A new agency with no public feedback gives a family less first-hand evidence to consider. The right goal is not a manufactured review count: it is a consistent, consent-aware process that invites honest feedback from suitable clients and families as genuine experience develops.
The rules, first
- • Never offer incentives of any kind
- • Never write reviews for clients or ask staff to post as clients
- • Never screen out unhappy families before asking — that is review gating
- • Only ask people with capacity to consent; where appropriate ask the next of kin instead
- • Never include identifiable care details in your public replies
Who to ask when you barely have clients
You have more legitimate reviewers than you think. Alongside clients, the families who arranged the care can review their experience of dealing with you, and so can professionals who have worked with your service. Each should describe their own genuine experience.
- • The client, where they have capacity and are happy to
- • The adult child or next of kin who arranged and oversees the package
- • Family members who have observed the care over several weeks
- • Professionals who have referred to you and can speak to your responsiveness
The ask that actually works
Ask in person first, then send the link the same day while the conversation is fresh. Keep the message short and give people something to write about.
Text template
"Hello [name], thank you for your kind words about [carer]. If you have two minutes, would you mind leaving us a short Google review? It genuinely helps other families in [town] find us. Even a line about how we handled the first assessment would mean a lot: [link]"
Use your Google Business Profile's short review link so it opens straight to the review box — every extra tap loses people.
Build it into the routine
One-off pushes fade. Define suitable points in the client journey using your own service, consent process and relationship—for example after positive feedback or an appropriate review meeting. A CRM can prompt the team or send an approved request where permission and context make that appropriate — see CRM and follow-up for small care agencies.
Reply to every single one
Replies show prospective families that a real person is behind the service, and they add fresh activity to your profile. Thank people by first name, keep it warm, and never confirm whether someone is or was a client in a way that breaches confidentiality.
We automate this for care providers
Review requests, reminders and reply prompts run in the background as part of our packages.
See Reputation Management