Updated 21 October 2026 · About an 8-minute read · Platform details checked against each platform's help pages on 21 October 2026
The short answer
Decide quickly whether you want the job, reply within the hour if you possibly can, and make your first message about their job rather than your business. Ask one or two useful questions, offer a clear next step, and follow up if they go quiet. On all three platforms the customer is comparing you with other trades, so the first sensible reply has an advantage. What differs is when you pay and how you make contact, and that changes what your first message needs to do.
How each platform works, in brief
Platforms change their rules from time to time, so treat this as a summary and check the linked help pages for the current detail.
| Platform | How you respond | When you pay | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Checkatrade | Tap "I'm Interested" in the Trades App. The customer is notified, and you can see their contact details and chat with them. | Through your Checkatrade plan (fixed or pay-as-you-go). Extra leads on the Opportunities Board are unlocked with credits. | Customers are told most trades reply within 1–2 working days, and can add more trades if they don't hear back. |
| MyBuilder | Send the customer a free introduction message. They either decline or add you to their shortlist. | A lead fee, applied once you're shortlisted. | Your introduction message is what gets you shortlisted, together with your profile. |
| Bark | Click "Contact lead" and you get the customer's contact details straight away. | In credits, deducted when you contact the lead. The cost is shown first. | Up to 5 professionals can respond to each customer, and you can see how many already have. |
Checkatrade: reply fast once you've said you're interested
According to Checkatrade's guide to managing jobs, a new lead appears in your jobs list in the Trades App. When you tap "I'm Interested", the customer is notified and you can see their contact details and chat with them. "Not for me" declines it, and the customer is told you're not interested.
The useful detail is on the customer side. Checkatrade's help page for customers says most trades respond within 1–2 working days, suggests sending a follow-up, and lets the customer add more trades if they still hear nothing. So the customer has been told to expect a wait of a day or two. A specific reply within the hour stands out, and a silence of two days invites them to bring in someone else.
- Don't stop at "I'm Interested". The customer only knows you've clicked a button. Send a proper message straight after, through the chat or by phone or email now that you can see their details.
- Keep the job status up to date. Checkatrade says marking a job Booked tells the customer it's going ahead, declining sets the right expectation, and statuses help it prioritise the kind of leads it sends you.
- Opportunities Board leads cost credits. On Checkatrade's Opportunities Board, you unlock a lead with credits and get the contact details instantly. Checkatrade is clear that you're paying for the chance to quote, not a guaranteed job, so only unlock what you can reply to properly.
MyBuilder: your introduction message is the pitch
MyBuilder's help page on shortlisting explains the process. You express interest by sending the customer an introduction message, which is free. The customer then declines or adds you to their shortlist, and shortlisting shares their phone number and email address with you. The lead fee is applied once you're shortlisted, and MyBuilder's fees page says there are no joining or membership fees.
That puts a lot of weight on a short message. It has to persuade the customer to shortlist you, and because shortlisting is when you pay, it's also your chance to put off jobs that aren't right for you before it costs anything.
- Show you've read the job. Mention the specific work, the property and anything unusual they described.
- Be honest about timing. If you can't start for three weeks, say so now. A customer who needs it done tomorrow will pass, and you won't pay for a lead you couldn't take.
- Give a rough idea of cost where you can. A call-out fee or a typical range for that kind of job saves both of you a wasted visit.
- Once shortlisted, get in touch the same day. The customer has just said yes to you. Don't let that go cold.
Bark: speed decides how crowded it gets
On Bark you pay in credits to contact a lead. Bark's credits page says the cost depends on the type of service and the size of the job, and is always shown before you respond. Each customer can receive responses from up to 5 professionals, you can see how many have already responded, and leads with fewer responses carry a "1st to respond" tag. Bark puts it plainly: the sooner you respond, the less competition you're up against.
Bark's own advice on responding to a lead is good, and matches what works elsewhere. Reference details from their request, explain how you'd solve their specific problem, keep it short and friendly, and include a clear next step. It also says not to give up if the customer doesn't answer straight away, and to space out follow-ups across different channels and times.
- Decide quickly. If you're going to spend credits, do it while you're still one of the first responders.
- Don't wait until you can ring. You get their details as soon as you contact the lead, so send a short, specific message straight away and call later if they'd prefer.
- Plan your follow-ups. One a day or two later, and another a few days after that, is enough for most jobs.
A first message that works on any platform
Whichever platform it is, a good first message does the same five things:
- Uses the customer's name and describes their job in their words.
- Gives any safety advice that applies, such as turning off the stopcock, or for a gas smell, the National Gas Emergency number, 0800 111 999.
- Asks only what you need to price or book: a photo, the postcode, the make and model, access.
- Offers a next step with a time: two visit slots, a survey, or when you'll ring.
- Mentions a price where you honestly can, such as your call-out fee.
Hi Gareth, thanks for posting about the leaking radiator valve in your back bedroom. That's a straightforward job for us. Could you send a photo of the valve and the pipe below it? We could come on Thursday morning or Friday after 2pm, and our call-out is £75 including the first hour. If it starts dripping faster, a towel and a bowl underneath will do until then.
Amir, Riverside Plumbing & Heating
That's a made-up example, but it's the shape that works. It shows you've read the job, gives the customer something to do, and makes booking you the easy option.
Mistakes that waste directory leads
- The copy-paste reply. "Hi, we'd be happy to help, please call us" reads exactly like what the other four trades sent.
- Paying and then going quiet. Unlocking or being shortlisted and then replying the next evening throws away the money you just spent.
- Quoting blind. A firm price from two lines of text usually means an awkward conversation later. Give a range or ask for a photo.
- Writing an essay. The customer is reading on their phone. Five or six lines is plenty.
- Never following up. People get busy. A short, friendly nudge a day or two later brings plenty of them back.
Where ReplySharp fits
On our Speed-to-Lead and Front Desk Autopilot plans, you forward the notification emails from Checkatrade, MyBuilder, Bark and similar platforms to a private intake address. We check the job against your area and the work you take on, score it Hot, Warm or Not a fit, and draft the message in your tone, with your prices where you've given them. You approve it and send it on the platform, or we send it by email where you're able to contact the customer that way.
We work from the notification emails, so we don't need your platform logins, and decisions that cost money, such as tapping "I'm Interested" or spending credits, stay with you. On directories the customer's email address often only appears after you've accepted a lead, so the first message usually goes through the platform, and our instant email acknowledgement applies only once an email address is available. See how it works, or ask for a free speed test to see how quickly your enquiries are answered today.
ReplySharp isn't affiliated with Checkatrade, MyBuilder or Bark. Platform names are used only to describe how their published processes work.