Asking customers for reviews
How and when to request reviews — by email, SMS, WhatsApp, and in person — without breaking platform rules or annoying the people you serve.
How do I ask customers for Google reviews?
Ask within 24–72 hours of the experience, when memory is fresh and positive. Send a single, branded message that thanks the customer by name, asks for a review in one sentence, and links directly to your Google Business Profile review URL. The most reliable channel for first-time review requests is SMS (8–12× the open rate of email), followed by email and WhatsApp. Don't condition the request on the customer leaving a positive review and don't filter unhappy customers away from Google — that's called review gating and it's prohibited by both Google and the FTC. Tools like Vouch automate the timing, the link generation, and the consent tracking, and route happy customers to whichever platform (Google, Yelp, Facebook, Tripadvisor, Trustpilot) you want to grow.
What's the best time to send a review request?
Aim for 24–72 hours after the transaction or service is complete — long enough for the customer to form an impression, short enough that they haven't forgotten. For appointment-based businesses (dental, salon, auto), send when the appointment is marked complete in your booking system. For e-commerce or product purchases, send after the order is marked delivered (not when it ships). For SaaS or B2B, trigger on a usage milestone, not on signup. Avoid evenings and weekends for B2B; lunchtime weekdays tend to convert best for B2C.
Should I offer an incentive in exchange for a review?
Be very careful. Under the FTC's Rule on the Use of Consumer Reviews and Testimonials (16 CFR Part 465, in force since October 2024), you cannot condition any benefit on the reviewer leaving a positive review. You also cannot offer different incentives based on the rating. Offering a small, identical thank-you to everyone who responds — positive or negative — is legal in the US if disclosed where required, but several major review platforms (Google, Yelp, TripAdvisor) prohibit incentivized reviews under their own policies. Practically: the cleanest path is no incentive, a clear ask, and good timing.
Is SMS or email better for review requests?
SMS wins on response rate by a wide margin for most consumer businesses — typical open rates are 95%+ within 3 minutes and click-through rates of 15–30%, compared to email open rates around 20% and click-through rates of 2–5%. Email is better for B2B, for customers with whom you have an established email relationship, or for jurisdictions where SMS consent is hard to obtain. WhatsApp performs similarly to SMS where the customer already messages your business there. Best practice: collect SMS opt-in at the point of sale and use SMS for the first ask, with email as a follow-up channel if no response after 5–7 days.
How often can I ask a customer for a review?
Once per transaction, with at most one follow-up. Asking the same customer to review the same purchase more than twice within a short window is both ineffective (response rates drop) and risky under spam and consumer-protection rules. For recurring customers (subscriptions, repeat appointments), it is acceptable to ask after each distinct visit or renewal, ideally no more than once per quarter. Always honor opt-outs immediately — STOP, unsubscribe, or a verbal request to stop being asked.
Why aren't my customers leaving reviews even when they're happy?
The most common reasons are friction (the request landed in spam, the link required them to sign in, the review form had too many steps), bad timing (asked too late, after the warm feeling faded), and a single-channel ask (email-only campaigns reach about a fifth of your customers). Fix: send the request within 72 hours, use a one-tap pre-filled link to the platform, send via SMS where you have consent, and personalize the message with the customer's name and the specific service. Most businesses see review volume 3–10× after switching from manual asks to an automated multi-channel program.
Can I use a QR code or kiosk to collect reviews in-store?
Yes — in-store QR codes and tablet kiosks are an excellent way to capture reviews while the experience is still fresh. Place the QR at checkout, the receipt, or the table; have it open a branded landing page that asks for a rating first, then either routes the customer to the public review site of your choice or — for lower-rated experiences — captures private feedback. (Crucially, do not block low-rated customers from leaving public reviews — that's review gating. You can offer private feedback as an additional option, not as a replacement for the public path.)
What's a good review-request response rate?
For a well-executed SMS program: 20–35% of recipients will click through and 8–15% will leave a public review. For email: 1–5% will leave a review. The biggest levers are timing (sub-72-hour), channel (SMS over email), brand recognition in the from-name, and how few steps it takes to post the review. Industries with strong customer relationships — dental, home services, dog grooming, premium retail — routinely hit the top of this range. Lower-engagement industries (utility-style services, single-purchase e-commerce) sit at the lower end.