How to Ask for Google Reviews: Trade Scripts

Ask every customer, the same way, as soon as the job is done: one line at the door, then a short text with your Google review link the same day. Don’t offer anything in return, don’t pick only the happy customers, and don’t ask for five stars. Get consent before you text. That keeps your reviews real and inside the rules set by Google and the FTC.

Below: when to ask, texts for common calls, doorstep scripts, and the rules.

When should you ask for a review after a plumbing or HVAC job?

Right after the problem is fixed, while the customer can see the result: hot water is back, the drain runs clear, the house is warming up. Ask in person before you leave, then send the link by text that same day.

Timing changes with the call. A burst pipe at 2 a.m. is not the moment for a speech: the homeowner is tired, there’s water on the floor, and they want to sleep. Thank them and text the next morning. A scheduled AC tune-up is the opposite. The customer is relaxed, and a short ask at the door feels natural.

The tech who did the work should be the one who asks, because that’s the person the customer just watched solve the problem. The office can send the text, signed with the tech’s name.

On big change-outs, some owners wait a day so the customer has lived with the new furnace or water heater. Fine, as long as it’s the same rule for every install. Once “wait a day” becomes “ask only the ones that went smoothly,” you’re cherry-picking, and Google doesn’t allow that.

What should a review request text say?

Keep it short: the customer’s first name, your company name, the job you did, one review link and a plain thank-you. No pressure, no “5 stars please,” no reward. One message, one link.

If you don’t have the link yet, here’s how to get your Google review link and QR code. Then swap in your own details below.

Emergency plumbing (send the next morning)

Hi {first name}, it’s {tech name} from {company}. Hope everything’s dried out after last night’s leak. If you have a minute, an honest Google review helps other homeowners find someone to call at 2 a.m.: {review link}. Thanks for trusting us with it.

Water heater install

Hi {first name}, thanks for choosing {company} for your new water heater today. If you’re willing, we’d appreciate an honest Google review: {review link}. Any questions about the new unit, just reply to this text.

Drain cleaning

Hi {first name}, {tech name} from {company} here. Your drain is running clear again. If you’ve got a minute, would you share how it went on Google? {review link}. Thank you.

AC repair

Hi {first name}, glad we got your AC running again today. If you have a moment, an honest review on Google helps a local shop like ours: {review link}. Thanks, {tech name} at {company}.

Furnace tune-up

Hi {first name}, thanks for having {company} out for your furnace tune-up. If you’d like to share how the visit went, here’s our Google review link: {review link}. See you next season.

No star count, no “if you loved us.” “Honest” and “how it went” leave the rating to the customer.

For customers who prefer email:

Subject: Thanks from {company}

Hi {first name},

Thanks for choosing {company} for your {job}. If you have a minute, an honest Google review helps your neighbors decide who to call: {review link}. And if anything isn’t right, just reply.

{tech name}, {company}

And put one line at the bottom of every invoice and receipt, paper or emailed:

Happy with the work, or not? Tell others on Google: {short link}

That “or not” does real work. It tells the customer you want the truth, which is exactly the posture the rules ask for.

How do you ask in person without it feeling awkward?

Make it part of wrapping up the job, like walking through the invoice. One or two sentences, then send the link before you leave the driveway. The awkward part is usually the hesitation, not the ask.

Owner-operator:

“Before I head out: I run this shop myself, and Google reviews make a big difference for a small outfit like mine. I’ll text you the link in a few minutes. Good or bad, an honest one is all I ask.”

Tech on a crew:

“You’re all set. One more thing: {company} asks every customer for a Google review, and I’m going to text you the link. Totally up to you, and thanks for having us.”

Saying “every customer” out loud tells the homeowner they weren’t singled out, and reminds your crew of the policy.

Don’t hand the customer your tablet and stand there while they type. Google’s policy says businesses shouldn’t require or pressure customers to leave reviews on the premises, and a kitchen is close enough. Let them do it later, in their own words.

For the ones who say “sure” and forget, leave a card or small magnet with your review QR code on the counter or near the water heater (never over the rating plate or warning labels).

