but real: skip all-caps subjects, minimise links, avoid attachments in reminders, write like a human. The style in the tone guide is good for deliverability as well as for customers.
A new sending domain starts with none. Steady sending with genuine engagement builds it; sudden bulk from a cold domain destroys it.
Almost always because the sending domain isn't authenticated for the service sending on your behalf. Adding correct SPF and DKIM records — ideally with DMARC — resolves the majority of cases once DNS propagates.
If you care about follow-ups actually arriving, yes. Mail from your own authenticated domain builds reputation with your customers' mail providers and reads as more legitimate.
Auto follow-ups and branded online acceptance on your QuickBooks estimates, with deposits coming soon. £16.79/mo after the trial — no card required.
Start free trialOne nudge is rarely enough, and ten is too many. Here is how many times to follow up on an estimate, the ideal cadence, and exactly when to stop chasing.
Coming soon — the best time to collect a deposit is the second a customer says yes. Here is how taking a percentage on estimate acceptance, straight into your own Stripe, will work.