Short answer
Ask every customer, in the same words, with a direct link to your Google review form, and never offer anything in return. Google allows asking for reviews. It prohibits incentives, asking only happy customers, and reviews that do not reflect a real experience. The eleven templates below cover text, email, QR card, invoice, reminder, technician script and replies, and each one follows those rules.
Most owners know reviews matter and still do not ask, because the wording feels awkward or the rules feel unclear. These review request templates fix both. Replace the [brackets], paste them into your texting tool, email system or print shop, and use the same message for every finished job.
If you want to know how to ask for reviews as a plumber without getting a review removed or your profile flagged, read the rules section first. It is short, and it shapes every template. The wider picture on reviews and ranking is in our guide to Google reviews for plumbers.
The rules every template here follows
We read two Google pages for this guide: the Business Profile help page on getting and managing reviews, and Google's Maps user-contributed content policy. In general terms, they say the following.
- You may ask. Business Profile help says you can ask customers to leave a review, including by sharing your review link or a QR code.
- No incentives. Offering payment, discounts, free goods or free services in exchange for a review is not allowed, and that includes offering something to change or remove a negative review.
- No review gating. The contributions policy says merchants may not selectively solicit positive reviews or discourage negative ones. Send the same request to everyone you served.
- No pressure. Do not require or pressure people to write reviews while they are on your premises.
- No fake reviews. Reviews must reflect a genuine experience. Do not write a review for a customer, post one from your own account or device, or hand out text to paste. Content posted from multiple accounts by one person is treated as fake engagement.
Policies change. Read the current versions on Google's Business Profile Help and Maps contributions policy pages, and check the rules for your state or province.
Review request templates to send right after the job
Send within hours of finishing, while the visit is fresh. Use one version per channel and send it to every customer, not a hand-picked group.
Template 1: SMS right after the job. Use it the same day, for every completed job.
Hi [First name], this is [Tech name] from [Company]. Thanks for having us out today. If you have a minute, you can share your experience of the visit here: [Google review link]. Honest feedback of any kind helps us and other homeowners. Reply STOP to opt out.
This is the core google review request text. It is short, names a real person, and does not steer the rating. Do not add "5 stars" or "if you were happy".
Template 2: Email. Use it the next morning, or as the main channel when you invoice by email.
Subject: How did we do at [Street or town]?
Hi [First name],
Thank you for choosing [Company] for [job, for example "your water heater replacement"]. We would like to hear how the visit went, good or bad.
You can leave a review on Google in about a minute: [Google review link]
If something was not right and you would rather tell us directly, reply to this email or call me on [Phone]. Both options are open to everyone.
[Owner name], [Company]
The private option is fine as long as the public link goes to every customer. It must not be a way to steer unhappy people away from the review form.
Template 3: QR card wording. Use it on a leave-behind card, a van door or a receipt.
Thanks for choosing [Company].
Tell others about your visit: scan the code to leave a review on Google.
[QR code]
Questions about your job? Call [Phone].
[License number if required where you work]
Test the code on a phone before printing. It should open the review form, not your general listing. Keep the card factual: no stars, no gift, no prize draw.
Template 4: Invoice footer line. Use it on every invoice and receipt.
Your feedback helps us improve. Review us on Google: [short link or QR]
Because it is printed on every invoice, it cannot be applied to only happy customers. That makes it one of the easiest compliant habits to build.
Follow-ups, callbacks and commercial customers
Template 5: Follow-up reminder. Use it once, three to four days after the first request, only if no review has appeared from that customer.
Hi [First name], [Tech name] from [Company] again. No pressure at all. If you did want to share your experience of the visit, the link is here: [Google review link]. Thanks either way. Reply STOP to opt out.
Send one reminder and stop. A second or third nudge turns a courtesy into pressure.
Template 6: After-service message for a callback. Use it after the return visit, when the job is actually finished.
Hi [First name], [Tech name] here. Thanks for letting us come back to fix [issue]. Is everything working as it should? If not, reply here or call [Phone] and I will sort it out. As with every customer, you can also share your experience of our service here: [Google review link]. Reply STOP to opt out.
Do not remove callback customers from your review list because you think they are unhappy. That is the line between a good process and gating. Wait until the fix is done, ask the same way, and fix the problem first.
