Yes, you can send review requests to past customers, and doing so is one of the fastest ways to generate dozens of new Google reviews in your first week. However, to protect your business, you must follow consumer privacy laws, mobile carrier texting rules, and Google’s strict review guidelines.
Reaching out to older contacts—often called a "database reactivation" or past-customer campaign—requires a balanced approach. If you text thousands of past clients all at once, you risk getting your phone number blocked by cellular carriers or flagged for spam. Below is everything you need to know about legally and safely requesting reviews from your past customer list.
TCPA Compliance and Legal SMS Requirements
Before sending a single text message to a past customer, you must ensure you have legal permission to contact them under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act. The FCC TCPA guidelines regulate automated text messaging and telemarketing in the United States.
To remain compliant when texting past clients:
- Prior Express Consent: You must have received the customer’s phone number directly from them in the course of doing business (for example, when they booked a job, requested a quote, or signed a service agreement).
- Clear Business Identification: The text message must clearly state who you are and what business you represent right at the start of the message.
- Immediate Opt-Out Mechanism: Every initial text message must give the recipient an easy way to opt out, such as replying "STOP".
SoTrustworthy includes mandatory opt-out language in your text templates and automatically processes "STOP" replies. If a customer opts out, our system instantly flags their record across all current and future campaigns so you never accidentally text them again.
Google’s Review Policies: What Is and Isn't Allowed
Google has strict rules governing how businesses collect reviews. Violating these rules can result in Google deleting your hard-earned reviews or suspending your Google Business Profile entirely.
According to official Google review policies, you must adhere to the following standards when asking past customers for feedback:
- No Review Gating: You cannot filter customers before asking for a review. You cannot ask "Were you happy with our service?" and then send only satisfied customers to Google while routing unhappy customers to a private feedback form. SoTrustworthy uses a direct, non-gated workflow: every customer receives a direct link to your official Google review form.
- No Incentives: You cannot offer money, discounts, gift cards, or entry into a raffle in exchange for a review. Review requests to past customers must be straightforward and unbribed.
- No Fake or Bulk Reviews: You cannot create fake accounts, post reviews on behalf of customers, or ask employees to review your own business.
As long as you send an honest request with a direct link to your Google Business Profile without offering rewards or gating negative feedback, you are fully compliant with Google’s terms.
Mobile Carrier Rules and A2P 10DLC Throttling
Sending review requests via text message is significantly more effective than email, yielding open rates as high as 98%. However, major wireless carriers (AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile) heavily monitor commercial text messaging through A2P 10DLC compliance guidelines.
If you upload a list of 1,000 past customers and try to send 1,000 text messages simultaneously, cellular networks will immediately flag your phone number as a source of mass spam. Your messages will be blocked, and your sending reputation will be damaged.
To prevent this, SoTrustworthy uses intelligent review-request throttling:
- Staggered Delivery: Instead of sending your entire list at once, SoTrustworthy breaks your past customer list into small, randomized batches (e.g., 20 to 50 text requests per day).
- Natural Delivery Spacing: Messages are sent throughout normal business hours rather than in one instant burst, making your text traffic look like regular, human communication to mobile networks.
- Consistent Review Velocity: Spreading your requests over days or weeks creates a steady, natural drip of new Google reviews. Google’s algorithm prefers a steady stream of reviews over a sudden spike of 50 reviews in two hours followed by months of inactivity.
How Far Back Should You Go with Past Customers?
While you technically can reach out to someone who used your service five years ago, response rates drop drastically as time passes. Older contacts are also more likely to consider your text unexpected or annoying, leading to higher opt-out rates.
Here is a quick guide on how to prioritize your past customer list:
1. Customers from the last 30 to 90 days (Highest Priority)
These clients still clearly remember your technicians, work quality, and service experience. They deliver the highest conversion rates and are most likely to write detailed, positive reviews.
2. Customers from 3 to 12 months ago (Medium Priority)
This group works well for seasonal industries like HVAC, lawn care, roofing, or home cleaning. Because you performed work for them within the past year, a gentle reminder text typically yields a solid response rate without high opt-out rates.
3. Customers older than 12 months (Use Caution)
If a customer hasn't interacted with your business in over a year, clean your list thoroughly before sending. Remove disconnected numbers, unreturned quotes, or past clients who had minor service complaints. When reaching out to older contacts, keep the tone extra conversational and polite.
Uploading Past Customers to SoTrustworthy
SoTrustworthy makes it simple to upload past customer data and start generating reviews safely. Whether you manage your contacts in a spreadsheet or a dedicated field-service platform, you can bring past contacts into your dashboard in two ways:
- Direct Integrations: If you use platforms like Jobber or HubSpot, you can connect them directly to SoTrustworthy. Our integration allows you to pull historical customer records or automatically trigger requests based on past job completion dates.
- CSV File Upload: If your customer list lives in Excel or Google Sheets, clean up your file so it includes first names, phone numbers, and optional service dates. Upload the CSV directly into SoTrustworthy, and our system will validate the formatting automatically.
Once your list is imported, SoTrustworthy applies our SMS-first workflow. The platform automatically schedules the texts, manages throttling limits, inserts proper opt-out tags, and routes every responding client directly to your Google Business Profile page.
Choosing the Right Plan for Past Customer Campaigns
When starting with SoTrustworthy, you can take advantage of our 14-day trial to set up your account, connect your Google Business Profile, and test your first past-customer campaign.
Depending on the size of your past customer database, you can choose the subscription tier that best matches your monthly messaging volume:
- Starter Plan: Ideal for smaller local businesses or solo operators looking to text recent customers and maintain a steady baseline of 15–30 new reviews a month.
- Growth Plan: Perfect for established home-service companies (plumbers, electricians, auto detailers) that want to run automated past-customer campaigns while collecting reviews from daily completed jobs.
- Pro Plan: Built for multi-location businesses, high-volume service crews, or large agencies running extensive database reactivation campaigns across thousands of past contacts.
No matter which plan you choose, SoTrustworthy never gates reviews, ensuring your business stays 100% compliant with Google policies and federal texting regulations.
Related Topics
- How to Import Contacts via CSV File: Step-by-step instructions on formatting your Excel or Google Sheets file for a seamless import.
- Understanding A2P 10DLC Registration: What business information (like your EIN) you need to submit to verify your phone number with mobile carriers.
- Setting Up Your Jobber or HubSpot Integration: How to connect your favorite management software to automate ongoing review requests.
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.
