Review management for drainage contractors
Review management for a drainage contractor is a routine, not a campaign: an ask that goes out after each finished run, a reply drafted for each review that comes in and a Maps listing that stays current. You approve the wording of every request and every reply.
We never write a review, buy one or sort which customers get asked.
Five parts of the proof stake we tend for your crew
- Request
The ask after a finished run
A short message in your company's name that goes to the homeowner once the trench day is done and the crew has packed up. You approve the wording before the first one goes out.
- Replies
Reply drafts for the owner's walk
When a review lands, we draft a reply and send it to you. No reply goes up before you have read it, and anything about how the work was done is left for you to word.
- Listing
Maps listing upkeep
Company name, service areas, drain-type categories and job photos kept current on your Maps listing, so the listing matches the town pages.
- Photos
Photos of finished runs
Job photos the homeowner has agreed you may show, added to the listing with captions that say what the photo shows and nothing else.
- Partners
Referral partner asks
A landscaper, builder or property manager you work with can be sent the same kind of request, worded for a contractor and not for a homeowner.
No fake reviews and no gating
Two rules sit above the whole routine. We never write a review, post one under a name that is not a real customer's or pay for one. And we do not gate: every finished run gets the same request, and we do not route people with a good experience to a review page while steering the rest somewhere private.
Platforms set their own rules for how a company may ask for reviews, and those rules are yours to read and follow. We keep the request wording plain, and you see it before it goes out.
A review is also only one place a homeowner looks. It sits beside the Maps profile and each town page, and we plan the three together.
Moments on a job where a review ask can go out
| Moment on the job | What the request says | Who it goes to |
|---|---|---|
| Trench day wrapped and the crew loaded out | Thanks the homeowner for the job and gives a plain link to the Maps listing | The homeowner on the bid |
| Final walk with the homeowner | Mentions the listing in your own words, followed by the link by message | The homeowner, after the walk |
| A finished run for a builder or general contractor | Asks the contractor to describe working with your crew on the job site | The builder or contractor who hired you |
| A run for an HOA board | Addressed to the board or its manager, not to individual lot owners | The board contact |
| A repeat customer with a second run | Asks for a fresh review of the second job, written by them | A past customer |
Staking the review routine, one stake per cycle
Walk the Maps listing before any ask goes out
We look at your listing with you: name, towns, drain types, photos. If the listing and each town page disagree, that gets straightened out first.
Draft the request for a finished run
We write the ask in your voice, in two or three sentences, and send it for your approval. You can edit every word.
Pick how the ask reaches the homeowner
A text from your phone, an email or a card left on the job: the route is yours, and the same ask goes to every finished run.
Draft replies as reviews come in
Each review gets a drafted reply sent to you. You approve, adjust or hold it, and nothing is posted without your say.
Read the listing with you at month end
We go over the reviews that arrived, the replies posted and anything on the listing that needs updating before the next stake goes in.
Myths about reviews and a drain company's open days
Heard at the tailgateOnly the homeowners who were happy with the trench day should get the review link.
Read off the sheetThat is review gating, and it is off the table here. Every finished run gets the same request, and you decide the wording. What people write is theirs.
Heard at the tailgateA reply to a bad review is the place to defend how the run was dug.
Read off the sheetReplies thank, answer plainly and offer a call. Any statement about how the work was done is yours to word, so our drafts leave it out and wait for your approval.
What the plans cover and what they leave to the crew
Review management sits inside the Organic Growth plans and not on a separate bill. The amounts are on the pricing page, billed monthly with nothing owed at the start.
What the plans cannot do is make a homeowner write a review, or decide what one says. The ask is ours to draft and yours to send. After that, it is the customer's call, and we say so plainly so that no one on your crew expects otherwise.
What to line up before the first ask for a finished run
- Access to your Maps listing, so we can see the categories, towns and photos
- The route you prefer for the ask: a text, an email or a card from the crew lead
- A list of finished runs, without homeowner names or street numbers
- Permission from each homeowner before a job photo goes on the listing
- The person on your crew who will read the reply drafts at the owner's walk
We never ask for a customer's name or street number to run this routine.
Questions a drain contractor asks about review management
Can you post reviews for my drainage company?
No. We do not write reviews, post them under any name or pay for them. We draft the request and the replies, and the reviews themselves come from your customers.
What happens when a homeowner leaves a poor review after a trench day?
We draft a reply and send it to you. Posting it as written, editing it or phoning the homeowner first is your decision. Whether a platform removes any review is up to the platform, and we cannot promise it.
Do requests go out under my company name or yours?
Under yours. The ask reads as a note from your crew, in wording you approved, and it goes by the route you chose.
Is the review routine a separate fee on top of the Organic Growth plan?
No, it is part of that work. The plans run monthly with no startup fee, and the figures are on the pricing page.
Can a landscaper or builder I work with be asked too?
Yes, with a request worded for a contractor. The partner decides whether to write one, and the same no-gating rule applies.
Ask about the review routine for your drainage crew
Send a note about your Maps listing and the finished runs you would like asked about. A marked slot on the form gets you a call from our CEO, Ross Cohen, when it comes round.
Which towns and which drain jobs go first?
Name the towns where a crew has an open day, then the drain work you would like to fill it with: french drains, yard drainage, downspout lines, catch basins, dry wells. Short is fine. Leave homeowner names and street numbers out.
Drive the first stake with our CEO
Mark a weekday slot on the contact form and Ross Cohen, our CEO, will call you then to walk through the towns and drain jobs you want booked more often.
The level in the picture is a drawing, not a forecast.