Customer Review Management for Trade Businesses 2026

Random bursts of reviews used to be enough. In 2026, Google's local pack now looks at review velocity (reviews per month), response rate, and freshness as strongly as the star average. A 4.6 star business with 50 reviews beats a 5 star business with 8 reviews every time because the volume proves you are active.

This playbook gives you the scripts, cadence, and recovery workflow to generate 5–7 new Google reviews every single month and respond like a pro when someone slags you off online.

Why Review Velocity Matters

Google cares about how often people talk about you. If you add 15 reviews in January and nothing after, the rank boost decays within 30 days. Maintain a steady 4–6 reviews per month and you stay in the local three-pack.

• Review velocity is a stronger signal than the difference between 4.6 vs 4.9 stars.
• Responding to every review increases conversion rate because prospects see you are active.
• Velocity keeps older reviews from ageing out of Google's "recent" window (90 days).

The math: to produce 5 reviews per month at ~50% conversion you must ask 10–12 customers. That means making review tasks part of every job card, not something you remember when things are slow.

The Asking System (50% Conversion)

Review acquisition happens before you load the van. Follow the same three-step sequence on every job and half your customers will leave a review.

Step 1: Prime the customer while you're still on-site

• Show before/after photos or explain what you fixed. Ask if everything meets expectations.
• "We grow through word of mouth, so if you're happy a quick Google review really helps."
• Confirm the exact spelling of their name so you can personalise the follow-up message.

Step 2: Send the SMS before you drive away

Save this as a text replacement in iOS/Android or send via Toolfy automation so all you change is the customer name.

Step 3: Follow up once at 48 hours

If nothing hits Google within two days, send one gentle reminder then leave it. Pushier messaging actually reduces conversions and spikes spam reports.

• Immediate ask: 35–40% leave the review within 24 hours.
• 48-hour reminder: adds another 10–15%.
• Total conversion: 45–55% from every customer you ask.

Timing & Automation

Spreading asks evenly keeps velocity graphs flat. Batch requests create suspicious spikes and long gaps.

Manual SMS works at low volume but it is easy to forget. Automation fires texts automatically when a job is marked complete and logs conversions.

• Toolfy: Sends branded SMS 24 hours after completion, logs if the review was left, and reminds the office team if no reply. Included in the job management subscription (£29/month).
• Podium: Review-only automation (£200–£400/month). Only worth it if you do 100+ jobs/month and lack a proper job system.
• Birdeye: Enterprise review stack (£500+/month). Overkill for most trades.

Start manual for four weeks so you can tune the script. Once the message hits 45%+ conversion, automate so it happens without reminding yourself.

Response Templates

Reply to 100% of reviews within 48 hours. Prospects read how you communicate as much as they read the rating.

Use the job type or neighbourhood in the response so it reads like a real interaction, not a copy/paste.

3 non-negotiables

• Use names. Google bolds keywords, so including the service increases CTR.
• Explain value. Mention the problem solved or the timeline.
• Invite them back. "Call us when you're ready for the next phase" plants the seed.

Handling Negative Reviews

Negative reviews happen. How you respond decides whether they scare prospects or prove you handle issues quickly. Follow the four-step script every time.

Review Recovery Process

Once you fix the issue offline, politely ask for an updated review. About 35–40% of customers will change a 1-star rant to a 4–5 star testimonial if you genuinely solved their problem.

• Full refund + fix = 40–50% update rate.
• Partial refund or redo = 30–40% update rate.
• Explanation only = 10–15%. Don't rely on this.

Which Platforms Matter

Put 80% of your effort into Google reviews and 20% into the platforms that prospects actually see in your trade.

The Bottom Line

Review management is a weekly discipline. Set a KPI for "review requests sent" and inspect it the same way you inspect revenue.

Biggest mistake? Blasting 20 review requests after a slow month, getting 12 responses, then forgetting for an entire quarter. Google sees erratic bursts as gaming the system. Consistency beats intensity.