Template 7: Property manager or commercial customer. Use it by email after a job for a business or building owner.
Hi [Name], thank you for trusting [Company] with [work, for example "the drain clearing at the [Building]"]. If you are able to, a Google review from your perspective as a [property manager / business owner] helps other managers find a reliable plumber. Link: [Google review link]. If you have feedback you would rather give directly, I am at [Phone].
Reviews must come from the person's own account. If a client asks you to write one for them, decline.
A team script for the technician at the door
Template 8: Technician script. Use it at the end of every visit, in conversation, after the work is explained.
"That is everything done. I will text you a short note this afternoon with a link if you would like to share how the visit went. No obligation either way. Do you have any questions before I head off?"
- Say it to every customer. Do not skip anyone who looked annoyed or who disputed the price.
- Do not hand the customer a phone or tablet and wait while they type. Google's policy says not to pressure people to write reviews on your premises, and standing over a homeowner in their own hall is the same problem.
- Do not mention stars, discounts, free service or "a good word for the boss".
- If the customer raises a problem, deal with the problem. Do not change the script.
Put the script on a card in the truck. Saying it every time matters more than the exact wording.
Replying to reviews: positive, negative and disputed
Replies are public and read by future customers more than by the reviewer. They should be calm, short and private-information free.
Template 9: Reply to a positive review. Use it within a few days.
Thank you, [First name]. We are glad the [job type] went smoothly, and [Tech name] will be pleased to read this. If you need anything else, call [Phone].
Vary the wording. Fifty identical replies look automated. Do not offer a discount in the reply.
Template 10: Reply to a negative review. Use it as soon as you have checked the job record.
[First name], I am sorry the visit did not meet your expectations. That is not the standard we aim for. I would like to understand what happened and put it right. Please call me directly on [Phone] or email [Email], and I will make time. [Owner name], [Company]
Apologize for the experience, move the conversation offline, and stop. Do not argue the facts in public, name the technician, quote the invoice or confirm that the person was a customer beyond what the review already says. That protects their privacy and yours.
Template 11: Reply to a review you believe is wrong or is not from a customer. Use it after checking your records.
Hello, we cannot find a record of a job matching this description at [Company]. We would like to look into it. If you were a customer, please contact us on [Phone] with the date and address so we can help. Thank you.
If a review breaks Google's content policies, for example it is clearly not about your business, use the report option in your profile rather than arguing. Never offer money or free work to get a review changed or removed. Google lists that as prohibited.
What never to do
- Never offer a discount, gift card, raffle entry or free service for a review.
- Never ask only the customers who seemed happy, and never use software that does the sorting for you.
- Never write, edit or post a review for a customer, or let a team member post from your office.
- Never ask a customer to remove or change a review in return for anything.
- Never argue, accuse or share job details in a public reply.
- Never send a long run of reminders.
Breaking these rules can lead to removed reviews or a restricted profile. It is not worth it.
Texting consent and rolling this out
Rules for sending texts to customers vary by country, state and province, and they can treat a purely informational message differently from one that promotes your business. Canada's anti-spam law, for example, covers commercial text messages, and US federal and state rules also touch texting. We are not lawyers and cannot say how any of this applies to a review request. Ask a lawyer who knows your state or province before you automate review texts, and ask your texting provider what opt-out handling it requires.
A sensible low-risk habit is to ask for a customer's okay to text at booking, record it, and include a clear opt-out in every message. For email, use the unsubscribe method your email tool provides.
To roll this out in a week:
- Get your Google review link from your Business Profile and test it on two phones.
- Add the footer line to your invoice template and order the QR cards.
- Load Templates 1, 2 and 5 into your texting or email tool as saved messages.
- Teach Template 8 to every technician and put a card in each truck.
- Check once a week that every completed job received a request, then reply to new reviews the same week.
Where LiveLeadsLane fits
LiveLeadsLane is a new, founder-led remote practice run by Prakhar Kirsali from India. Your technicians, not an outside firm, should ask for reviews, because only your team knows who finished a job and when. What we can do is the profile work around it. Our Google Business Profile plan starts at $399 a month and includes review-response drafts, posts and spam monitoring, with a 3-month initial term; see the pricing page. We do not write or post customer reviews, and nothing here is a guarantee of rankings or leads. To talk it through, book a free call.
