What Is Review Harvest and How Do You Set It Up?
By Clay Lawrence, Review Harvest · · 16 min video
The short version
Review Harvest is software that plugs into the CRM or booking software you already use and runs your Google review process: it requests reviews by text and email, follows up, and replies to the reviews that come in. To set it up, create an account, connect your Google Business Profile, connect your CRM, import your previous customers, add a personalized image, and start the review reactivation. Setup takes less than 10 minutes.
Do this, in order
- 1
Create your account at reviewharvest.com
You will be prompted to create your account, connect your Google Business Profile, and choose the CRM or booking software you use to manage your clients.
- 2
Connect your Google Business Profile
You are prompted to do this right after creating your account.
- 3
Choose your CRM or booking software
If you do not use one, you can upload contacts with a CSV import or add them one at a time. If yours is not listed, use Zapier or webhooks for now, or book an onboarding call to have it set up for you.
- 4
Connect the integration
With Jobber, for example: select when you want a contact added to Review Harvest, confirm you have the proper consent, and click Connect account. Log in to Jobber if prompted, then click Allow access.
- 5
Import your previous customers
Back on the Review Harvest integration page, tick the checkbox and click Import clients, then click Back to integrations. These past customers are who the review reactivation will go to.
- 6
Upload your personalized image in the messaging panel
Do this before you reactivate anyone. Upload a team photo, a logo or a photo of your wrapped vehicles. Each customer's name is added to the image automatically.
- 7
Check your name, business name and message
Make sure your name and business name are correct for the texts and emails. To write your own wording, click Custom message and type what you would like.
- 8
Set how long to wait before a request is sent
Right away is recommended for most businesses. Add a delay if clients will not see the work until they get home, or if, like a garage coating company, it takes 5 days before they can use it. Ask at the wow moment.
- 9
Set your follow-ups
Turn follow-up messages on and choose how many to send. Three is the sweet spot for getting the most reviews without bugging your customers.
- 10
Turn on AI review responses in the reviews panel
With the toggle on, every new review gets a reply that uses the reviewer's name and the context of what they wrote.
- 11
Remove anyone who should not get a request
On the contacts page, click the three dots next to a contact. Stop sending requests means they never get a review request. Delete contact removes them if you just do not want them to get one now.
- 12
Start the review reactivation
Click Manage, then Start getting me more reviews. The requests to your imported customers are dripped out slowly instead of all at once.
What does Review Harvest do?
Review Harvest gets you more five-star Google reviews automatically. It integrates into the process you already have, so you do not change anything you are doing, and it manages the review side for you:
- It requests reviews from your customers by text and email.
- It follows up with the ones who have not left a review yet.
- It responds to the reviews that come in.
The reviews are all real ones from your own customers. Nothing is faked. Review Harvest is asking on your behalf.
Why do more Google reviews matter?
More reviews on Google means you rank higher and more potential customers find you. More of them also choose you, because of the social proof.
Whitespark’s list of the top 20 factors for ranking in the local map pack has four that relate to reviews:
- Number 6: a high numerical rating, a 4.9 instead of a 4.1.
- Number 8: the quantity of Google reviews with text.
- Number 13: a sustained influx of reviews over time instead of bursts.
- Number 20: the recency of reviews. Google values a review from yesterday a lot more than one from two years ago.
Further down the list are keywords in the reviews, positive sentiment, and the total number of reviews without text.
The goal is the map pack: when someone types your service and your area, you show up there organically, and you are not paying Google $10, $50 or $100 per call. One pooper scooper client in Frisco, Texas ranks number one in the map pack for its main keyword with 300 or 400 more reviews than its competitors. Another client had about 23 reviews at the start and is now around 865, and his revenue has grown 25 to 30% year over year in each of the three years since. He attributes a lot of that to his Google reviews.
How do you set up Review Harvest?
Setup takes less than 10 minutes.
- Go to reviewharvest.com and create your account.
- Connect your Google Business Profile.
- Choose the CRM or booking software you use to manage your clients.
- Connect it on the integrations page.
- Import your previous customers.
Jobber is a good example of step 4. Select when you want a contact added to Review Harvest, confirm you have the proper consent, and click Connect account. Log in to Jobber, or if you are already logged in on another tab, just click Allow access. You land back on the Review Harvest integration page, where you tick the checkbox and click Import clients.
No CRM? Upload contacts with a CSV import or one at a time. If your software is not listed, use Zapier or webhooks. You can come back to the integrations page at any point to change the trigger, delete the integration, or connect a different CRM.
What is a review reactivation?
It is often the first thing run on a new account: a request to your previous customers. These are the people who said “Oh yeah, I’ll leave you a review” and never did, because they are busy and forgetful and you did not have time to chase them.
The list is reactivated slowly over the first month. A lot of the time that produces 50, 100 or 200 new reviews in one or two months. The requests are dripped out on purpose, so Google sees a sustained influx and not a huge burst followed by a drop off.
Before you start it, set up your messaging. Then go to the contacts page, remove anyone who should not be asked, click Manage, and click Start getting me more reviews.
Why add a personalized image to review requests?
Because a plain “Hope you enjoyed our service, please leave us a review” text is something customers now get from every company they hire, and they have gone blind to it.
In the messaging panel, upload a team photo, a logo or a photo of your wrapped vehicles. Review Harvest adds each customer’s name to that image. Two things happen:
- They know right away who is texting them, so they trust the message.
- Seeing their own name on the image gets their attention.
The same panel holds the rest of your settings: your name and business name, a custom message if you want your own wording, follow-ups on or off, how many follow-ups to send (three is the sweet spot), and how long to wait before the first request goes out.
How do the AI review responses work?
Turn them on in the reviews panel and every new review gets a reply written from the review itself, using the reviewer’s name and what they said.
One example is a mixed review that praised the crew’s work but called the sales staff pushy. The reply thanked the customer by name for the kind words about the workers’ efficiency and craftsmanship, apologized for the experience with the sales team, said the feedback would be used to improve, and invited them to reach out so things could be made right. That is how an owner would answer, and nobody had to write it.
Common questions
What is Review Harvest?
Review Harvest is software that gets a business more five-star Google reviews automatically. It integrates with the CRM or booking software you already use, so you do not change how you work. It requests reviews by text and email, follows up, and responds to the reviews for you.
How long does it take to set up Review Harvest?
Less than 10 minutes. You create an account, connect your Google Business Profile, and connect the CRM or booking software where you track your customers. After that the process runs on its own.
Can I use Review Harvest without a CRM?
Yes. You can upload your contacts with a CSV import or add them one at a time. If you use a CRM that is not on the integrations list, you can connect it through Zapier or webhooks, or book an onboarding call to have it set up for you.
What is a review reactivation?
It is a campaign that asks your previous customers for a review: the 300, 400 or 500 people who said they would leave one and never did because they were busy and forgot. The requests are dripped out slowly over the first month or two. A lot of the time it brings in 50, 100 or 200 new reviews.
When should a review request be sent?
At the wow moment. For most businesses that is right away after the job. Add a delay if the customer will not see the work until later in the day, or if they cannot use it yet, like a garage coating that takes 5 days before it can be walked on.
How many times should you follow up on a review request?
Three follow-ups is the sweet spot. It gets you the most reviews without bugging your customers. You can turn follow-ups on or off and change the number in the messaging panel.
