Most happy customers never think to leave a review. They are not withholding it: it simply does not occur to them once the job is done and they are getting on with their day. Asking is almost the whole of it.
Beside gives you five ways to ask, under Google Profile in the left menu, on the Requests tab.
Why fresh reviews beat a big old total
Picture two businesses, both rated 4.8. One's latest review says "2 days ago", the other's says "7 months ago". Which one looks open and busy? Customers ask themselves that question in a few seconds, and recent reviews answer it better than a large total that stopped growing.
That is why the goal is a few new reviews every week, every month, not a one-off push.
Ask right after the job. A customer whose leak was just fixed or whose haircut was just done is happy now. Two weeks later, they have moved on.
Avoid sudden bursts. Dozens of new reviews in a few days on a profile that usually gets two a month can look suspicious to Google, and some of them may never show up. Asking after each finished job keeps reviews arriving at a natural pace.
Let them mention the service and the town. A review like "Best balayage I have had in Westlake" tells the next customer exactly what you do and where.
💡 Google reviews only: Beside asks for Google reviews, because your Google profile is what customers see on Maps. It never asks customers for Yelp reviews: Yelp's rules forbid asking for them.
Nothing is asked until you turn it on
🟡 Automatic review requests are off by default: Beside says so plainly at the top of the section - Automatic review requests are off, so nobody is being asked - because asking your customers for anything in your name is your decision, not a default.
To start, open Automatic review SMS and turn it on. Until you do, Beside reads and replies to the reviews you already have, but it does not text anyone asking for new ones.
Five ways to bring reviews in
You can use any of them, and they work alongside each other:
What it is | What it does |
Automatic review SMS | Texts your customers a review request once their job is done. This is the one that is off until you switch it on. |
Repeat customers | Targets the people who already came back - your most likely reviewers, and usually your warmest. |
Customer review page | A page of your own you can send anyone to, or print on an invoice. |
Link for one customer | Creates a single link for one person, for when you want to ask by hand. |
Customers asked | The queue of people lined up to be asked, and how many are waiting. |
💡 Start with repeat customers:
Someone who has already come back has told you what they think by booking twice. They are the easiest yes you will get, and the review they write tends to be the most specific.
Who gets asked, and when
Beside asks once it knows a job is finished. It learns that from any of these:
Your customer system: Housecall Pro, GoHighLevel or Follow Up Boss report the jobs that are completed.
Google Calendar: a finished appointment counts as a finished job, which suits a business that keeps no customer system.
Your email: a customer you emailed about finished work, once Gmail or Microsoft 365 is connected.
The request goes out by text, or by email from your connected mailbox. When Beside cannot reach the customer either way, it gives you a link to send yourself.
By default, requests suggested from your calendar or your email wait for your approval. To let them go out without asking, open that connector in Settings, then Connectors, and set Send review requests for finished calendar appointments. or Send review requests to customers emailed about finished work. to Always allow. Requests suggested from a phone call always ask first.
The Sent requests tab shows everything that has gone out, so you can see what was asked and when.
FAQ
Why is nobody being asked for a review?
Why is nobody being asked for a review?
Because automatic review requests start switched off. Open Automatic review SMS and turn it on. Until you do, Beside will read and reply to the reviews you already have, but it will not text your customers asking for new ones.
Which customers get asked?
Which customers get asked?
Once automatic requests are on, the customers whose job is recorded as finished in your connected customer system, calendar or email. Repeat customers targets the ones who have already come back.
My booking tool is not on the list. Can I still ask?
My booking tool is not on the list. Can I still ask?
Yes. Connect your Google Calendar if your appointments are in it, or tell Beside which customer you finished a job for, and it prepares their review request. The Customer review page and Link for one customer also work for anyone.
Can Beside only ask my happy customers?
Can Beside only ask my happy customers?
No. Filtering out unhappy customers before asking - review gating - is against Google's policies, and it puts your listing at risk rather than protecting it. Beside asks the customers whose job is done, and answers whatever comes back.
That is less frightening than it sounds: every review you get is answered, including the difficult ones. 📖 Request and manage your reviews
I have not connected a customer system. Can I still ask?
I have not connected a customer system. Can I still ask?
Yes, by hand. The Customer review page is yours to send to anyone or print on an invoice, and Link for one customer makes a single link when you want to ask one person. Connecting your Google Calendar or your email also lets Beside spot finished jobs on its own.