, 2 min read
Asking for reviews without feeling awkward
Happy customers rarely leave reviews unless they're asked. When to ask, how to word it, and how to reply to the reviews you get, good and bad.
Most happy customers never leave a review. It isn't that they don't want to. They just leave, get busy, and forget. Unhappy customers, on the other hand, often go looking for somewhere to say so. Left alone, your reviews end up skewed towards the people you served worst.
The fix is simple, and most businesses still don't do it: ask.
When to ask
The best moment is shortly after the visit, while the experience is fresh. Not weeks later, and not in the middle of the appointment. After a haircut, a repair or a meal, a short message the same day works far better than a reminder at the end of the month.
How to ask
- Keep it short. Thank them, ask, and give the link. One message.
- Make it easy. A direct link to the review page, not "find us on Google."
- Don't bribe. Discounts in exchange for reviews break most platforms' rules, and customers can tell.
- Ask everyone. Don't pick only the people you think were happy. Real, mixed reviews read as honest.
Reply to what you get
Replies matter as much as the reviews themselves. Future customers read them.
- To good reviews: thank them by name and mention something specific.
- To bad reviews: stay calm, acknowledge the problem, and offer to sort it out directly. Never argue in public.
Where to ask people to review you
Pick the platform your customers actually use to find businesses like yours. For most local businesses that's Google, because reviews appear right next to your listing in Search and Maps. Some trades also rely on industry sites or Facebook. Sending people to one place, consistently, builds up reviews faster than spreading them thin.
Make reviews part of the routine
The businesses with the most reviews aren't necessarily the best. They're the ones that ask every time, as part of how a visit ends. Once requests go out automatically, you don't have to remember, and you don't have to feel awkward asking face to face.
How RingPost helps
RingPost can send a review request after a visit, by text, with the link to your review page. When reviews come in, it drafts replies in your brand's voice for you to approve, and you can choose which ones it may post without asking. Every reply stays polite and truthful: it won't promise refunds or make claims your information doesn't support.
The result is a steady stream of reviews from the customers you served well, and replies that show new customers how you treat people.
See reviews and replies.
Written by the RingPost team.