Can I send follow-ups and review requests automatically?
Yes. A follow-up can go out by itself when a quote has had no answer for a few days, and a review request when a job is marked finished, both from your own email address. You set the rules once. What it shouldn't decide on its own is how your best customers are handled; you set that in advance too.
Two follow-ups most small firms skip
The first is chasing quotes. One small business owner I've worked with was honest about it: "I don't chase them, right, because I feel like I don't have time, right?" That's normal. The quote goes out, the customer goes quiet, and nobody asks whether they're still interested. Some of those were jobs that would have gone ahead with one polite nudge.
The second is asking for a review once the job is done. Most owners mean to, and most don't, because by then they're on the next job. A review is easiest to get in the day or two after the work, while the customer is pleased and it's fresh.
Neither takes skill. Both take remembering, every time, and that's the part automation is good at.
What it looks like once it's set up
- It reads where your quotes already live: your job software, your accounts package, a spreadsheet, or your sent emails.
- A quote with no reply after the number of days you chose gets a short, polite email from you, asking if they have any questions.
- It stops the moment they reply. The reply comes to you as normal. There is a limit on how many times anyone is chased.
- When a job is marked finished (or the invoice is paid, if that's a cleaner signal in your business), the customer gets a thank you with your Google review link.
- You see a short list of what went out and who answered, so nothing happens behind your back.
Your best customers get their own rules
Not every customer should get the same email. A regular who gives you a lot of work might deserve a phone call from you rather than an automatic chase. I set that up in advance rather than deciding quote by quote: below a certain size, the automatic follow-up runs; for named customers or bigger jobs, you get a reminder to ring them instead. In my words: "you don't want to do that to your best customers."
The review rules you need to stay inside
Google's tips on getting more reviews describe asking customers to use a Google link or scan a QR code, so a link in a thank you email is exactly what it expects.
Its content policy rules out two things. You can't offer anything in return for a review, such as a discount. And you can't "selectively solicit positive reviews from customers." In practice that means the review request goes to every finished job, not just the ones you think went well. I'd set it up that way, and I'd tell you if a setup you'd seen elsewhere didn't.
What it won't do
It won't write the review, and it won't know a job went badly unless you tell it. It won't fix a quote that was wrong in the first place. It just makes sure the follow-up you meant to send actually goes.
If you want help with it
I'm Will Darbey, and Practical Automation is my one-person AI and IT consultancy for small businesses in south west London, and anywhere in the UK remotely. Following up quotes and leads is the work I'm most confident building. If you'd like someone to look at what happens after your quotes and jobs go out, start with a free 30 minute call. Really no pressure.