How to Ask Customers for Reviews (Scripts for Contractors)

You know you should ask for reviews. The hard part is doing it every time, in a way that doesn't feel awkward.

You're not alone. Our study of Texas contractors found that 235 of 513 contractors (45.8%) in the sample have fewer than 10 Google reviews (see the research). If your count is low, look at the ask first. Did it feel awkward, get forgotten, or take too much effort?

This guide covers the mechanics: when to ask, how to get your review link, what to say, and what to do when nobody responds. It includes 14 scripts you can adapt. For the whole system, from asking to replying, see how to get more Google reviews.

Why asking feels awkward, and why it shouldn't

The usual worry is that it feels like begging.

Two things are worth remembering.

You did the work. A customer whose AC you restored in July heat, or whose burst pipe you contained at midnight, got something valuable. Asking them to share an honest review isn't an imposition.

The awkwardness comes from asking vaguely. "If you get a chance, maybe leave us a review sometime" is uncomfortable because it's uncertain. A direct, specific ask with a clear reason lands differently.

Everything below comes down to a few decisions: when to ask, how to send the link, and what to say.

When to ask

Ask on the day you finish the job. Not next week, and not when the invoice is paid.

A homeowner whose problem you just solved still remembers every detail. That memory fades, and by the following week the fixed AC is just a normal AC again.

For bigger projects, like a roof replacement, a repipe or a panel upgrade, ask at the final walkthrough. You're both standing there looking at the finished work.

Get your review link and QR code (Google's steps)

Never ask a customer to "look us up on Google." Send the link that opens straight to your review box.

Google's help page on creating a review link or QR code gives these steps:

1. Go to your Business Profile.
2. Select Read reviews, then Get more reviews.
3. To copy the review link, select Copy.
4. To save the QR code, right-click it and select Save image as…

Google notes: "Currently, reviews QR codes can only be generated on a computer browser, not on mobile devices." So grab the QR code from a laptop.

Google suggests putting the link or QR code on receipts, in thank-you emails and at the end of a chat, and printing the QR code for your store. For a contractor, that means the invoice and a leave-behind card. Google adds that you can send requests "through email, WhatsApp message, or Facebook post."

If you use Forge, it creates your direct Google review link for you.

Before you ask: check your services list

Google's page on reviews for service businesses says customers "may be asked to identify what tasks your business performed." Those tasks come "from the merchant's service list, website (if available), or the standard list of tasks". If a job is missing, Google says "merchants can add it to their service list", so check your services before you start asking.

Which channel: text first, email as backup

For trades, text is the natural first choice:

• You already have their mobile number from scheduling.
• A customer standing in their kitchen can tap a link and start typing right away.
• You may not have their email at all.

Use email as a backup, not a replacement. If you have an address and the text went unanswered, a follow-up email costs nothing. Using both gives the customer a second way to find the link.

Make it one tap. Send the direct link, not a search, and not your website.

In person first, then the text

We suggest doing both:

• In person, at the end of the job: set the expectation. "I'll text you the link."
• By text, the same day: make it one tap.

An in-person ask on its own leaves the customer without a link to tap. The text turns the intention into something they can act on.

Ask, then leave them to it. Don't wait while they write it, and don't ask them to do it on the spot. Google's review policy says you "should not require or pressure users to leave ratings or write reviews while on the premises." That line is about your own business location, but the same courtesy fits a customer's home.

Follow up once, then stop

If you don't hear back, send one follow-up three to five days later. Then stop.

More than one starts to feel like pestering, and it can strain the relationship. If a customer says no, thank them and leave it there. Scripts 9 and 10 below are follow-ups.

14 review request scripts

Adapt the details. Use the customer's name and mention the actual job, so the message reads as written for them. Give a short, honest reason for asking, like the ones in these scripts.

Every script asks for an honest review, and you send it to every customer. Each one is an example script, written for illustration.

In-person asks

1. Straightforward (example script, written for illustration)

"Thanks for having us out today. Would you leave us an honest Google review? It helps other homeowners find us. I'll text you the link before I head off."

2. After a difficult or emergency job (example script, written for illustration)

"I know that wasn't a fun morning. Thanks for calling us. When you've got a minute, would you share an honest Google review? I'll text you the link."

3. Repeat customer (example script, written for illustration)

"Always good working with you. Quick favor: you've used us a few times now, and a review from someone who's seen our work more than once would mean a lot. Would you leave an honest one? I'll send the link over."

4. When they've already said something kind (example script, written for illustration)

"Thank you, that means a lot. Would you leave an honest Google review? I'll text you the link."

That's a natural moment to ask, as long as you ask everyone else too.

