Review management for small business
The short answer
Review management means asking every customer for a review and answering the reviews you get. CoveDesk Review Requests, $49 a month, texts each customer after the work is done, and Google Business Profile Management adds a reply to every new review. We ask every customer the same way and never screen out unhappy ones, because Google’s policy doesn’t allow it.
Steady, honest reviews come from asking every customer, every time, and replying to what they say. Here’s how we do that, and what we won’t do.
What’s included
- A text to each customer after the work is done, asking for a Google review, with your review link
- Sent when you mark the work done or the lead won in the CoveDesk app
- At most one reminder, three days later, and only if they haven’t opened the link or replied
- Only to customers who agreed to texts, between 9 AM and 8 PM their time. Customers who say no are never asked again.
- With Google Business Profile Management: a reply to every new review
- Included in every phone plan
Why we don’t gate reviews
Review gating means asking customers whether they’re happy first, then sending only the happy ones to Google. We don’t do it, and here’s why.
- Google’s policy. Its rules for Maps reviews (opens in a new tab) say businesses may not “discourage or prohibit negative reviews, or selectively solicit positive reviews from customers”. Google also says offering incentives (opens in a new tab) for reviews is strictly prohibited.
- The FTC’s rule. The rule on fake reviews (opens in a new tab), announced August 14, 2024, bans offering payment or other incentives for reviews that express a particular sentiment, positive or negative. It also bans threats or intimidation to stop negative reviews, and claiming the reviews a site shows are all or most of them when negative ones were hidden.
So every customer gets the same request and the same link, whatever they thought of the work. A bad review gets a calm, public reply. This is general information, not legal advice.
What it costs
Prices in US dollars, from our current price list. Taxes may apply.
| Service | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Review Requests | $49/moMonth-to-month | A text to your customer after the work is done, asking for a Google review. Customers who say no are never asked again. Included in every phone plan. |
| Google Business Profile Management | $149/moMonth-to-month | 4 posts a month, review requests after the work is done, a reply to every new review, answers to questions and a monthly report on calls, direction requests and website clicks. Profile cleanup first, if yours needs it. |
| Front Office | $449/mo250 front desk minutes a month included, then $0.35 a minute. No setup fee. 12-month term | We run the whole front office for you in one plan: phone answering, missed-call texting, your Google profile and a website, with a monthly check-in. |
Review requests are included in every phone plan, from Text-Back up.
Review requests go out by text, so we also set up a number just for sending them, and the phone carriers have to approve it first.
You don’t need a phone plan for any of these. The free pilot is for phone plans. The money-back guarantee also covers Google Business Profile Management and the website subscription. It doesn’t cover one-time work.
No guaranteed rankings, reviews or lead volume.
How it works
Talk to us
Tell us how you finish a job today and how customers pay.
We set up your review link and text number
The phone carriers approve the number first. Their review times vary.
Mark the work done
In the CoveDesk app, mark a lead won or a booking done, and the request goes out.
We reply to new reviews
With Google Business Profile Management, every new review gets a reply.
Who it suits, and who it doesn’t
A good fit for
- Owners who mean to ask for reviews and never get round to it
- Businesses with happy customers and few reviews to show for it
- Anyone who wants every review answered without doing it themselves
Not the right fit if
- You want only happy customers sent to Google. We ask everyone.
- You want reviews bought, written for you or removed
- Your customers haven’t agreed to texts. We don’t text them.
Common questions
Is review gating illegal?
How much does review management cost?
How do I ask customers for a Google review?
How should I respond to Google reviews?
Is it legal to buy Google reviews?
Can you remove bad reviews?
Do I need a phone plan for review requests?
Guides
How to get more Google reviews
A direct link, when to ask, what to say, and the incentive rule to avoid.
How to remove a Google review
What Google will take down, how to report it, and what to do about the rest.
Free tools
Review request templates
Ready-to-send texts and an email asking for a Google review, filled in with your details.
Google review link generator
Make the link that opens straight to your Google review box, with a QR code to print.
Google review reply templates
Ready-to-post replies to bad and good reviews, filled in with your details.
Sources
What this page says about Google and the FTC comes from their own pages, read on November 5, 2026:
- Google, prohibited and restricted content for Maps reviews: https://support.google.com/contributionpolicy/answer/7400114?hl=en (opens in a new tab)
- Google, tips to get more reviews: https://support.google.com/business/answer/3474122?hl=en (opens in a new tab)
- Google, manage customer reviews: https://support.google.com/business/answer/3474050?hl=en (opens in a new tab)
- Federal Trade Commission, final rule on fake reviews (August 14, 2024): https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2024/08/federal-trade-commission-announces-final-rule-banning-fake-reviews-testimonials (opens in a new tab)
Ask about review requests
Tell us how things work today and we’ll tell you what would help and what it costs, even if it isn’t CoveDesk.