How to build an automated review request sequence

Asking every customer for a review is simple in principle and easy to forget in practice. Automation fixes the forgetting. This post is the hands-on build: the trigger, the messages, the timing and the rules. For why reviews matter and how to ask in person, start with the simple system that gets you more Google reviews.

One rule before anything else

Every customer gets the same request. Don't send a "how did we do?" message first and pass only the happy customers through to Google, and don't send unhappy customers to a private feedback form instead of the review page. That's called review gating, and it isn't allowed. It breaks Google's review policy, which bars businesses from selectively asking for positive reviews. It also runs against the FTC's 2024 rule on fake reviews and testimonials, which lets the FTC seek penalties for reviews that misrepresent what customers really think. You can still invite private feedback, but put it beside the review link, in the same message, to everyone.

What you need

• A trigger. Something that knows a job is finished: a status change in your job software or CRM, a paid invoice, a completed appointment in your calendar or a sale in your point-of-sale system.
• The customer's email or mobile number, collected when they book or pay, with their permission to text if you'll send texts.
• A sending tool. Many job management, booking and email marketing tools can send automated messages. A workflow tool like n8n can connect your trigger to whichever one you use.
• Your direct review link from your Google Business Profile, so the message opens the review form in one tap.

The sequence

Message 1: the same day, a thank-you and the ask

Send it a few hours after the job is done, while it's fresh:

"Hi [first name], thanks for choosing [business] today. If you have a minute, a Google review helps other people in [town] find us: [link]. If anything wasn't right, just reply to this message and [owner name] will look into it."

The review link and the reply option are in the same message, and everyone gets it. That's the difference between inviting feedback and gating reviews.

Message 2: about three days later, one reminder

"Hi [first name], a quick reminder in case you'd like to leave a review for your [service] with us: [link]. Thanks either way."

If your tool can tell who has already left a review, skip them. If it can't, send the reminder to everyone and keep it light.

Message 3: optional, about a week later

Many businesses stop at two. If you add a third, make it the last one and say so. More than three starts to feel like nagging.

Email or text?

Texts get read quickly, but you need the customer's permission to send automated texts, and you have to honor replies like STOP. Email needs less setup and suits businesses that already email receipts. Some businesses send the first message by text and the reminder by email. Whichever you choose, put your business name in every message and include a way to opt out.

Timing tips

• When the result is obvious straight away, like a tire change or a junk pickup, ask the same day.
• When work settles over a few days, like new planting or a repair that needs testing, wait a day or two.
• Don't send messages late at night. Schedule them for daytime.
• Don't hold the request back from a customer who had a problem. Fix the problem, and they still get the same request as everyone else.

Test it, then watch it

1. Run a test job through with your own email and phone number, and check every link on a phone.
2. Check that the first week of real messages went out and nobody got duplicates.
3. Each month, compare how many requests went out with how many jobs you finished. If requests stop going out, the trigger has usually broken.
4. Reply to every review that comes in, good or bad.

Mistakes to avoid

• Offering a discount or a prize for a review. Google doesn't allow incentives for reviews.
• Asking for "5-star reviews". Ask for an honest review.
• Sending the request before the job is actually finished.
• Linking to your website or your Google listing in general instead of the direct review link.

How we set it up

We build review requests into the job or sales system you already use, so they go out when the work is marked done, with consent handled at booking. Erica can draft replies to the reviews that come in, and a person approves each one before it's posted. If you'd like this set up for your business, get in touch for a free audit.