Key takeaways
- Ask at the moment the customer sees the fix working. For permitted installs, ask again only once the final inspection passes.
- Trigger the text from the job-complete status in your field software, and register your texting number for A2P 10DLC.
- Reply to every review without repeating the customer's address or the problem found in their home.
- No discounts for reviews, no asking only happy customers, no reviews from staff or family.
To get more Google reviews as an electrical contractor, ask every customer at the moment they see the work done, then send the link by text before the tech pulls away. Electrical work is invisible once the cover goes back on, so reviews are how the next customer judges you. Asking every customer, every time, is what builds them.
When and how to ask
- Pick the moment the customer sees it working. For a repair, that is when the tech flips the breaker and the dead outlets come back. For an EV charger, it is when the car starts charging. For a panel upgrade, it is the walkthrough of the new, labeled panel.
- Have the tech ask in person. One sentence is enough: "If we did right by you, a Google review helps other homeowners find a licensed electrician. I'll text you the link." The customer has just watched the work, so the ask lands.
- Send the link within minutes. A text with a direct link to your review form, sent while the tech is still in the driveway, is far easier to act on than an email next week.
- Ask for detail. Invite the customer to say what was done. "New 200-amp panel" or "charger installed in a day" in a review helps the next panel or charger customer, and helps Google match you to those searches.
- For permitted jobs, follow up once after the final inspection. Some panel, service and generator jobs are not finished in the customer's mind until the inspector signs off. If they did not review at power-on, one reminder after the pass is fair. Then stop.
The review loop
- Job finished
- Ask every customer Same time, same way, no filtering
- They leave a review
- You reply Thanks and specifics, no private details
- The next customer reads it
Then the next customer
Automating requests
Automation makes the ask happen on every job, not just when the tech remembers. The cleanest trigger is the job-complete status in ServiceTitan, Housecall Pro or Jobber. When the tech closes the job, a text with the review link goes out, through the field software's own review feature where it has one or through a CRM connected to it.
A few settings matter:
- Register your texting number. Business texts over a 10-digit number need A2P 10DLC registration through The Campaign Registry, or carriers may block them (The Campaign Registry).
- Get permission to text at booking. Your office or online booking form should capture consent, and every message should honor STOP.
- Send one reminder at most, a day or two later, then stop.
- Send it to everyone. Do not filter out the customer who seemed unhappy or the job that needed a callback. Choosing who gets the link by how they feel is review gating.
- Watch the numbers. Requests sent, reviews received and which techs' jobs draw the most reviews. The last number is a training tool.
Responding to reviews
Reply to every review, briefly and in your own voice. Future customers read the replies to judge how you handle problems.
| Review | A good reply does this |
|---|---|
| Five stars, mentions the work | Thanks them by first name, names the work in a few words, and adds nothing personal |
| Five stars, no text | A short, plain thank-you |
| Complaint about price or a trip charge | States calmly how you price and offers to talk offline |
| Upset that the tech found a code problem that had to be fixed | Explains that you cannot leave a known hazard in place, without blaming the previous electrician or the homeowner |
| Not a customer you can find | Says you have no record of the job and invites them to call, then reports it if it breaks Google's policy |
Never post the customer's address, what was wrong in their walls or anything from the inspection report. A reply is public, and it stays attached to their home.
What Google prohibits
Google's review policy and federal law draw clear lines, and an electrician's offers make it easy to cross them by accident.
- No incentives. "Ten percent off your next service call for a review" is an incentive, and Google bans it (Google's review policy).
- No gating. Asking customers to rate you privately first and sending only the happy ones to Google is review gating, also banned.
- No fake or bought reviews. The FTC's rule bans fake reviews, reviews written by AI posing as customers, buying reviews and suppressing negative ones (the FTC's rule).
- No reviews from your own people. Techs, office staff and their families should not review the business.
Reviews feed the map as well as the sale. See Map Pack ranking for electricians, and CRM follow-up for electricians for how the request fits into the rest of your customer messaging.
How VETS Growth Marketing helps
We set up review requests for electrical contractors that fire from job close in your field software, run on a registered number and stay inside Google's and the FTC's rules. Your CRM, profile and review history stay yours. The project has a go-live date, and we report requests sent, reviews earned and booked calls from Maps. Book a growth consultation and we will check how your review flow compares with the electricians around you.
Sources
- Prohibited & restricted content (Maps user-generated content policy), Google Maps Help
- 16 CFR Part 465: Use of consumer reviews and testimonials, Electronic Code of Federal Regulations
- The Campaign Registry (A2P 10DLC brand and campaign registration), The Campaign Registry
- Tips to get more reviews, Google Business Profile Help