// SERVICEM8 + REVIEWS
ServiceM8 review requests that go out before the bill does
A ServiceM8 review request works best when it reaches the customer while the job still feels good, not after they have paid. ServiceM8’s own feedback request goes out after payment. Ours goes out 5 minutes after the tech marks the job complete, before the invoice. Plumbed Right went from about 200 Google reviews to nearly 800 in about 2 years running this stack.
Review counts from Plumbed Right. The response-rate figure is our approximate estimate.
// THE TIMING PROBLEM
Why asking after payment gets fewer reviews
ServiceM8’s Customer Feedback request goes out after the invoice is paid. That is the moment the customer has just handed over money. They are not feeling generous.
Ask at the wrong moment and it can go the other way. Customers have posted about getting a “how did we do?” message for a job that was not finished yet, or a 5-star request straight after a service they would have rated 1 star. The ask has to follow the job, not the paperwork.
// THE METHOD
A timer that starts when the job is marked complete
The tech marks the job complete
In ServiceM8, before invoicing. That starts a timer.
Five minutes later, the review text
Once the tech is off site, the customer gets a text asking for a review. It carries a thank-you image: a staff member holding a sign with the customer’s first name on it.
About 15 seconds after that, the feedback text
For every piece of customer feedback the business gets, public or private, good or bad, it donates 3 meals to a food bank.
Every send is logged
A register records who has been asked. If a send fails, a catch-up runs once.
The trigger comes from ServiceM8. The texts, the image and the register run on GoHighLevel, with Make.com or n8n connecting the two.
// THE STACK
What sits around the text
The text works because the customer is expecting it.
- On site, the tradie primes it: “We’ll send you a text asking for a review. We’d love your honest feedback.”
- QR codes on site, for customers who would rather do it there and then.
- The named thank-you image, so the message reads like it came from the person who did the job.
- The feedback text, sent separately, about every piece of feedback, good or bad.
Take one piece away and the others still help. Together they are what moved Plumbed Right’s numbers.
// PROOF
Plumbed Right: about 200 to nearly 800 reviews
Plumbed Right is a plumbing business we have looked after for close to three years. Over about 2 years on this stack their Google reviews went from about 200 to nearly 800. Their review response rate rose by about 12% on top of what it already was. That last figure is our estimate.
The reviews did more than fill a profile. Plumbed Right reports more customers, and they now charge more because their work is visibly proven.
Read the Plumbed Right review study// WHAT WE SET UP
What the setup includes
- The job-complete trigger from ServiceM8, with the 5-minute timer.
- The review text and the follow-up feedback text, written in your voice.
- The named thank-you image, built from a photo of your team.
- QR cards for site, and the on-site wording for your techs.
- The register of every request sent, a once-only catch-up for failed sends, and an alert to us if the flow goes quiet.
ServiceM8 Review Timer Setup: from $1,500 + GST setup, then $497/month + GST. The same reviews service as our Google review system, built on ServiceM8. You get the exact figure in writing before we start.
Want to know what more reviews are worth first? Try the review calculator. Already running GoHighLevel and ServiceM8 side by side? The ServiceM8 GoHighLevel integration joins the rest of the pipeline. How we keep a flow like this running is on ServiceM8 webhook not firing.
Get my quote// QUESTIONS
Straight answers about review timing
Tell us how your techs finish a job in ServiceM8 and we will tell you whether this fits, before you spend anything.
Get my quoteWhen does ServiceM8 send its own review request?
ServiceM8’s Customer Feedback automation sends after the customer has paid their invoice, and not for jobs invoiced at $0. That suits a receipt. It is a weak moment to ask for a review, because the customer has just handed over money.
Why 5 minutes after the job is marked complete?
It gives the tech time to get off site, so the customer is not reading a review request with the tradie still in the driveway. The job is fresh, and the bill has not landed yet.
What if my techs don’t mark jobs complete in ServiceM8?
The timer only starts when they do, so that step has to become habit before this works. Tell us how your team finishes jobs today when you enquire, and we will say plainly whether it is ready.
What happens if a text fails to send?
Every request is logged in a register of who has been asked. A failed send is listed and retried once by a catch-up automation, not repeatedly, and we are alerted if the flow goes quiet.
What does the feedback text say?
That for every piece of customer feedback the business gets, it donates 3 meals to a food bank. It counts all feedback, public or private, good or bad.
Do I need GoHighLevel?
Yes, for the texts, the image and the follow-up. ServiceM8 supplies the job-complete trigger, and Make.com or n8n connects the two. If you already run GoHighLevel, we build inside your account.
How much does it cost?
ServiceM8 Review Timer Setup is from $1,500 + GST setup, then $497/month + GST. It is the same reviews service as our Google review system, built on ServiceM8. You get the exact figure in writing before we start.
// READY WHEN YOU ARE
Ask while the job still feels good
Tell us how your techs finish a job in ServiceM8. We will come back with your exact price (from $1,500 + GST setup) and the wording for both texts.
Get my quote