Text message scripts

5. Standard same-day (example script, written for illustration)

Hi [Name], thanks for having us out today for the [service]. Would you leave an honest Google review? It helps other homeowners find us: [link] Thanks, [Your name], [Company]

6. Short version (example script, written for illustration)

Hi [Name], thanks again for today. If you've got a moment, an honest Google review would help us a lot: [link] [Your name]

7. Emergency or after-hours job (example script, written for illustration)

Hi [Name], thanks for calling us out last night. Would you leave an honest Google review of how it went? [link] Call anytime. [Your name], [Company]

8. Large project completion (example script, written for illustration)

Hi [Name], thanks for trusting us with the [project]. Would you share an honest Google review? It helps other homeowners know what to expect: [link] [Your name]

Follow-up scripts

9. Gentle nudge (example script, written for illustration)

Hi [Name], just following up. If you have a minute, an honest Google review would really help us: [link] No worries either way. Thanks again, [Your name]

10. Slightly warmer (example script, written for illustration)

Hi [Name], hope the [service] is holding up well. We'd appreciate an honest Google review whenever you have a minute: [link] Thanks, [Your name]

Special situations

11. After you came back to fix a problem (example script, written for illustration)

Hi [Name], thanks for letting us come back out. Would you leave an honest Google review? [link] Thanks, [Your name]

12. Referral from another customer (example script, written for illustration)

Hi [Name], thanks for having us out, and thanks to [Referrer] for sending you our way. Would you leave an honest Google review? It helps others find us too: [link] [Your name]

Email templates

Use these when you have an address and the text went unanswered, or for commercial clients who work by email.

13. Post-job email (example script, written for illustration)

Subject: Quick favor, [Name]?

Hi [Name],

Thanks again for having us out for the [service] on [day]. Let me know if anything comes up.

Would you leave an honest Google review? It helps homeowners in [City] find us: [link]

Appreciate it either way.

[Your name] [Company] · [phone]

14. Commercial or property manager (example script, written for illustration)

Subject: [Company]: [service] complete

Hi [Name],

The [service] at [property] is complete. Details and invoice attached.

Would you leave an honest Google review? It helps other property managers decide who to call: [link]

Thanks for the business.

[Your name]

Keep subject lines short and specific. "Quick favor, [Name]?" reads like a person writing. "We value your feedback" reads like a form letter.

Make it a habit. Tie the request to something you already do, like writing up the invoice. Put the QR code on a leave-behind card so it keeps working after you drive away. Forge creates your direct Google review link, sends review requests by text or email, and sends one automatic follow-up to customers who haven't responded. Want a version for your trade? Try the free review request text generator. Start your 14-day free trial.

What not to do

Don't offer anything in exchange for a review

Google's page on review links and QR codes says offering incentives, "like free or discounted goods or services," for reviews "is considered fake engagement and is strictly prohibited." Its review policy names "payment, discounts, free goods and/or services". For what Google can do to a profile, and the FTC's side, see the rules section of our guide to getting more Google reviews.

Don't screen customers first

Surveying people, then asking only the ones who liked the job, is called review gating. Google's policy says you can't "selectively solicit positive reviews from customers." Ask everyone.

Don't ask for five stars or specific words

"If you could leave us five stars" puts the customer in an awkward spot. Google's policy says you shouldn't "request that specific content be included." Ask for their honest experience.

Don't set review quotas for your team

Google's policy lists "Merchants requesting that staff solicit a certain number of reviews" as not allowed. Ask your team to make the ask every time, without a number to hit.

Don't send more than one follow-up

One follow-up is a reminder. More than one starts to feel like pestering.

Don't link to your website instead of the review page

Send the direct review link, not your homepage.

Which review site to ask for

If you're only going to ask once, ask for Google. For where other review sites fit, see the best review sites for contractors.

If the review is negative

Asking everyone means you'll sometimes get a negative review. Reply calmly: acknowledge the concern, don't argue in public, and offer to sort it out by phone. How to respond to negative reviews has example replies. How to respond to Google reviews covers the general method.

Why a request works, in one paragraph

Every step above removes friction and gives a reason. You're not persuading anyone. You're making an honest review easy to leave. A personal message, sent the same day, with a link that opens the review box and an honest reason for asking. That's the whole mechanism. Everything else is a variation on it.

Track it

Count the requests you send and the reviews you get each month. Watch the trend, not one week. The review calculator shows how many reviews a target rating would take.

Put good reviews to work, too. You can share a recent review in a Google Business Profile post or on social media.

Related guides

• How to get more Google reviews as a contractor: the full system
• How to respond to positive reviews: 25 example replies
• Free review request text generator
• Free service description generator: for when you're updating your services list
• We analyzed 513 Texas contractors' Google profiles

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About the author: Michael Carpenter is the founder of Forge, a marketing platform built for independent home service contractors. He is based in Dallas, Texas.