Reviews
Ask every customer for a review, the honest way
The simplest way to get reviews is to ask at the right moment, with a link that works. We help you ask after every finished job, the same simple way, with the FTC’s rules and Google’s policies in mind.
Text it like this
Fictional example.
When and how to ask
The best time is the end of the job: the walk-through is done, the customer has seen the work, and you are packing up. A text that evening is easy to answer. A request three weeks later, after the invoice and a busy month, is easy to ignore.
Google’s help page suggests asking customers to visit a Google link or scan a QR code, and your Business Profile can create both. In your Business Profile, choose Read reviews, then Get more reviews, to copy the link. Put it right in the text so nobody has to search for your business. Keep the message short and personal: their name, the job, and one line asking for an honest review. CrewBuddy writes that text after each job you tell it about, in your voice, and adds your saved review link.
Other sites have their own rules. Yelp asks businesses not to ask for reviews and says its software may not recommend reviews that seem prompted. On Yelp, reply well to the reviews you get and leave the asking to Google.
What the FTC and Google do not allow
The FTC’s Consumer Reviews and Testimonials Rule took effect on October 21, 2024. It bars fake reviews, bars offering a reward on the condition that the review is positive, and bars using threats, intimidation or false accusations to get a review taken down. The FTC says a general request asking customers to post about their experience is allowed. Its separate guide for marketers adds: do not ask only the customers you think will be positive.
Google’s policy for Maps reviews goes further. It does not allow any incentive in exchange for a review, such as a discount or free service, and it does not allow discouraging negative reviews or asking only happy customers. In practice: no discount for a review, no “only if it’s five stars,” and no asking your crew or relatives to post. This is a summary of public rules, not legal advice. Read the sources below for the full text.
How CrewBuddy helps you keep it up
The hard part is doing it every time. Tell CrewBuddy when a job is done and it drafts the request. Ask for a reminder and it texts you the next morning if you have not sent it. When reviews come in, send a screenshot and it drafts a reply for you to post. See how to reply to Google reviews.
CrewBuddy does not post reviews, reply on Google for you, or text your customers. It writes the words and keeps track. You send the request and post the replies from your own phone and Business Profile.
If you used to offer a discount for reviews or only asked your happiest customers, the simple fix is to stop and ask everyone the same way from now on. The review request recipe has a short text you can adapt.
Sources: FTC: Consumer Reviews and Testimonials Rule, questions and answers, Google Maps user-contributed content policy, Google Business Profile Help: tips to get more reviews
Make asking part of finishing the job
How to ask customers for Google reviews after a job, what the FTC and Google do not allow, and how CrewBuddy drafts the ask.
- Ask after the final walk-through, while the work is fresh.
- Put your Google review link in the same message.
- Ask every customer, not only the ones you expect to be happy.