Most trade businesses do good work and still have fewer Google reviews than they should. The reason is rarely the work. It is that nobody remembers to ask, or they ask a week later when the customer has moved on.
Building the request into your completed-job workflow fixes that. Here is how to set it up for a roofing, HVAC or plumbing company.
1. Pick one trigger you trust
The request should fire from a single event that reliably means "the job is done and the customer is satisfied." Common choices:
- Job marked complete in your CRM or field app
- Invoice marked paid
- Final inspection passed (for roofing or larger installs)
Pick one. If you trigger from two places, customers get two requests. If you trigger from a step your team skips, nobody gets one.
2. Choose the timing
Send the first request within a few hours of the trigger, while the experience is fresh. For bigger jobs, such as a full roof replacement, waiting until after the final walkthrough or cleanup makes more sense than sending it the moment the crew leaves.
3. Write a short, personal message
Use the tech's or crew lead's name. Customers remember the person, not the company.
Hi Sarah, this is Jake from Comfort Air. Thanks for having us out today. If we did a good job, would you leave us a quick Google review? It helps other homeowners find us: [link]
- Link straight to your Google review form, not your website.
- Keep it to two or three sentences.
- Do not offer discounts or gifts in exchange for reviews. Google's policies prohibit incentivized reviews.
4. Send one reminder, then stop
If there is no review after two or three days, send one polite reminder by text or email. Then stop. More than one reminder starts to feel like pressure, and it can hurt the relationship you just built.
5. Give unhappy customers a direct line
Some customers will not be happy, and you want to hear about it before they post. Two ways to handle it:
- Include a line such as "If anything wasn't right, reply here and the owner will call you."
- Have the office watch replies and call back the same day.
Do not filter who gets the review link based on whether they seem happy. Google's policies prohibit discouraging or selectively asking for reviews. Ask everyone, and make it easy to reach you if something went wrong.
6. Let the office pause it
Build an easy way to stop the sequence for a specific customer: a tag, a checkbox, or a pipeline stage such as "Callback needed." If there is a warranty issue or billing dispute, a review request is the last thing that customer should receive.
7. Respond to every review
Thank people for positive reviews by name and mention the job. For negative reviews, respond calmly, take the conversation offline, and fix what you can. Future customers read your responses as closely as the reviews.
8. Check the numbers monthly
Look at three numbers each month:
- Requests sent
- Reviews received
- Average time from job completion to review
If requests go out but reviews do not come in, test new wording or timing. If requests are not going out, the trigger is broken or being skipped.
Quick checklist
- One trigger chosen (job complete, invoice paid, or final inspection)
- First request sent within hours of the trigger
- Message uses the tech's name and links straight to Google
- One reminder, then stop
- Direct line for unhappy customers; everyone gets asked
- Pause option for warranty or billing issues
- Every review gets a response
- Monthly check of requests vs. reviews
Frequently asked questions
When should a trade business ask for a Google review?
Within a few hours of the job being marked complete, or after the final walkthrough on larger jobs, while the experience is fresh.
Can I offer a discount for a review?
No. Google's policies prohibit offering incentives in exchange for reviews.
Can I only send review requests to happy customers?
Google's policies prohibit selectively asking for reviews. Ask every customer, and give them an easy way to reach you if something went wrong.
Does All Set automate review requests?
Yes. Review requests are included on every All Set plan and our team sets up the trigger, wording and reminder with you.