Google review request templates for HVAC companies

Heating and cooling work has a rhythm most trades do not. The same homeowner sees you for a spring check, again in the fall, and once in a while in a panic when the house goes cold overnight. Each of those visits is a chance to ask for a Google review, and each one needs different words. A text that reads well after a calm tune up sounds tone deaf after a 2 a.m. no heat call.

This guide gives you one template per situation, the channel notes that go with them, and the lines HVAC companies most often cross without knowing it.

Why HVAC requests need their own wording

Three things set HVAC apart.

The calendar. ENERGY STAR advises homeowners to have a contractor check their system every year before the season starts, and says it is best to check “the cooling system in the spring and the heating system in the fall” because contractors get busy once summer and winter arrive (ENERGY STAR). That gives you two predictable waves of calm, scheduled visits each year, which are the easiest reviews you will ever collect.

The emergencies. A no heat or no cool call is stressful for the customer and often happens at night or on a weekend. Gratitude is high, but so is fatigue. The ask has to be short and patient.

The job list. For some service businesses, Google asks reviewers to pick the task you performed. That list comes from “the merchant’s service list, website (if available), or the standard list of tasks based on the business type” (Google). If your Business Profile lists “furnace repair”, “AC installation” and “heat pump service”, your reviews will describe the work you actually want more of. Check that list before you start asking.

Step 1: get your link once

Google lets you create a review link or QR code from your Business Profile: select Read reviews, then Get more reviews, then Copy (Google). The QR code can only be generated in a computer browser. Google itself suggests putting the link on receipts and in thank you emails, and notes you can also send requests by email or WhatsApp.

Save the link in a keyboard shortcut on every tech’s phone, or in your dispatch software’s message templates. The full walkthrough is in how to ask for a Google review by text.

Seven templates for HVAC visits

Replace the brackets, keep your own voice, and send each customer the same request for the same kind of visit.

1. Spring AC tune up

Hi [first name], it’s [your name] from [business]. Thanks for having us out for the AC check today. Your system is ready for summer. If you have a minute, a Google review helps neighbors in [town] find us: [link]

2. Fall furnace tune up

Hi [first name], [your name] at [business]. Your furnace is checked and ready for the cold. Thanks for booking early. If you’d like to share how the visit went, here’s our Google page: [link]

3. No heat or no cool emergency

Send this the next morning, not at midnight.

Hi [first name], [your name] from [business]. I hope the house warmed up overnight. Thanks for calling us. When things settle down, would you mind sharing your experience on Google? [link]

4. New system install

Wait until the customer has lived with the system through a real cycle: a cold snap for a furnace or heat pump, a hot afternoon for an AC. A few days to a couple of weeks after the install is usually right.

Hi [first name], it’s [your name] at [business]. It’s been [a week] since we put in your new [heat pump]. How is it running? If you have a minute, an honest review on Google would mean a lot to our crew: [link]. And if anything isn’t right, just reply here.

5. Maintenance plan visit

Your plan members see you twice a year. Ask once, after a visit where something concrete happened, rather than at every visit.

Hi [first name], thanks for being on our maintenance plan. Today we [replaced the igniter / cleaned the coil] before it caused trouble. If you ever want to tell others what the plan is like, here’s the link: [link]

6. A repair that took two visits

Parts on back order, a second trip: ask after the problem is actually fixed.

Hi [first name], [your name] from [business]. Thanks for your patience while we waited on that part. Glad the [AC] is back up and running. A review on Google helps us a lot: [link]

7. The one reminder

Three to five days later, only if no review came in.

Hi [first name], [your name] again from [business]. Sending this once more in case it got buried: [link]. And if anything about the [repair] isn’t right, reply here and we’ll come back.

Text, email or a card on the invoice

Text is the default for homeowners: you already have their cell number from the booking, and the link opens in one tap.

Email suits property managers, landlords and commercial accounts, who live in their inbox and often need to forward things. Put the link in the email that carries the invoice or the inspection report.

A QR code works on the printed invoice or the leave behind sticker on the unit. It is a backup, not a replacement for the text. We compare the three in QR code vs text vs email.

One practical HVAC point: in rentals, the person who let you in is often the tenant, while the bill goes to the owner. Ask the person who experienced the visit, and do not ask both for the same job.

What Google forbids, HVAC edition

Google’s policy bans offering incentives “such as payment, discounts, free goods and/or services” in exchange for a review (Google). In HVAC terms, that rules out:

• a discount on the next tune up for anyone who leaves a review;
• a free filter, a free thermostat battery or a free duct check “for your feedback”;
• priority scheduling for plan members who review you.

Google also bans merchants from selectively soliciting positive reviews, which is why a “rate us from 1 to 10 first” screen that only sends high scores to Google is off limits. The policy also names two habits common in HVAC shops: “merchants requesting that staff solicit a certain number of reviews” and requests for reviews that include content “that identifies a staff member”. A monthly review target per tech, or a text saying “please mention Kevin”, both fall under it. So does standing in the kitchen while the customer types: merchants “should not require or pressure users to leave ratings or write reviews while on the premises.”

In the United States, the FTC rule in effect since October 21, 2024 adds legal exposure for incentives conditioned on a review expressing a particular sentiment (FTC). Google’s ban is wider: no incentive at all. The details are in Google’s rules on asking for reviews.

How to set it up in an afternoon

1. Check your Google services list and add the jobs you do most: furnace repair, AC installation, heat pump service, duct cleaning.
2. Copy your review link and save it on every phone that sends customer texts.
3. Paste the seven templates into your phone shortcuts or dispatch software, one per visit type.
4. Decide who sends: the tech from the driveway, or the office the same evening. One owner per job, so nobody double texts.
5. Send one reminder, never two.
6. Reply to the reviews that come in, good and bad. Google’s tips page notes that a mix of positive and negative feedback “often feels more trustworthy” (Google). When a bad one lands, start with how to respond to a bad Google review.

Two calm waves of tune ups a year, a patient text after every emergency, and a check in after every install: that is a steady flow of reviews without a single gimmick.