Review Harvesting
A plumbing shop with 200 Google reviews at 4.8 stars ranks above competitors in the local 3-pack and earns higher trust from homeowners calling in. Getting there requires a systematic, consistent review-collection process — not a reminder that goes out when somebody remembers to send it.
Review Harvesting automates the entire collection cycle, from post-job ask to Google submission.
The collection workflow
Step 1 — Satisfaction check (2 hours after job complete)
When a job is marked complete in GHL, the workflow fires a text to the homeowner:
“Hi [Name], [Tech Name] just finished up. How did things go on a scale of 1–5?”
A satisfaction check — not a review ask — runs first. This single step prevents unhappy customers from receiving a review request before they’ve had a chance to express a concern.
Step 2 — Branching by response
- 4 or 5 stars: “Glad to hear it! Would you mind sharing on Google? Here’s the link: [one-tap link].” → review submitted publicly within seconds.
- 1, 2, or 3 stars: “We’re sorry to hear that. [Owner Name] would like to hear what happened — just reply here and we’ll make it right.” → concern routes privately to the owner.
Step 3 — Follow-up nudge (Day 4)
If the 4/5-star customer didn’t complete the Google review, a second text goes out:
“Quick reminder — would still love that Google review when you have a moment: [link]. Takes about 30 seconds!”
No further follow-up after that. Two-touch maximum per job.
Why this works better than asking in person
Most techs feel awkward asking for a review face-to-face. The homeowner is standing there with a pipe wrench in their hand, the water is back on, and they just want to close the door. The text arrives 2 hours later — when the homeowner is settled, the stress is gone, and they remember why they’re grateful. That timing drives 3× higher response rates than an in-person ask.
Compliance
Review-gating — asking only happy customers to leave public reviews while hiding negative ones — violates Google’s review policy. Our system does not gate reviews. Unhappy customers can always post publicly if they choose. The satisfaction check simply gives them an internal channel first, which most will use. We have audited this approach against Google’s current guidelines.
Multi-platform routing
By default, positive reviews route to Google Business Profile — the highest-impact platform for local search ranking. Optional secondary routes can be configured for Facebook Page, Nextdoor, or Angi, depending on where your customers are most active.
Results timeline
Most shops running the full workflow go from collecting 3–5 reviews per month to 10–15 per month within 60 days of installation. Local 3-pack ranking improvements typically follow within 90 days for competitive plumbing markets.