Before we wrote a line of code on Fintrano, I spent a long time talking to mobile workers and tradespeople about the issues they were facing, and the ways that Fintrano could help.
Plumbers, electricians, engineers, you name it; if they worked on a customer's site, I asked for their advice.
Those early conversations were essential in helping us build a system that is valuable to both workers and their customers. One thing I heard many times concerned reviews.
Again and again, I hear the same thing: you can finish a great job, leave a happy customer smiling at the doorstep, and… never hear from them again. No review. No thank you. Just silence.
It doesn't matter if you're a locksmith who has just let somebody into their house, or a delivery driver who has just installed a new TV; once the distractions of everyday life hit your customer, their best intentions of leaving a review can mean you get pushed out of their mind.
As a business owner, I’ve tried (and seen others try) a whole range of tactics to get more reviews. Some work better than others.
Here’s a rundown of the five most common strategies I’ve come across, ranked by how effective they tend to be. I’ve saved the best for last—not just because it’s ours, but because we seem to have discovered the perfect answer to this problem.
Adding it to your invoice
Effectiveness: 1/5
Effort: Low
Scalability: High
It's easy to add a link to your Google review page to your invoice, but it's the wrong time and place.
The wrong time, because you've just asked them for money. It's essentially a double-ask. If people focus on paying you - and that's what the invoice is mostly about, after all - they are very unlikely to double back and submit a review.
Verdict: It doesn't hurt, but don’t rely on it. You’ll be lucky to get 1 review per 50 customers.
Following up by text or email
Effectiveness: 3/5
Effort: Medium
Scalability: Medium
Sending a text or email after the job—with a direct link to where they can leave a review—is a definite step up. Some customers still won’t act, but the ease of clicking a link improves the odds considerably.
There’s some solid research behind this. According to BrightLocal’s 2025 survey, an emailed request is most likely to elicit a response: https://www.brightlocal.com/research/local-consumer-review-survey/
However, if it's something you have to do manually, it's more likely to get forgotten the busier you are.
Verdict: Solid option, especially if you build it into your regular workflow.
Incentivising the review
Effectiveness: 3.5/5
Effort: High
Scalability: Medium
Some businesses offer a small thank-you—£5 off your next booking, entry into a prize draw, or a charity donation for each review left. You do have to tread carefully here, especially with platforms like Google and Trustpilot, which have rules about incentivised reviews. But if you’re transparent, it can be done fairly.
And you still have to do all the usual communication around this; sending emails to chase.
Verdict: When done right, this boosts response rates, especially from people who wouldn’t normally bother. Just be sure you’re not asking for a positive review—just an honest one.
Making it part of your process
Effectiveness: 4/5
Effort: High
Scalability: Medium
Some businesses go all-in and make review collection a formal part of their operations. That might mean staff are trained to request reviews at the same point in every job, or even a dedicated staff member to chase reviews after the job.
One of our customers had a staff member who would use an online tool to send hundreds of requests at a time by SMS text. The trouble was, they had to compile and upload a spreadsheet of phone numbers each time. As a result, it was only done sporadically.
However, done well, making review request part of your process creates consistency—and over time, a strong stream of feedback.
Verdict: This approach works. But unless you’ve got systems in place, it can require a lot of extra admin - costing time and money.
Using Fintrano
Effectiveness: 5/5
Effort: Zero
Scalability: Very High
Yes, obviously we would say that. But our customer feedback proves that it is true.
When you complete a job on Fintrano, the customer is sent an SMS text and email at that exact moment, asking for their feedback. If they rate you as 5 out of 5, they are asked to leave an external review, which is usually the company's Google review link (although they can use any platform they like: TrustPilot, Checkatrade, Facebook).
It is not tied to the invoice; it's tied to the completion of the job, when customer satisfaction is highest.
What we’ve seen across our user base is striking:
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Generally, companies are receiving 2-3 times the number of reviews compared to their previous approach.
- Some are receiving reviews for the first time ever.
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Reviews are generally detailed and positive—because they arrive when the customer is still thinking about the experience
It's not magic. It's structure, timing, and automation—all of which make a noticeable difference. Customers are more likely to review you when the ask is timely, the process is simple, and they don’t have to think too hard about how to do it.
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About the author
Iain
Iain is a software developer with over 25 years in the industry. He runs Prominent Media, a software company based in Milton Keynes. Fintrano is his brainchild.