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.
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
Automatic requests run off your connected customer system, because that is what tells Beside a job is actually finished. Without one, Beside has no way of knowing when the work was done, so there is nothing to time the request against.
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. Repeat customers targets the ones who have already come back.
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. It is the automatic text that needs a connected system, because that is what says the job is done.