Key takeaways
- Ask when the customer can tell the problem is gone: at the follow-up, after a callback that fixed it, or once a year on a plan.
- Trigger the request from the service type in your route software, with a different delay for each.
- Answer "still seeing bugs" and billing complaints with facts and a callback, never an argument.
- No free month of service for a review, no asking only happy customers, no reviews written by staff. Google and the FTC prohibit all three.
To get more Google reviews as a pest control company, ask when the customer can tell the problem is gone, not the minute the tech finishes the first treatment. Tie the ask to that moment in your route software, send one direct link by text, answer every review you get, and never offer a discount or a free visit in return.
When and how to ask
- Set expectations at the first visit. Before leaving, the tech explains what the customer will see over the next days. With some treatments, activity can rise briefly before it drops. A customer who was warned does not write an angry review on day two.
- Ask at the moment of relief. That is the follow-up visit, or the check-in text where the customer says the kitchen is quiet. Relief is what makes people write.
- Ask in person, in one line. "If the ants are gone, a Google review helps other homeowners find us. I'll text you the link." Then send it from your business number, with a direct link to your review form (Google's review tips).
- Name the tech and the pest. "Thanks for having Jordan out for the mice" reads as real. It also prompts a review that mentions rodents, which is the word the next customer searches.
- Remind once. If nothing comes after a couple of days, send one reminder, then stop.
The right moment depends on the service.
| Service | When to ask | What they tend to mention |
|---|---|---|
| Initial general pest service | At the first follow-up, or when the customer confirms activity has dropped | How quickly you came, how the tech explained it |
| Termite treatment | Once treatment is done and the paperwork has been delivered, including to the agent on a home sale | Clear reporting, meeting the closing date |
| Rodent control and exclusion | When trapping shows no new activity and entry points are sealed | No more noises at night, the sealing work |
| Mosquito service | After the first treatment, once they have had an evening outside | The yard being usable again |
| Recurring plan visit | Once a year at most, after a visit where the tech solved or caught something | Reliability, the same tech each time |
| Callback or re-service | When the re-service has fixed the problem | That you came back without an argument |
Callbacks are underrated. A customer whose problem returned and was fixed fast is often more willing to write than one who never had a problem.
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
Automate the request so it does not depend on a tech remembering at the end of a long route day. The trigger should be the service type and its status in your software, not just "job complete".
PestPac, GorillaDesk and FieldRoutes can each send messages on their own or pass completed services to a connected CRM or review tool. Set it up once:
- Trigger by service type. Initial services wait for the follow-up. Termite jobs wait for the report. Callbacks ask the same day the fix is confirmed.
- Suppress repeats. A plan customer serviced four times a year should be asked once a year, not every visit.
- Keep it short. The tech's first name, the pest, the direct link.
- One reminder, then out of the sequence.
- Follow texting rules. Business texts need A2P 10DLC registration through The Campaign Registry, and every message must honor STOP.
Each month, check requests sent and reviews earned by tech and by service. Low numbers on one route usually point to a tech who never mentions it.
Responding to reviews
Reply to every review, and write for the next homeowner reading it. Thank good reviews by naming the pest and the tech. Answer critical ones with facts and an offer to fix it.
Pest control has a few complaints that come up again and again: "still seeing bugs after the treatment", "they kept billing me after I cancelled", and "the door-to-door rep was pushy". Each has a factual answer, and the repeat customers guide covers the plan and cancellation habits that prevent the billing one.
An example reply to "Paid for a treatment and I'm still seeing roaches a week later":
Thanks for telling us. Roach activity often continues for a short time after treatment while the products work, but you should not have to wait and wonder. Your plan includes re-service between visits at no charge. Please call the office and we will get a tech back out this week.
Only promise re-service if your plan really includes it. Be careful with safety wording in replies. Pesticide claims are regulated, so describe the precautions your tech explained rather than calling a product "completely safe" or "non-toxic". Never share account details in public, and flag reviews that break Google's rules, such as one from a competitor.
What Google prohibits
Google's review policy and the FTC's rule draw the same lines, and the penalties land on your profile and your business.
- No incentives. No free month of service, no discount on the next quarterly visit, no gift card in exchange for a review (Google's review policy).
- No review gating. Do not ask who was happy first and send only those customers to Google. Everyone gets the same link.
- No staff, family or sales-team reviews. That includes reps or techs typing a review on the customer's phone.
- No fake, bought or AI-written reviews, and no suppressing negative ones. The FTC's rule bans them (16 CFR Part 465).
Reviews also feed Map Pack prominence, so the routine pays twice. The Map Pack ranking guide explains how.
How VETS Growth Marketing helps
We set up review requests that fire from your route software by service type, with registered texting and a once-a-year limit for plan customers, and we can draft replies for your approval. It is a short project with a finish date, built in accounts you own. We report requests sent and reviews earned next to plans sold. Book a growth consultation and we will compare your review pace with the pest control companies you compete with.
Sources
- Tips to get more reviews, Google Business Profile Help
- 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