> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.aresdeploy.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Booking the estimate

> Every conversation drives toward a calendar slot. Here is how Ares gets there.

Ares measures lead handling by one number: estimates on your calendar. Replies, opens, and "engagement" are noise. This page covers how conversations get steered to a booking and what happens around the appointment itself.

## The steering rules

**Price questions route to the estimate.** When a lead asks "how much for a 400 square foot garage floor," the honest answer is that it depends on condition, prep, and options, and the useful answer is a free estimate visit. Quoting numbers over text anchors the lead to a guess, invites comparison shopping on a number you have not scoped, and loses jobs you would have won in person. Ares deflects pricing naturally and offers times instead.

**Concrete times beat open questions.** "Would Tuesday afternoon or Wednesday morning work?" converts better than "when are you free?" Ares reads your calendar and proposes real slots.

**Qualification happens inside the conversation.** Service area, project type, and timing get established naturally across the exchange, not as a form-style interrogation. Leads outside your area or outside your services get closed out politely and tagged, so your calendar only carries real prospects.

## Around the appointment

* **Confirmation:** the booking is placed on your calendar and moved to the booked stage in your pipeline immediately.
* **Reminders:** the lead gets reminded before the appointment to cut no-shows.
* **Reschedules:** handled in conversation and moved on the calendar, not left to memory.
* **No-shows:** flagged to you, then re-engaged to rebook rather than written off.

## What you control

Tell Ares in chat, once, and it sticks:

* Which calendar bookings go on, and buffer rules around slots
* Minimum notice ("nothing same-day", "nothing before 9am")
* Which services warrant an estimate visit versus a phone call
* Territory boundaries, by city or radius

## What to watch on the dashboard

The number to check weekly is booked estimates against leads in. If volume is healthy but bookings lag, ask Ares why: it can tell you where conversations are stalling, and whether the issue is lead quality, response content, or something upstream in the ads. See [Reporting](/ads/reporting).