A one-hour checklist to set up review requests before the holiday rush
Late fall is full of happy window cleaning customers getting ready for guests. Use this one-hour checklist to make sure every job ends with a review request.
You are about to clean more windows in the next six weeks than in almost any other stretch of the year. Homeowners want sparkling glass before family shows up, and most of them will be thrilled with the result. Then you will drive away, and almost none of them will leave a review, because nobody asked at the right moment.
Here is a checklist you can finish in about an hour that makes the ask automatic for the rest of the season. Set a timer and work straight through.
Why bother now
In our data on 14,348 window cleaning companies, the median has 7 reviews, and 55.7% have fewer than ten. The top 10% have 100 or more. Ratings across the industry are high, with an average of 4.9, so stars alone rarely separate you from the next company. Review count and recency do.
A holiday season of steady asks can move a small company well past the median. The work happens anyway. The only question is whether you collect the reviews.
Minutes 0 to 10: get your review link
- Open your Google Business Profile on your phone or computer.
- Find the option to ask for reviews and copy the short link.
- Open it in a private browser window to make sure it lands on the review box.
- Save it somewhere you can paste in two taps: a text shortcut, a note pinned to the top, or a saved reply in your scheduling app.
If you have never touched the profile settings, the Google Business Profile guide shows where everything is.
Minutes 10 to 20: write the message once
- Write a text that sounds like you. Keep it under three lines. For example:
Hi [name], thanks for having us today. Hope the windows look great for the holidays. If you have a minute, a Google review helps a small company like ours a lot: [link]. [Your name]
- Write a second version for commercial customers, who often prefer email:
Thanks for having us out to [business name] today. If the storefront looks the way you want it, a short Google review would help us a lot: [link]
- Save both where your crew can find them.
Minutes 20 to 30: decide who sends it and when
- Pick the person. On a one-truck operation, that is you. With crews, it is the crew lead on site.
- Pick the moment. The best time is within an hour of finishing, while the customer can still see the glass in the light.
- Add it to the job checklist right after the final walk-around: "Walk-around done. Review text sent."
If your scheduling software can send a review request automatically when a job is marked complete, turn it on. Then still have the crew mention it in person, so the text is expected.
Minutes 30 to 40: the in-person line
A text works better when the customer has already heard it. Give your crew one short line to say at the door:
We are a small local company, so reviews really help. I am going to text you a link. If you are happy, a couple of sentences would mean a lot.
- Write it on a card in each truck.
- Practice it once out loud. It feels awkward the first time and normal by the fifth.
The reviews guide has more scripts and covers what to do if someone is not happy.
Minutes 40 to 50: set up replies
- Turn on review notifications in your profile so you know when one comes in.
- Write two reply templates, one for great reviews and one for critical ones.
For great reviews:
Thanks, [name]. Glad the windows came out the way you wanted. See you in the spring.
For critical ones:
Thanks for letting us know, [name]. That is not the standard we aim for. I would like to make it right. Please call or text me at [number].
- Reply to any reviews you have not answered yet.
Minutes 50 to 60: set a weekly check
- Put a fifteen-minute block on your calendar every Monday through the end of the year.
- In that block, count last week's jobs and last week's new reviews. Write both down.
- If the reviews are a small fraction of the jobs, ask which jobs did not get the text and why.
That weekly check is what keeps the system running in week five, when everyone is tired and busy.
What not to do
- Do not offer discounts or gifts for reviews. Google's policies forbid it, and it can get reviews removed.
- Do not ask only the customers you think loved you. Ask everyone. Google treats selective asking as a policy problem too.
- Do not send the request days later in a batch. It loses most of its pull.
After the season
Once the holidays pass, check your count against the benchmark report. A season of asking every customer should show up clearly. If you are curious what each extra review-driven call is worth, the calculator runs the numbers with your own job size.
If you want help setting up automatic review requests and replies before the rush, there is a free 14-day trial of any service, no card, text or call (801) 515-4729.
Steven has spent the last several years running growth campaigns for local service businesses, window cleaning companies among them, and builds the benchmark datasets on this site from public Google listings. About the editor