The short version: After every job, a Votel workflow texts and emails the customer a link to leave a Google review. More reviews mean more trust, more calls and more bookings. You sell it as a small monthly service, with my example packages running $79 to $249 a month, and you use it to start a relationship you can grow into websites, AI agents and voice.
Happy customers who would gladly leave a review, but nobody asks, or someone asks once and forgets.
Every customer gets the same friendly request. The count climbs, and the owner can see it.
Illustrative numbers, not a result or a stat. Your clients' results will vary.
What the owner is buying
Not "reputation management." More 5-star reviews, which bring more calls, which bring more money.
Picture someone searching "plumber near me" on their phone. They see three businesses on the map. One has 14 reviews, one has 41, and one has 212 with a 4.8 rating. You already know which one gets the call.
Owners know this too. Most of them have happy customers who would gladly leave a review, but nobody asks, or someone asks once and forgets. The fix isn't complicated. It's just a habit that never sticks when a busy owner has to remember it.
It also helps them show up. Google says more reviews and positive ratings can help a business's local ranking, and that replying to reviews helps it stand out. Here's why it works so well as a first sale:
"You have 23 reviews. The business above you has 140. Let's close that." No jargon, no software tour.
What Votel gives you to deliver it
Everything below is documented in Votel today. The core of the service is an automatic review request that goes out after every job.
Start a workflow when a customer moves to a "Job done" stage in the pipeline, when a tag like review-request is added, or after an appointment.
The Wait node can pause for a fixed time, like two hours after the visit, or until a set time relative to an appointment date. A second wait can send a gentle reminder a few days later.
The SMS node sends from the client's own Votel number, uses the customer's first name, and can rotate a few wordings with spin text so it never reads like a blast.
The Email node sends from the client's verified sender with their name, a short note and a button to the review page.
When a customer texts back, it shows up in the Votel inbox like any other conversation, so the owner can answer straight away.
If the client takes bookings through Votel's own scheduling, Votel's API reference describes a built-in review step: after a completed booking, the client gets an email link to review it, and the business can post a response.
On the Votel side, the job is a trigger, two waits, a text and an email. The Google review link itself comes from the client's Google Business Profile.
Votel is also working on a dedicated reputation feature. I'll update this page once it's documented. Everything above works now.
A review request to start from
TEXT (after the job): Hi [first name], thanks for choosing [Business name] today. If you have a minute, would you leave us a quick Google review? It really helps a local business like ours: [Google review link] REMINDER EMAIL (a few days later, once): Subject: How did we do, [first name]? Thanks again for having [Business name] out. If you can spare a minute, a short review on Google helps neighbours find us. [Button: Leave a review] Reply to this email if anything wasn't right and we'll put it right.
Choose your packages
Three packages from $79 to $249. The starter is priced low on purpose. It's the foot in the door. All prices are my examples, not Votel pricing.
- Automatic text after every job, with their Google review link
- One reminder email a few days later
- Messages written in their voice
- Monthly count of new reviews
The easy yes. Low enough that the owner doesn't need to think about it.
- Everything in Review Starter
- Text and email, with rotating wordings
- A one-time campaign to past customers who agreed to hear from them
- Printed QR card for the counter or the truck
- Replies drafted for new Google reviews, for the owner to post
The full habit, done for them, plus a quick win from past customers.
- Everything in Review Booster
- Up to three locations or review links
- Fresh reviews added to their website every month
- Staff talking points for asking in person
- Monthly call to review results and fixes
For multi-location businesses and owners who want a hands-on partner.
Texts and phone numbers are billed by Votel on top of the plan. A business that does a few jobs a day sends a few texts a day, so usage stays small, but count it in your price.
What the market already charges
Review services cover a wide range, from software the owner runs alone to full agency programs. Published examples:
Email and SMS review requests, one location. $65 a month billed monthly, or $49 a month billed yearly.
BrightLocal's Grow planAbout what the software alone costs, and you do the setup and the follow-through for them.
Example price on this pageReview management sold by an agency as an add-on, suggested.
