How to ask for and respond to customer reviews

1. Know where you can ask.

Check each platform's rules before adding it to a review campaign. A request that works for one destination may be inappropriate for another.

• Google: you can invite customers to share a genuine experience using your review link or QR code. Keep the invitation neutral.
• Yelp: do not ask for reviews. Maintain your profile and respond to feedback that customers choose to leave, but leave Yelp out of review request messages.
• Other platforms: check their current business guidelines before sending requests or reminders.

See Google's review guidance and Yelp's policy on asking for reviews.

For Google requests, do not offer discounts, gifts, or other rewards; ask for a particular star rating or specific wording; or select only customers you expect to leave positive feedback. Do not have staff, friends, or family pose as independent customers.

Avoid a flow that asks “Were you happy?” and sends only happy customers to a public review page. This is often called review gating. A private feedback option can be useful, but it should not determine who gets invited to leave a public review.

Google prohibits incentives and selectively soliciting positive reviews. Its rules also address pressure, prescribed review content, and conflicts of interest. See Google's review content policy.

2. Choose a consistent moment to ask.

Choose a point when the customer has enough experience to give meaningful feedback. For a home service company, that might be after a completed visit. For a longer project, it may be after the handoff.

Use the same basic approach for customers at that stage, regardless of whether you expect praise or criticism. Make someone responsible for the process so requests do not depend on who remembers to send them.

• Pick one owner and trigger. For example: the office team sends a request after a service visit is marked complete.
• Use an appropriate channel. Send messages only through channels the customer has agreed to receive this type of communication through. Respect opt-outs and requests to stop.
• Test the destination. Confirm that the link opens the correct business and location on a phone.
• Keep reminders limited. If you use a reminder, make it optional and easy to ignore. Avoid overlapping requests from the technician, office, and an automated campaign.

For repeat customers, agree on a reasonable interval rather than sending another request after every interaction. A review invitation should feel like a courteous follow-up.

3. Make the request easy to answer.

Identify your business, invite an honest review, and provide one direct link. Let the customer choose what to say. Replace the bracketed details before using these Google examples.

Before sending, check the recipient's name, location, link, and communication preferences. If a request is already scheduled elsewhere, remove the duplicate.

4. Give each reply a clear purpose.

A public response reaches the reviewer and the next person deciding whether to contact you. Aim to acknowledge the feedback and make any next step clear.

1. Read the whole review. The star rating alone may miss a question, a concern, or an important detail.
2. Respond to what was actually said. Acknowledge a relevant point without inventing service details or past conversations.
3. Keep private details private. Leave out addresses, account information, payment history, and other details that do not belong in a public reply.
4. Offer a next step when needed. Direct the person to a monitored business phone number or email. Assign someone to handle that follow-up.

Keep the tone calm and the reply concise. Check that any promise—such as a callback or investigation—has an owner who can carry it out.

Google recommends relevant, professional responses that protect customer privacy. See its guidance on writing review replies. On Google, replies are public and the reviewer is notified; see how review responses work.

5. Adapt the reply to the situation.

These examples use imagined situations. Use a detail only when the review and your verified information support it. Replace every placeholder and check the reply before it goes live.

If you cannot identify the experience, avoid accusing the reviewer of being fake. Ask for details through a private business contact channel and investigate. Do not post a customer's records to prove a point.

A review you disagree with is not automatically eligible for removal. If you believe it violates a platform's rules, use that platform's reporting process. On Google, only policy violations qualify for removal. See Google's review reporting guidance.

Handle service remedies on their own merits. Never make a refund, discount, or other remedy conditional on changing or deleting a review.

6. Choose how AI fits your team.

AI can help prepare responses and keep the process moving. Your team still needs to decide which replies can publish, what requires attention, and who follows up with the customer.

All Local supports three approaches:

AI review response options

Your setup	How it works
Drafts for approval	AI prepares replies. Your team reviews, edits, and approves them before publishing.
Automatic responses	AI responses publish without individual approval when configured that way.
Approval by star rating	For example, publish responses to four- and five-star reviews automatically, while sending responses to lower ratings for approval.

If you are introducing AI responses, start with drafts for approval so you can assess the tone and accuracy. Review a sample of published replies regularly even if you later choose automatic publishing.

A high rating does not always mean a simple review. A five-star review can still mention a safety concern or personal information. Have a person handle sensitive situations. If your setup cannot reliably hold those replies, use approval before publishing.

Keep the distinction clear: rating-based approval controls your response. It should not decide which customers receive a public review invitation.

7. Give the process an owner.

A simple routine is easier to maintain than a burst of activity followed by months of silence. Choose a regular review time, assign a backup, and keep customer follow-up visible to the team.

Use this setup checklist to identify what is ready and what still needs an owner.

For example, repeated comments about late arrival updates may point to a scheduling or communication change. Use that feedback to improve the experience customers will review next.