What does Google not allow when you ask for reviews?

Google doesn’t allow incentives of any kind for reviews, asking only customers you expect to be happy, or discouraging negative reviews. Reviews that come from those practices get removed, and Google’s help pages warn that profiles can be restricted for policy violations.

Google’s prohibited and restricted content policy bans offering “incentives – such as payment, discounts, free goods and/or services - in exchange for posting any review.” So “$25 off your next drain cleaning for a review” is out. So is a free furnace filter, and so is a drawing for a free tune-up. The FTC’s rule even lists contest entries as one way of paying for a review.

Review gating catches well-meaning shops. You text “How did we do, 1 to 5?” and only the 4s and 5s get the Google link, while everyone else lands on a private feedback form. Google’s policy specifically says businesses can’t “selectively solicit positive reviews from customers,” and FTC staff have said that asking only the customers you think are happy could violate the FTC Act. Collect private feedback if you like, but send everyone the Google link, whatever they told you.

The same policy also says you can’t ask staff to bring in a set number of reviews, so keep review quotas off the tech scorecard.

On the federal side, the FTC’s Rule on the Use of Consumer Reviews and Testimonials (16 CFR Part 465) took effect on October 21, 2024, and the FTC says courts can impose civil penalties for knowing violations. Among other things, it bans fake reviews and bans incentives “conditioned expressly or by implication on” a review “expressing a particular sentiment.” The FTC’s questions and answers on the rule are in plain English and worth fifteen minutes.

Google’s line is stricter than the FTC’s: the FTC rule targets incentives tied to a positive (or negative) review, while Google bans incentives for any review. Your reviews live on Google, so run your shop by Google’s rule. None of this is legal advice.

Do you need consent to text customers for reviews in the US and Canada?

Get consent before you text. In the US, written consent is the safe route. In Canada, CASL usually lets you rely on implied consent from a recent paid job, but every message has to identify you and include a way to unsubscribe.

In the US, the FCC’s consumer guide on robocalls and texts says its rules ban autodialed texts to cell phones without the owner’s prior consent, that “commercial texts require written consent; for informational texts, your consent may be oral,” and that people can opt out “at any time and in any reasonable manner.” It doesn’t say where a review request falls, so get written consent. Add a line to your work order: “I agree to receive texts from {company} about this job, including a request to review our work. Reply STOP to opt out.” Honor every STOP right away, and check your texting provider’s rules too.

In Canada, CASL covers commercial electronic messages, email and texts included. The CRTC’s guidance on implied consent says every such message needs consent, identification of who’s sending it, and an unsubscribe mechanism. A customer who bought a service from you in the past two years generally gives you implied consent through that existing business relationship, and if someone unsubscribes, you have to stop within 10 business days. The CRTC page doesn’t single out review requests, so treat them as commercial messages: your company name, how to reach you, and an unsubscribe line in each.

This section is general information, not legal advice. If you text customers at volume or through a texting platform, check the rules with a lawyer.

Where should reviews show up after you get them?

On Google first, since that’s where they’re written and where they show next to your profile in Search and Maps. On your own website, show real reviews word for word, with the customer’s name as they wrote it, and link to your Google profile so anyone can read every review, not just the ones you picked.

The FTC draws a line here. Once you feature a customer review in your own marketing, it counts as a testimonial, and the FTC says using non-representative reviews in marketing could be deceptive. The rule also bans implying that the reviews you display are most or all of the reviews you got when you’re hiding the negative ones. So quote reviews exactly, don’t tidy them up, and don’t label a hand-picked section “All our reviews.”

Placement matters. A homeowner with a leaking water heater checks two things fast: can this company fix it, and do people trust them? Real reviews next to the call button answer the second question while they decide. It’s on the list of what a plumber website should include, and it’s the idea behind HVAC websites built around real reviews and photos. Our fictional demo sites show where reviews sit on each layout.

If you’d like a site set up that way without learning any software, see how TruckToWeb builds it and what each plan includes. Either way, the scripts above work on their own: ask every customer, send the link the same day, and let the reviews be honest.