You finish a job, and the customer tells you how pleased they are.
Perhaps you made a complicated process easier. Perhaps you arrived when you said you would, kept them informed or found a solution they hadn’t considered.
That feedback is useful. But if it stays in a private conversation, the next person considering your business never gets to hear it.
A customer review can help someone understand what working with you is actually like. The first step is making it easy for customers to share their experience.
Ask at a natural moment
Think about when your customer has had enough experience to give meaningful feedback.
For a trades business, that might be after the completed work has been checked. For a bookkeeper, it could be after helping a client through their first reporting period. For a retailer, it may be once the customer has received and used their purchase.
If someone has just thanked you, that can be a comfortable opening.
You could say:
“Thanks, Sarah. I’m so pleased you’re happy with everything. If you have a moment, would you be happy to leave us an honest Google review? Here’s the link.”
Keep it friendly and optional.
Make the request easy to act on
Send a direct link to the place you would like the review left.
“Please review us online” gives the customer another job to figure out. A clear link removes that extra step.
You don’t need a long email explaining how valuable reviews are to your business. A short, personal message is usually enough.
Give a little guidance if they need it
Some customers are happy to help but don’t know what to write.
You can suggest mentioning what they needed help with and how they found the experience.
For example:
“If you’re unsure what to include, a few words about the work we did and how you found the process would be lovely.”
Let them choose their own words. An honest, specific account is more useful than a polished paragraph you have written for them.
Put the feedback where it helps
With permission, a customer’s feedback can also support your website and marketing.
A comment about clear communication might fit beside an explanation of your process. Feedback about a particular service could sit on that service page.
Keep the wording accurate, check how the customer would like to be identified, and ask before sharing private feedback publicly.
Make it part of finishing the job
Add a review request to your job completion checklist so it doesn’t depend on remembering during a busy week.
You won’t hear back from everyone, and that’s fine. The aim is to give customers a simple opportunity to share.
At Brightside Marketing, we can help you put together review requests and make better use of the feedback your customers are happy to share.
