How to do it
Get your Google review link first
In your Google Business Profile, open Read Reviews, then Get more reviews, then copy the link. You can download a QR code from the same place, but that only works from a computer browser. Paste the link somewhere you can find it. Everything else points at this.
Housecall Pro: Settings, Marketing Center, Reviews
That is the whole path. You can also click the gear icon on the Reviews Dashboard. Switch automatic requests on. You cannot edit the email or text wording, so do not plan a custom message here. If you want that, you need a separate tool.
Pick the trigger: job finished or job paid
Housecall Pro gives you exactly two options. Job is finished sends as soon as you hit Finish on the job. Job is paid sends after the customer pays the invoice. For HVAC, finished is usually better. The tech just left, the house is cool, and the customer feels it. Waiting for payment on a financed system can push the ask out weeks.
Fix the distribution so Google actually gets the requests
By default Housecall Pro splits requests across Google, Facebook and your website, and only sends the Gmail addresses to Google. That quietly caps your Google count. On the Reviews Dashboard go to Actions, then Edit distribution, toggle off Optimize requests for me, and set Google to 100 percent. Google reviews are the ones buyers read.
Jobber: connect the Google Business Profile first
In Jobber the automation will not send Google requests until you connect your Google Business Profile to the account. Once connected, requests go out after a completed job or a paid invoice. Jobber does not post reviews for you. The customer still writes it. The software only makes sure the ask happens at the moment the job is fresh.
Exclude the jobs you should not ask about
Warranty callbacks, disputed invoices, and the job where you had to come back twice. Housecall Pro lets you exclude by customer tag or job tag. Set those tags up now, before the automation starts firing on every ticket you close.
Send one test to yourself and stop
Close a dummy job with your own email on it. Check the message arrives, the link opens your Google review box, and your business name is right. Then leave it alone for two weeks. Do not keep tuning it. The automation only works because it runs on every job without you thinking about it.
Where this goes wrong
The parts most guides skip, and the ones that actually cost you money:
- Offering a discount or a gift card for a review. Google calls incentives for reviews fake engagement and prohibits it outright. The FTC rule that took effect on 21 October 2024 also covers compensation conditioned on positive sentiment, with civil penalties up to $51,744 per violation. A $25 gas card is not worth that.
- Only asking the customers you think are happy. Screening for sentiment before you send the ask is the practice regulators are watching. Send it on every job and let the reviews land where they land.
- Leaving the default distribution on. Out of the box, most of your requests are not going to Google. If you never open the distribution setting, you will wonder for months why the count barely moves.
- Asking a week later. The window is the day of service. Once the system is running and the house is comfortable again, the customer stops thinking about you. Trigger on job finished, not on some later reminder.
- Expecting to edit the message. In Housecall Pro you cannot change the review request template. If your brand voice matters more than the automation, you need a separate sender, which is a bigger build than ten minutes.
- Never replying to what comes in. Replying to Google and Facebook reviews from inside the tool requires those accounts to be connected. Connect them while you are in there. An unanswered one-star sits at the top of your profile for a long time.
Review Request Generator
Warm review requests with your Google link built in.
Common questions
Should the request fire when the job is finished or when it is paid?
Finished, for most HVAC work. The customer's strongest feeling about you is the moment the system runs again. Payment can lag by weeks on financed installs, and by then the ask feels random.
Can I offer a discount to customers who leave a review?
No. Google prohibits incentives in exchange for reviews and treats it as fake engagement. The FTC rule effective 21 October 2024 also reaches incentives tied to positive sentiment, carrying penalties up to $51,744 per violation.
Do I need Housecall Pro or Jobber for this?
Not strictly, but if you already have one, use it. The trigger is already wired to your job status, which is the hard part. Building the same thing from scratch means connecting your job system to a sender yourself.
Will the software post the review for me?
No, and nothing should. Jobber is explicit that customers write the reviews themselves. The automation only sends the request at the right moment.
How many reviews should I expect?
It depends entirely on your job volume and how many customers bother. One cleaning company profiled by Jobber reported roughly 150 to 160 in a year from text-based requests. Treat that as one company's number, not a forecast for yours.
Sources
- Reviews Overview — Housecall Pro Help CenterAutomatic review requests live under Settings, Marketing Center, Reviews. Timing options are job is finished or job is paid. Distribution is edited via Actions, Edit distribution, after toggling off Optimize requests for me. Templates are not editable; Gmail addresses default to Google; customer and job tags can exclude specific requests.
- Get more reviews on your Business Profile — Google Business Profile HelpReview link and QR code come from Read Reviews, then Get more reviews (QR download is computer browser only). Offering incentives such as free or discounted goods in exchange for reviews is fake engagement and strictly prohibited.
- Review request software for service pros — JobberRequests send after a completed job or a paid invoice, require connecting your Google Business Profile, and customers write the reviews themselves. One cited customer reported about 150 to 160 reviews in a year.
- FTC finalizes rule on consumer reviews and testimonials — GoodwinThe FTC rule effective 21 October 2024 bans fake and AI-generated reviews, reviews from people with no actual experience, compensation conditioned on positive sentiment, undisclosed insider reviews, review suppression, and sold social metrics, with civil penalties up to $51,744 per violation.
Related guides
- How to use ChatGPT for review requests
- Set up a missed-call text-back (HVAC)
- How to use ChatGPT for after-hours leads
- How to use ChatGPT for scheduling and dispatch
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