Review request script example, email and text

Marketing add-on

Review request scripts for Blue Ridge Grounds LLC

Prepared for Blue Ridge Grounds LLC

This doc gives Dale and any office admin at Blue Ridge Grounds the exact messages to send, and when to send them, to turn happy residential landscaping customers into posted Google reviews. It also covers how to respond publicly when a negative review lands, so future prospects see a professional, accountable company rather than silence or defensiveness. Pick the scenario that matches the job, copy the template, fill the brackets, and send.

Trade context

Landscaping review collection has a split personality: recurring mowing customers build a relationship over weeks before they're ready to say something publicly, while one-time install or cleanup customers hit their emotional peak within a day or two of seeing the finished result. The biggest missed window in this trade is the spring cleanup, customers open their back door to a clean, mulched yard and feel genuine relief, but that feeling fades fast once the lawn just looks normal again. Big-ticket installs (patios, planting beds, full landscape redesigns) produce the most detailed and persuasive reviews because the customer has a story to tell; those are worth a personal ask from Dale, not just an automated text.

Principles

Ask while the result is still visible and emotional. For a spring cleanup or mulch install, that means within 48 hours, not next week when the yard just looks like a yard again.
Match the channel to how you've been communicating. If the customer has been texting back and forth with the crew, send a text. If they're a formal-email type, send the email version. Don't switch channels at the ask.
Always include the direct Google review link in the message. Never ask a customer to 'find us on Google', they won't.
Reference the specific job in the message. 'Your spring cleanup' or 'the patio install we finished Tuesday' tells the customer this is a real message from a real person, not a blast from a software platform.
For recurring customers, wait until the relationship has stuck, typically after the third or fourth successful mow or service visit. Asking after the first visit is premature; the customer hasn't decided yet whether they're keeping you.
One ask per message. Don't combine the review request with a referral ask, a renewal reminder, or an upsell. One thing.

Timing windows

Most Blue Ridge Grounds services fall into two timing buckets: visible-result jobs (cleanups, mulch, installs) where the emotional peak is within 24-72 hours of completion, and recurring services (mowing, fertilization programs) where the relationship has to establish itself before the ask lands well. Snow removal sits in its own category, the customer's relief is immediate and intense, making it one of the best review opportunities in the calendar year if you ask the same day.

Request scripts

1 scenarios

Standard happy customer

text_and_email

When: After a clean, completed job with no issues, cleanup, mulch install, or mowing milestone. Send within the timing window for that job type. Use the text version if you've been texting; use the email version if the relationship has been email-based.

TEXT VERSION

Hi [Customer First Name], the crew just wrapped up your [spring cleanup / mulch install / describe job] today and I wanted to say thanks for having us out. If you have two minutes, a Google review means a lot for a small local business like ours: [Google Review Link]

Appreciate you either way., Dale, Blue Ridge Grounds

EMAIL VERSION

Subject: Quick favor after your [spring cleanup / mulch install]

Hi [Customer First Name],

The crew finished up your [spring cleanup / mulch install / describe job] [today / yesterday] and I wanted to drop you a note. [Optional personal detail: e.g., "Tomas mentioned the beds along your fence line came out really clean this year."]

If you're happy with how things look and you have a couple of minutes, a Google review goes a long way for a small local business. Here's the direct link so you don't have to hunt for it: [Google Review Link]

Anything comes up, a spot we missed, a question about the lawn, anything at all, just reply here or call me directly., Dale
Blue Ridge Grounds LLC
[Phone] · [Website]

Notes: Fill in the specific job name before sending. The optional personal detail line in the email version is worth adding when you have it, even one sentence makes the message feel real. Do not send both versions to the same customer.

Metrics to track

**Ask rate**, divide the number of review requests sent in a month by the number of completed jobs that month. Track this monthly. The number itself is less important than the trendline; if it's dropping, something in your send process broke (admin forgot, software change, etc.).
**Reply rate by channel**, divide reviews posted in a given period by requests sent via each channel (text vs. email) in that same period. Run this comparison quarterly. Whichever channel converts better for your customer mix is the one to default to; the other becomes a backup.
**Reply rate by timing**, tag your requests by when they were sent relative to job completion (same day, 1-2 days, 3-5 days, 6+ days). After 90 days you'll have enough data to see which window actually converts for Blue Ridge Grounds customers. Adjust your timing guide entries accordingly.
**Star average over rolling 30 days**, check this monthly in Google Business Profile. Watch the slope, not the absolute number. A drop of more than 0.3 stars over two consecutive months is a signal worth investigating, look at what jobs were completed in that window and whether a pattern shows up.
**Time from request to posted review**, when a review posts, note how many days after the request it appeared. If the average lag is growing, your request copy may not be earning the click, or the link may have a friction problem. Shorten the copy or re-test the link.
**Negative review rate**, reviews at 1-3 stars divided by total reviews in a rolling 90-day window. Track this separately from star average. A single 1-star review can move your average without signaling a pattern; a rising negative-review rate signals a real service or communication problem worth addressing operationally.