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 several ways to ask, under Business 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 house was just cleaned 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 "Fastest AC repair we 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: Until you turn them on, the settings say so plainly - Automatic review requests are off, so no customer is being asked. - because asking your customers for anything in your name is your decision, not a default.
To start, select Automatic request settings next to Request a review on the Requests tab. In Automatic review requests:
Tick the confirmation that you will ask every eligible customer, not just the ones likely to leave 5 stars. Google requires it.
Make sure Text review requests is on, for customers with a mobile number, and turn on Email review requests if you want customers with no mobile number asked by email.
Choose how long to wait after the job in Send after, and adjust the Message if you like, keeping the review link in it.
The switches save as you flip them. If anything is still missing, such as a connected customer system or mailbox, the dialog lists it. Until automatic requests are on, Beside reads and replies to the reviews you already have, but it does not ask anyone for new ones automatically.
Ways to bring reviews in
Under Request a review, you can use any of these, and they work alongside each other:
What it is | What it does |
Automate with CRM | Asks for a review after each job your customer system marks completed. It reads Connect CRM until you connect one, and it is the part that stays off until you turn automatic requests on. |
Request manually | Text or email a request to one customer, or Copy link to send it yourself. Edit review page changes the page they land on. |
Copy review link | A reusable link you can share with everyone, on an invoice or your website. Everyone who opens it gets their own review page. It appears once your review page is online. |
Suggested customers to ask | Customers Beside spotted from your calendar, your emails, or a call where something was booked. Select Send request, or Not a customer or Dismiss to skip them. It only shows when there is someone to suggest. |
💡 Start with the customer you just finished for:
If automatic requests are not on yet, Request manually takes a minute. A customer whose job ended an hour ago is the easiest yes you will get, and the review they write tends to be the most specific.
Who gets asked, and when
Once automatic requests are on, Beside asks when your customer system says a job is finished: Housecall Pro (a completed job or a payment received), GoHighLevel or Follow Up Boss (a completed appointment). It waits the time you set in Send after, then sends the request on its own.
Beside also spots customers elsewhere and suggests them under Suggested customers to ask, where they wait for your approval:
Google Calendar: a finished appointment, 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.
A call: a customer who booked over the phone.
The request goes out by text from your Beside Phone line, or by email from your connected mailbox when there is no mobile number. When Beside cannot reach the customer either way, Get the message gives you the text to send yourself.
To let calendar or email suggestions go out without asking, open that connector in Settings, then Connectors, and under Autonomy set Send review requests for finished calendar appointments. or Send review requests to customers emailed about finished work. to Always allow. Suggestions from a phone call always ask first.
How you see it working
Open Business Profile in the left menu, then Requests. Below the ways to ask, requests are grouped into Needs attention, Scheduled requests and Recent requests. Each one shows how far it got, from Sent to Opened review link, Visited Google and Posted on Google.
Then check the date on your latest Google review. When asking after each finished job is working, new reviews keep arriving and that date stays recent.
FAQ
Why is nobody being asked for a review?
Why is nobody being asked for a review?
Because automatic review requests start switched off. Select Automatic request settings on the Requests tab, tick the confirmation, and make sure Text review requests or Email review requests is on. If something is still missing, the dialog lists it. Until then, Beside will read and reply to the reviews you already have, but it will not ask your customers for new ones automatically.
Which customers get asked?
Which customers get asked?
Once automatic requests are on, every customer whose job your connected customer system marks completed. Customers found in your calendar, your email or a call are suggested to you first, under Suggested customers to ask.
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, and Beside suggests customers once their appointment is over. You can also tell Beside in Chat which customer you finished a job for. Request manually and Copy review link 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. That is why turning automatic requests on asks you to confirm you will ask every eligible customer. 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. 📖 Reply to your Google and Yelp 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. Request manually texts or emails one customer, and Copy review link gives you a link to share with anyone or add to an invoice. Connecting your Google Calendar or your email also lets Beside suggest customers to ask.