Review request templates for locksmiths
Your message
Example values: change them to yoursLeave empty for “Hi there”.
Get it in Business Profile: Read reviews, then Get more reviews. Or build one with the review link and QR maker.
Ready-to-copy texts
The ask
Same day, once the job is done and paid.
Hi Maria, thanks for choosing Example Lock & Key for getting you back in. Would you leave us an honest Google review? It takes a minute and helps people nearby find a locksmith they can trust: https://g.page/r/CExampleReviewLink/review Reply STOP to opt out.
258 characters · 2 texts
One reminder
3 to 5 days later, only if they haven't left a review. Then stop.
Hi Maria, Example Lock & Key again. If you have a minute this week, we'd love your honest Google review: https://g.page/r/CExampleReviewLink/review No need to reply. Thanks! Reply STOP to opt out.
196 characters · 2 texts
Send the same message to every customer, happy or not. No discounts, gifts or prize draws for reviews. Those are Google's rules, and the templates follow them.
Check a message you wrote
Paste your own review request. The checker flags common wording that breaks Google's review rules and counts text message length. The example below breaks two rules on purpose.
Found: “10% off”, “If you were happy”, “5 stars”
- Google bans offering anything (money, discounts, free service, gifts or prize entries) in exchange for a review.
- Google bans discouraging negative reviews or asking only happy customers. Ask everyone the same way, for an honest review.
As a text: 98 characters, 1 text. Up to 160 characters fit in one text (153 per part when split).
LockCommand texts each customer a review request from your shop's number a couple of hours after a finished job is paid, once you've added your Google review link.
Send review requests automaticallyHow to use it
Most customers who had a good lockout or rekey never think to leave a review. They will if you ask while the job is fresh and make it one tap. These templates do that, and they stay inside Google's rules, which matter more than they used to: Google removes reviews it thinks were bought or filtered, and can restrict the profile.
Google's three rules, in plain words
- Ask every customer. Google's policy bans discouraging negative reviews or asking only happy customers. Messages like "if you were happy, review us; if not, call us first" break that rule. So does sending the Google link only to people who rated you well somewhere else first.
- No rewards. No discount, free key copy, gift card or prize draw in exchange for a review. Google calls that fake engagement and says it is strictly prohibited.
- No pressure. Google says businesses shouldn't require or pressure customers to review, including while they're standing there. Hand over a card or send a text and leave it.
How to use the templates
- Get your review link from Business Profile: Read reviews, then Get more reviews. Or build it from your Place ID with the review link and QR maker.
- Pick text or email, the tone that sounds like you, and the job.
- Type the customer's first name and copy the message.
- Send it the same day, once the job is done and paid. If there's no review after 3 to 5 days, send the reminder once. Then stop.
Text length
Every text shows its length. A plain text fits 160 characters in one message and 153 per part once it splits. One curly apostrophe, emoji or accented letter like á switches the whole text to another alphabet where the limit drops to 70, and 67 per part. Characters like [ ] and € count as two. Phones join the parts back together, but texting services usually bill per part. The templates use straight apostrophes for that reason, and the tool straightens any you paste into the shop name.
A worked example
The friendly lockout text for Maria from Example Lock & Key, with the example g.page review link and the opt-out line, comes to 258 characters, so it sends as 2 parts. The short tone comes to 157 and fits in one. The example in the checker breaks two rules on purpose: "if you were happy" and "5 stars" ask only happy customers, and "10% off" is a reward.
The checker reads words, not intent. A clean result means none of the common problem phrases showed up, not that a message is approved by Google.
Sources
- Prohibited & restricted content (Fake engagement), Maps user contributed content policy, Google.
- Create a Google link or QR code to request reviews, Google Business Profile Help.
- How long can a message be?, Twilio docs (160 and 153, 70 and 67).
- 3GPP TS 23.038, the GSM 7-bit alphabet and its two-character extension set.
Last checked October 2026.
Questions
Can I offer a discount for a Google review?
Can I ask only happy customers to review?
When should I send a review request?
How long can a review request text be?
Can my techs ask customers on the spot?
More for your shop
- Review link and QR makerCheck your Google review link or build it from your Place ID, then print a QR card for the van and invoices.
- Google verification checklistStep by step: Google Business Profile, Local Services Ads advanced verification and suspension appeals.
- Customer textsBooking confirmations, ETA texts, receipts, review requests, missed-call text-back and AI reply drafts.
- Phone script builderQuestions to ask on every kind of locksmith call, in English and Spanish, with your greeting.
- SMS termsHow shop texts work, how to opt out with STOP and get help with HELP.
Let LockCommand do this on every job
The AI receptionist quotes from your price book, books the job and texts the customer. Create your account and set up your shop in a few minutes.
Already have an account? Log in. Questions first? Email [email protected].