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Google Reviews for Tradespeople: The Leave-Behind Card Method
By NFC Online Editorial Team · Published · Updated
Hand a Google review card over when the customer signs off the job, leave it with the paperwork if they are happy for you to, and put the same review link on your invoice. Ask every customer, including the jobs that were tricky, and never offer money off for a review.
Why the end of the job is the moment
For a plumber, electrician, cleaner or landscaper, the best moment to ask is when the customer sees the finished work: the tap that no longer drips, the lights that work, the lawn that is cut. You are standing there, the customer is pleased or at least relieved, and the job is fresh in their mind.
After that, the moment fades fast. The customer goes back to their day, and an email two weeks later is easy to ignore. A card that opens your review page with one tap catches the moment, and a card they keep catches the evening, when they finally sit down. If you are new to this, our Google review NFC card guide explains how the tap works.
Moment, format and notes
| Moment | Format | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Job sign-off | Google review NFC card, handed over | Customer taps or scans while you pack up |
| Leaving the property | The same card, left with the paperwork | Only with the customer’s permission |
| Invoice or receipt | Review link, or a QR code made from it | Reaches customers who were not home |
| At the van | Spare cards in the cab, a sticker inside the door | For customers who come out to the van |
| Regular work | Card after the first visit | Ask once, not after every clean or cut |
The Google review NFC card is the size of a bank card, so it fits in a wallet, a job folder or the van’s glove box. Versions with a printed QR code also work for customers who have NFC switched off.
Hand it over at sign-off
When the customer has checked the work and you have answered their questions, hand the card over with one line:
“If you’d like to leave us a Google review, just tap your phone on this card or scan the code. It really helps a small business. No pressure.”
Then stop. Do not stand and wait while they write it, and do not ask for a star rating. Many customers will review later that evening, and the card means they can.
The leave-behind card, with permission
A leave-behind card is the same card left at the property, so the customer can find it when they have time. Ask first: “Shall I leave this with your paperwork?” Then leave it with the invoice, the warranty or the manual, where the customer will look later.
Do not stick anything to the customer’s property or leave cards in places they did not agree to. A leave-behind should feel like part of the paperwork, not like advertising.
In the van
Keep a few spare cards in the cab, so nobody runs out on site. Some customers come out to the van to pay or to say goodbye; a sticker on the inside of the door gives them a quick tap spot. We do not sell a review keychain; a card in a wallet or the glove box does the same job.
The link on your invoice
Many jobs end without the customer at home: a landlord’s property, a key-safe clean, a garden done while the owners are at work. For those, put your review link on the invoice or receipt, with one short line: “If you’d like to review us on Google, use this link.” Our guide on how to find your Google review link shows where to copy it, and how to test it before it goes on every invoice.
If your invoicing software adds a QR code, make it from the same link. Put the line on every invoice, not only the ones for jobs that went smoothly.
Plumbers and electricians
Emergency call-outs are stressful, and the customer may not feel like reviewing anyone on the night. Hand the card over anyway, or leave it with permission, and let them decide later. On planned jobs such as a bathroom or a rewire, the natural moment is the final walk-round, when you show the customer what was done and how to use it.
Cleaners and landscapers
Regular work changes the timing. Asking after every clean or every cut feels like nagging. Ask once, at a fixed point for every customer: after the first visit, or at the end of the first month. A card left with the first invoice and the same line in the first message is usually enough. Do not ask again because a customer has been especially pleased; a rule for everyone is what keeps it fair.
Asking every customer, including the tricky jobs
Some jobs go badly: parts arrive late, the problem is worse than expected, the customer disputes the bill. The temptation is to skip the card on those jobs. That is review gating, even when you do it one job at a time, and Google does not allow it.
Sort the problem out first, without linking anything to a review. Then hand the card over like you always do. A fair review of a difficult job, with a calm reply from you, often tells future customers more than a dozen easy ones. Our guide on how to get more Google reviews without breaking the rules covers replies and follow-ups.
Following up once
If the customer did not use the card, one short message a day or two after the job is fine: thank them, include the review link, and stop there. Send it to every customer with a finished job, not only the ones who were pleased, and do not chase. A customer who chooses not to review has given you their answer.
Keep the message free of discounts, prize draws and “five stars would help” wording. Those turn a fair request into an incentive or a push for a rating.
Teams and subcontractors
If several people finish jobs for you, give each one a supply of cards and the same one-line script. Do not set review targets for individuals or run competitions between teams. Subcontractors, employees and family members must not review the business themselves. If you work across several areas with one business, you have one profile and one link; if each branch has its own profile, give each branch its own cards.
Setting it up
- Copy your Google review link from your Business Profile and test it in a private browser window.
- Order cards for everyone who signs off jobs, plus a sticker for the van if useful.
- Paste the link at checkout and check it before you pay.
- When the cards arrive, tap one with an iPhone and one with an Android phone, and scan the QR code.
- Add the review line and link to your invoice template.
If you might change your link later — a new business name, a merged profile — consider the editable-link option, which is billed yearly at $12 in this store. Our step-by-step guide to setting up an NFC review card covers testing and fixes.
The rules, in short
Never offer incentives for reviews — money off the next job, a free extra or a prize draw. Never ask only the customers who seem happy (review gating). Never write, buy or swap fake reviews, and owners, staff, subcontractors and their families must not review the business. The source is Google’s policy on fake engagement. A card cannot promise stars or a number of reviews; the review is always the customer’s own.
Questions
- When should a tradesperson ask for a review?
- At job sign-off, when the customer has seen the finished work. Hand the card over with one line, then let them review in their own time.
- What is a leave-behind card?
- The same review card left with the paperwork at the property, so the customer can use it later. Ask the customer first.
- Can I put my review link on invoices?
- Yes. Put the same link, or a QR code made from it, on every invoice — not only for jobs that went well.
- Can I offer money off the next job for a review?
- No. Google does not allow any incentive in exchange for a review.
- Should I skip the card on a job that went badly?
- No. Skipping customers who might be critical is review gating. Fix the problem, then offer the card as usual.
- Do you sell a review keychain?
- No. We sell Google review cards, stands, stickers and plaques. A card in a wallet or van does the same job.