Ecosire's HighLevel reputation guideReputation management for small businesses, agency run.
WebFX survey of 250+ US marketers, updated February 2025These come from vendor sites and blogs, so treat them as rough guides. The point is where you land.
You have a low starter, a best seller and a hands-on tier, a price for each, and you can explain the difference in one sentence.
Run the numbers
Each client is worth less than in the other parts of this series. The point is volume and what comes next. Here's the $149 Review Booster alone:
Try your own mix:
The "left after the plan" figure is before texts, numbers and your own time. It's a planning number, not a promise. The bigger number is the one the calculator can't show: how many of these clients go on to buy something else from you.
Stack it with the rest of the series
Reviews are Part 5, but in real life they're often the first thing you sell. Once you're in, the next conversation is easy.
The reviews feed the rest. A 5-star review makes a great social post, a testimonial on the website and a line the AI receptionist can mention on the phone. All prices above are monthly examples from this series.
Launch this week
Five steps from "I could sell this" to your first client getting more reviews.
1. Look up five businesses on Google Maps
Pick a niche and search it in your town. Note who has fewer reviews than the leaders. That gap is your pitch.
2. Build the workflow once
In your own Votel account, set up the trigger, the wait, the text and the reminder email. Save it so you can copy it into each new client's sub-account.
3. Show them the gap
"You have 23 reviews. The business above you has 140. Let's close that." No jargon, no software tour.
4. Make the first month easy
Get their Google review link, write the messages with them, and ask for a list of recent customers who agreed to hear from them.
5. Report the count every month
New reviews, the new average and one great review to share. Then, once they're happy, ask what else is slowing the business down.
A few things to get right
The rules that keep your clients' reviews real and keep you out of trouble.
Sending only satisfied customers to Google is called review gating. Google's policy forbids selectively asking for positive reviews, and the FTC says asking only happy customers can be deceptive. One request, the same for everyone.
Google bans offering payment, discounts or free goods or services for a review. Don't run a "review us for 10% off" offer, even a well-meant one.
The FTC's rule on consumer reviews, in force since October 21, 2024, bans fake reviews and buying them. Staff and family shouldn't post reviews either.
If a bad review comes in, the owner replies calmly and offers to fix it. Never threaten a reviewer or pay them to take it down.
Send review requests to customers who gave the business their number for service messages, and honour every opt-out. The phone migration guide covers A2P 10DLC registration for business texting in the US.
Ready to get your first client more reviews?
People don't pay for features. They pay for results. Start a Votel account, build the review request workflow once, and pitch it to the first business you find with fewer reviews than its rivals.
Common questions
Can Votel send review requests automatically?
Yes. A Votel workflow can start when a job moves to a done stage in the pipeline, when a tag is added, or after an appointment, then wait as long as you choose and send a text and an email with the client's Google review link. Spin text rotates a few wordings so the requests don't feel copied and pasted.
Can my client offer a discount for a Google review?
No. Google's policy says businesses must not offer incentives such as payment, discounts or free goods or services in exchange for reviews. Ask every customer, make it easy, and let the service do the rest.
Can I send the review link only to happy customers?
No. Screening customers first and only sending the happy ones to Google is called review gating, and Google's policy forbids selectively asking for positive reviews. Send the same request to every customer. If someone replies with a problem, the owner can still call them and put it right.
Do more Google reviews help local SEO?
Google says more reviews and positive ratings can help a business's local ranking, and that helpful replies to reviews help a business stand out. Reviews are one factor among several, so promise more reviews, not a guaranteed ranking.
How much should I charge for review management?
The example packages on this page run from $79 to $249 a month, with no setup fee on the starter plan and $199 on the others. They are examples, not Votel pricing. Keep the starter low on purpose: it's the offer that opens the door to everything else you sell.
Which Votel plan do I need to sell review requests?
Keep each client in their own sub-account so their contacts, numbers and messages stay separate. Votel's $97 Pro plan includes five sub-accounts, and the $297 Unlimited Agency Pro plan adds unlimited sub-accounts and white labelling. Texts and phone numbers are billed separately.