How to collect installer reviews is simple: ask every happy customer at the right moment, send them one easy link, and follow up once without making it awkward.
For a solar installer or electrician, reviews are not a nice extra. They are proof. A homeowner in Penrith comparing three battery quotes will look at your Google rating before they read the fine print. If one business has 65 recent reviews mentioning tidy work, clear communication and a smooth install, that business starts ahead.
The problem is not that customers refuse to leave reviews. Most are happy to help. The problem is the request gets left until Friday night, after you have finished a week of site visits, quote changes and chasing suppliers. By then, the customer has moved on.
Ask when the job feels complete
The best time to request a review is when the customer can see the result and feels relieved the job is done. For a solar install, that might be after the handover, when you have explained the app and the system is producing. For a switchboard upgrade, it could be when the power is back on, the area is clean and the customer knows what was fixed.
Do not wait until the invoice is overdue. That turns a request for feedback into a payment chase. Keep those conversations separate.
A good rule is to send the review request within 24 hours of a completed job. The experience is fresh, and the customer still remembers the crew arriving on time, answering their questions and leaving the place tidy.
It depends on the job. A large solar or battery installation may need a short check-in a week later to make sure everything is running as expected. If they are happy on that call, ask then. A rushed request after a fault call or a delayed install is unlikely to land well.
Make leaving a review dead easy
A customer should be able to go from your text message to writing a review in a few taps. No searching Google. No logging into a portal. No long email with three different links.
Use a direct Google review link and send it by SMS. Tradies know this from their own lives: text messages get seen faster than emails, especially when someone is juggling work, kids and dinner.
Keep the message human. For example:
Hi Sarah, thanks again for having us out for the solar install today. If you were happy with the job, would you mind leaving us a quick Google review? It helps local customers choose a reliable installer. [Review link]
That is enough. Do not write an essay. Do not tell them exactly what to say. And never offer a discount, gift card or cash for a positive review. Google has rules around incentivised reviews, and customers can spot forced praise a mile off.
A review request should also come from the business name the customer knows. If they dealt with Mike from Mike’s Solar and Electrical, do not send a generic message from an unfamiliar number with no context.
Give customers something real to talk about
The strongest installer reviews are specific. “Great service” is fine. “The team explained our battery options clearly, turned up when they said they would and cleaned up before leaving” is better for the next customer reading it.
You cannot script a review, but you can make it easier for customers to remember the parts of the job that mattered. At handover, make sure you have actually covered them: how the system works, what happens next, where to get help, and what paperwork they will receive.
For a solar customer in Newcastle, the reassurance might be that someone explained monitoring and export limits without talking over their head. For a landlord in Parramatta, it might be fast communication and a clear electrical quote. For a family getting a battery in Brisbane, it might be that the crew worked safely around kids and pets.
Those are the details that build trust. They also tell future customers what working with you is like before they pick up the phone.
Build review requests into the job process
If collecting reviews depends on remembering, it will be patchy. You will ask after the easy jobs and forget after the busy ones. The answer is a simple process tied to job completion.
Your office team can send the request when a job is marked complete. If you are a sole trader, set it up to go automatically after the final invoice or handover checklist is sent. The message should only go to customers whose job has been completed properly.
A basic workflow looks like this:
- Mark the job complete after handover, photos and paperwork are done.
- Send a short SMS with the direct review link within 24 hours.
- If there is no response, send one polite reminder five to seven days later.
- Stop there unless the customer starts a conversation.
One reminder is fair. Three reminders feel like spam. The goal is to make it convenient, not to corner people.
A solar installer CRM can keep this tied to the job record, so your team can see who has been asked and who has responded. LYD Solar Suite can automate the request, send the follow-up and keep review conversations in the same inbox as your calls, texts and quotes. That means the request still goes out while you are on a roof in Campbelltown or driving back from a site visit in Geelong.
Deal with unhappy customers before they leave a public review
You should not try to block unhappy customers from reviewing you. That is not the point. But you should give every customer a clear way to raise an issue directly and fix it quickly.
A simple line in your completion message works: “If anything is not right, reply here and we will sort it.” If a customer replies that the inverter app is confusing or a cable run needs another look, respond fast. A fair fix can turn a frustrated customer into a loyal one.
This is where an AI receptionist for electricians and missed-call text-back for tradies can help. If a customer rings at 6.30 pm with a question and nobody answers, they should receive a prompt response rather than feeling ignored. It will not replace good workmanship or a proper callback. It makes sure the issue gets logged and reaches the right person.
Do not argue with a bad review in public. Reply calmly, acknowledge the concern and offer to resolve it offline. Other customers are watching how you handle problems, not just the star rating.
Reply to every review that deserves a response
Thanking people takes little time and shows your business is active. Keep replies short and personal. Mention the type of job where it makes sense, but do not share private details like an address or system cost.
For a positive review, try: “Thanks, Tom. Glad the new solar system is up and running. We appreciate you choosing us.”
For a critical review, try: “Thanks for raising this, Tom. We are sorry the communication fell short. Our team has contacted you to work through it.”
Avoid copy-and-paste replies to every customer. Twenty identical “Thanks for your kind words” responses can look as automated as they are. AI-assisted review replies can save time, but give them a quick read before posting so the tone matches the job and customer.
How many installer reviews do you need?
There is no magic number. More matters, but recent reviews matter too. Ten reviews from the last two months can be more convincing than 100 reviews from five years ago.
Set a practical target based on completed jobs. If you finish 20 jobs a month, aim to ask 20 customers and earn a sensible share of those reviews. You cannot control who writes one. You can control whether every happy customer gets asked.
Track three numbers each month: completed jobs, review requests sent and reviews received. If requests are low, the process is broken. If requests are going out but reviews are not coming in, check the timing, the message and whether the link works on a mobile.
Good reviews come from good jobs, then a process that asks at the right time. Put the request into your completion workflow, keep it simple and let your work do the convincing.
