How contractors can ask customers for reviews

Ask customers for an honest review after the work is complete, send a direct link, and record whom you have asked. Use the same approach regardless of whether a customer sounds pleased. A request should make reviewing easy and optional; it cannot ensure a review.

Choose a consistent point to ask

The final walkthrough is often a good time to ask. The work is finished, the customer can see the result, and you are still there to make the request feel personal.

Mention the review before you leave, then send the direct link later that day. The spoken request takes ten seconds; the text makes it easy to act on.

A spoken request gives you a chance to explain what the link is for. A short written request is also an option. Choose a method you can use consistently, without selecting customers based on how pleased they seem.

Use a consistent request point for each kind of work. If your process waits for punch-list completion, apply that rule regardless of the rating you expect. For work whose result needs time to assess, such as planting, use an agreed follow-up instead.

Calculate how regular requests could add up

Nobody can tell you your own conversion rate — it depends on your trade, your customers and how you ask. Here is the arithmetic across a range; counting over a defined period shows your observed response rate for that period.

The point is consistency. A small number of asks after completed jobs can add up over a year. The table is only a planning range, not a promise about how your customers will respond.

Give them a link, not your business name

A direct review link saves the customer from searching for the right listing.

Google lets you create a review link or QR code. Save the link as a text shortcut and test the QR code before printing it on your business card.

Customers must sign in to a Google account to post a Google review; they can create one using a non-Gmail email address. If someone says they are not on Google, ask for a written testimonial by text instead, and permission to put it on your website.

Keep the request to one platform so the customer has one clear next step.

Wording it when you are not a salesperson

Ask for an honest account of the experience, with no suggested rating or review text.

Keep the wording short and make it clear the choice belongs to the customer. For more spoken examples, see asking for a review at closeout.

Say it plainly, name the reason, and stop talking:

Thanks for hiring us. Would you be willing to share an honest review of your experience? I can text you the Google link to use when it suits you.

The request names the action, offers a direct link and leaves the customer free to decide.

If a spoken ask is genuinely not in you, put it in writing and send it the same day, while the job is still fresh. There is no established conversion rate for either method in this guide.

Send at most one reminder

An agreement to write a review does not ensure that one will appear. A customer may forget, change their mind or have difficulty signing in.

If you send a reminder, keep it to one and send it a few days later. Mention the job so it is clearly not a mass text, and include the link again. Then leave it alone; repeated prompts can make a good customer feel chased.

Follow FTC and platform review rules

This is where good intentions get expensive. The FTC consumer-reviews rule prohibits specified fake-review practices, incentives conditioned on positive or negative sentiment, and certain review suppression. It is federal advertising law, not a how-to guide. Read the current rule before you build a program, and ask a lawyer about anything unusual.

Platform rules sit on top of federal law and are stricter in places:

Policies change, so confirm on the platform's own help pages rather than a blog.

Google's review policy also says merchants should not require or pressure people to leave a rating or write a review while on the premises. Ask for the review, send the link, and give the customer space to decide and write it later.

Two habits to avoid even where no rule names them. Do not screen customers first — surveying people and sending the link only to the ones who scored you well is review gating, and platforms treat it as manipulation. And do not offer a discount or a gift card for a review, even to a customer you like.

Working from a list instead of your text history

Keep a list of completed jobs and whether you have asked for a review. DoneQuote links quotes to customer contact details, which can help you retrieve a phone number and the quoted scope. Confirm completion in your own job records before asking; an approved quote does not record a finished job.

The short version

• Ask all customers at a consistent point after completion, then send a direct link
• Never say "look me up" — send the short review link from your Google Business Profile
• Ask for an honest experience and leave the choice to the customer
• One platform per customer, and one reminder after four to seven days
• No incentives, no screening customers first, and read 16 CFR Part 465 before you improvise