--- title: "Automated Review Requests After a Service: Timing and Consent" description: "Automated review requests after a service: how send timing affects responses and how to get valid CASL consent before an automated message goes out." canonical: "https://socialinfluencebuilder.com/en/blog/automated-review-requests-timing/" lastmod: "2026-09-28T14:43:43+00:00" lang: "en-CA" format: "markdown" --- HTML version: # Automated Review Requests After a Service: Timing and Consent > **Archive note.** This article describes the situation as it stood when it was published. The rules, tools and features it mentions may have changed since. Check the current information with the official source before acting. Automated review requests after a service work best when the timing matches how the customer experienced the result, and when you already have the consent to send them. Send one too soon and the customer has not formed an opinion yet. Wait too long and you have lost the moment, and you can run into consent problems under Canada's anti-spam law. Here is how I set up timing and consent for my clients across Greater Montréal. ## Automated review requests after a service: the right moment to send one The best moment depends on the type of service you just finished. For quick jobs, like a haircut or a car detail, send the request the same day, while the experience is still fresh. For bigger jobs, like a renovation or a major repair, wait a day so the customer has had time to use the result and decide whether it was worth the money. I tell clients in Mascouche and around Montréal to think about when the customer actually feels the benefit rather than watch a fixed clock. ### Same-day versus next-day timing for different service types A service that leaves something behind feels different from one that fixes a problem on the spot, so the same schedule will not fit every business. A haircut, a car detail, or a repair that solves something right away calls for a same-day request, sent an hour or two after the job while the memory is sharp. A landscaping project, a renovation, or anything installed needs a next-day approach instead, because the customer wants to live with the result first. Send too early and you reach people before they have judged the outcome, so you get a thin, hesitant review or none at all. Send too late and they have already moved on to the next thing. ## Consent under Canada's anti-spam law for automated review messages Consent comes first, because Canada's anti-spam law (CASL) does not let you send automated review requests to everyone on your list. An existing business relationship gives you implied consent for a limited time after a purchase, usually about six months, and that window covers most requests sent right after a service. I am Marven Salgado, and I tell every client the same thing: know which customers you can message, and when the clock on that permission runs out. Implied consent does not last forever. If a customer has not bought from you in more than six months, sending an automated request without express consent breaks the rules. I recommend an opt-in checkbox at booking or checkout, so you gather express consent up front and keep a record of who agreed and when. That way your sequence keeps working even outside the implied window, and setting it up cleanly is part of the [reputation management](/en/gestion-reputation/) I handle for local businesses. Penalties for getting CASL wrong can be serious, so it is worth building the consent step properly the first time. ## Google My Business review link and where it fits in the request The Google My Business link belongs at the centre of the request, front and clear. When I build an automated sequence for clients in Mascouche and around Greater Montréal, I make sure the link takes people straight to the Google My Business review box, not the general profile page. One extra click loses people fast, and most of them are reading on a phone, where a single wrong tap can cost you the review. Here is the [workflow](/en/glossary/#flux-de-travail) I usually build: - The customer gets a short text or email. - The message thanks them in a line or two. - One button appears, labelled "Leave a review". - The button opens the Google My Business review box directly. - The customer taps the stars, types a few words, and submits. Keep the path short. Every extra step costs you reviews, so test the link on your own phone before you send a single message. ## Email versus SMS for an automated review request Text messages get opened quickly, so I lean toward SMS for most of my clients' review requests. People check texts within minutes, and the link to Google My Business sits right there, ready to tap. Email still has its place. Some customers do not share a phone number, or your consent form only covers email, and email gives you more room to explain why the review matters and to add a logo or a short personal note. My honest advice is to use both when you can. Send the SMS first, since it moves faster. Follow up by email two or three days later if nobody has clicked through. This catches the people who prefer one channel over the other, and it keeps a single unanswered text from being your only try. Keep the wording plain either way: thank them, ask for their honest take, and get out of the way. ## Incentivized reviews and the line SMBs should not cross Incentivized reviews cross a line you should not touch. Paying, discounting, or rewarding someone for a review breaks Google's policies and can get your listing suspended. The rule is simple: you can ask everyone for their honest opinion, but you cannot pay for a positive one or tie a reward to leaving a review at all. What you can do is thank customers with a general loyalty perk that has nothing to do with whether they reviewed you. A returning-customer discount is fine on its own; a discount handed out in exchange for a review is not. Keep the ask and the reward completely separate, and you stay on the right side of the rules while still earning real, unpaid feedback. ## Review-request timing and consent checklist for an automated sequence Run through this short checklist before you switch an automated sequence on. It keeps timing and consent aligned so the whole thing stays compliant and worth trusting. - Send the first message within a few hours of a quick job, or the next day for a bigger one. - Limit yourself to one follow-up a few days later; more than that feels pushy. - Confirm you have permission to text or email each customer, gathered at booking or checkout. - Track the implied-consent window and move long-past customers to express consent. - Include an easy opt-out link, and check that your platform respects unsubscribes automatically. - Ask for honest feedback, not just a five-star rating. Set it up this way and the sequence respects CASL while still getting replies. If you want a hand building one, reach out and I will walk you through it. ## Go further - **Service:** [Online reputation management that builds trust for Montreal businesses](https://socialinfluencebuilder.com/en/gestion-reputation/) - **Case study:** [Coiffure Prestige](https://socialinfluencebuilder.com/en/coiffure-prestige/) - **Glossary:** [Digital marketing glossary: Workflow](https://socialinfluencebuilder.com/en/glossary/#flux-de-travail)