To send your first review request in SoTrustworthy, log into your dashboard, click Send Request, enter your customer's name and mobile phone number, and click Send Now. Your client will immediately receive a customized text message with a direct link to your Google review form. You can send your first request manually in less than two minutes during your 14-day trial, or set up automated triggers using our software integrations.
1. What You Need Before Sending Your First Request
Before you dispatch your first text message, take 60 seconds to verify that your account foundation is ready. This ensures your message delivers without carrier delays and directs the customer to the correct location.
- Google Business Profile Connected: Your account must be linked to your official Google listing. SoTrustworthy uses this connection to generate a direct-to-review link, skipping the steps where a customer has to search for your business name manually.
- A2P 10DLC Status Active: Mobile carriers require business text messaging platforms to register brand details under A2P 10DLC (Application-to-Person 10-Digit Long Code) standards. SoTrustworthy handles this registration during onboarding so your messages aren't flagged as spam by cellular providers.
- Customer Express Consent: Ensure you have explicit consent to text your customer. Under the FCC TCPA guidelines, businesses must have permission to send transactional or promotional text messages to personal phone numbers.
2. Option A: Send a Manual Request (Step-by-Step)
Manual sending is ideal for testing the system, sending a request right after completing a job in the field, or reaching out to a recent client from earlier today.
Step 1: Open the Request Builder
From your main SoTrustworthy dashboard, click the green Send Request button in the top right corner.
Step 2: Enter Customer Contact Information
Fill in the required fields:
- First Name: Enter the client's preferred name. SoTrustworthy automatically inserts this into your message template (e.g., "Hi Sarah...").
- Mobile Phone Number: Enter a standard 10-digit US or Canadian mobile number. SoTrustworthy is an SMS-first workflow platform because text messages achieve significantly higher open and conversion rates than traditional email invites.
- Email Address (Optional): If you enter an email address alongside the phone number, SoTrustworthy will prioritize SMS first, reserving email as a fallback if the text fails to deliver.
Step 3: Choose Your Message Template
Select from your default templates or keep the pre-formatted system default. A high-converting template looks like this:
"Hi {First Name}, thanks for choosing {Business Name} today! Could you take 30 seconds to leave us an honest Google review? Here is the quick link: {Review Link}. Reply STOP to unsubscribe."
Step 4: Preview and Send
Review the message preview on the right side of your screen. Confirm that your business name and the customer's name populated correctly. Click Send Request.
Your client will receive the text message within a few seconds.
3. Option B: Automate Requests via Jobber or HubSpot
If you don't want to log in and type customer details after every job, you can automate review requests through your field service management tool or CRM.
SoTrustworthy offers native integrations with Jobber and HubSpot (available on our Growth and Pro plans).
How Automated Job-Completion Triggers Work
- Connect Your Account: Go to Settings > Integrations in SoTrustworthy and select your provider (e.g., Jobber).
- Define the Trigger: Set the trigger event to Job Closed, Invoice Paid, or Deal Won.
- Set the Send Delay: Configure a delay if desired. For home services like plumbing, HVAC, or house cleaning, sending the request 15 to 30 minutes after job completion yields the highest response rates.
- Hands-Free Dispatch: The moment a technician marks a job as complete in Jobber, SoTrustworthy automatically pulls the customer's contact details, queues the SMS, and sends it according to your delay rules.
4. Understanding Review Gating Rules & Compliance
SoTrustworthy is designed to protect your business reputation while adhering strictly to federal consumer protection laws and search engine terms of service.
No Review Gating
Per Google review policies and FTC Guidance on Customer Reviews, businesses are strictly prohibited from "gating" reviews. Review gating means asking customers if they had a positive or negative experience, and then routing happy customers to Google while hiding or redirecting unhappy customers to a private contact form.
SoTrustworthy does not use review gating. Every review request link directs the customer directly to your public Google review form. This keeps your Google Business Profile fully compliant and safe from penalty suspensions.
Automated Opt-Out Handling
Every text message sent through SoTrustworthy includes mandatory carrier compliance text (e.g., "Reply STOP to opt out"). If a customer replies "STOP", our platform automatically unsubscribes their phone number instantly. You do not need to manage opt-out lists manually.
5. Built-In Request Throttling and Follow-Up Sequences
Sending too many messages too quickly can irritate customers and trigger carrier spam filters. SoTrustworthy includes built-in safeguards to protect your sender reputation.
- Review Request Throttling: If you upload a past customer list via CSV, SoTrustworthy automatically throttles message delivery. Instead of blasting hundreds of texts simultaneously, the system batches messages across hours or days, ensuring a steady, natural flow of reviews to your Google profile.
- Smart Reminders: On Growth and Pro plans, you can enable a single automated reminder. If a customer clicks the link but forgets to leave a review, SoTrustworthy can send a friendly follow-up SMS 3 days later. If the customer already left a review or opted out, the reminder is automatically canceled.
6. How to Track Your First Request
Once your first request is sent, you can monitor its progress in real-time from the Activity Log tab in your dashboard.
The log displays four distinct status updates:
- Sent: The SMS left SoTrustworthy servers.
- Delivered: The customer's mobile carrier confirmed receipt on the device.
- Clicked: The customer tapped your custom Google review link inside the text message.
- Completed: SoTrustworthy detected a new public review on your Google Business Profile following the request.
Pro Tip for Home-Service Businesses: The "Verbal Warm Handoff"
While SMS automation handles the heavy lifting, getting a 5-star review starts in person. Train your technicians, installers, or front-desk staff to use a simple verbal heads-up before leaving the job site:
"Thanks again for choosing us today, John! We're a small local business, so Google reviews help us out a ton. I'm going to send a quick text message to your phone with a direct link. If you have 30 seconds, we'd really appreciate your feedback!"
When customers expect the text message, your link click-through rate jumps significantly.
Related Steps
- Connect your Google Business Profile: Ensure your listing is fully linked under Settings > Google Connection before sending automated batches.
- Set up your Jobber or HubSpot integration: Move from manual sends to automatic triggers on the Growth or Pro plans by navigating to Settings > Integrations.
- Customize your SMS templates: Tailor your message wording and timing delay under Settings > Request Templates.
Ask every customer for a review—without review gating.
SoTrustworthy sends a compliant, perfectly-timed review request to every customer after the job — no filtering, no gating, just more honest 5-star reviews on Google.
