Find out what bothers the customer – before the invoice is due
“The staircase was still dusty.” Hardly any customer says that to the installer’s face. They say it later – with a withheld payment or a 1-star review. Here every customer gets a single question two hours after completion: “How satisfied are you – from 1 to 10?” Anyone who gives 8 or less goes straight to their project manager. After 48 hours everyone receives care tips for the work done and the same request for an honest review.
2 hours after completion“How satisfied are you with our work – from 1 to 10?”
Asking only satisfied customers for a review? Google prohibits that. Google’s review policies expressly prohibit businesses from selectively soliciting only positive reviews or discouraging negative ones. That is why this system deliberately has no “only ask satisfied customers” switch – the poor score goes to the project manager first instead.
Source: Google, user-generated content policy – “Prohibited and restricted content” (support.google.com)
Try it out: fast-forward the clock
Three customers, three finished jobs on the same Tuesday. On the left the customers’ phone, in the middle the project manager’s phone, on the right the list in the office. You do the clicking yourself – it takes about 3 minutes.
Demo with sample data and invented names – no real messages, times shortened. The texts correspond to the texts of the automation (shown here in translation); the business writes the care tips itself (examples here). Customers with email instead of WhatsApp get the same question with ten number buttons.
How it works after every job
For the customer it is one question and one message with tips. For the project manager, a notification with two buttons – only when needed.
- Job doneFrom your trades software (import, e.g. HERO or CSV), or the installer writes “done A-1043” via WhatsApp.
- Check consentWhatsApp only with consent, email with consent. At most one follow-up per customer in 30 days. Without consent: a note in the daily list “call them yourself?”.
- One questionTwo hours after completion, Mon–Sat 8:00–20:00, in German, English, Polish, Romanian or Turkish. One number is enough, with a sentence if you like.
- Call-back caseFor 8 or less, a call-back request or a problem in the comment: notification to the project manager with score, comment, phone number and “I’ll take it” / “Resolved”. The office is told: chase the invoice only once the matter is resolved.
- Nothing gets left lyingWithout “I’ll take it”, a reminder after 2 working hours, after 4 the deputy in the office, then the daily list.
- 48 hours: for everyoneCare tips for the work done, link to the detailed guide and the request for a Google review – same text, whatever the score.
What reaches the project manager
No form, no league table – one case with everything you need for the call.
- Call with one tap. On the case page the phone number is a call link.
- The first click counts. “I’ll take it” works once – if a colleague clicks afterwards, they see who already has the case.
- A result instead of a sticky note. Resolved, rework agreed, not reached or no need – “not reached” reminds again on the next working day.
- Time off stays time off. Between 18:00 and 7:00 and at weekends, call-back cases only arrive on the next working day. Emergencies always come immediately.
- Not for personnel decisions. This is stated on every case page. Which installer was there is not stored at all.
Do not use feedback for personnel decisions.
What the system does not do
No AI, no constant surveying, no assessment of people. What happens is set out as a fixed rule in the flow.
✓ How it protects your customers
- Only with consent. WhatsApp only with consent, email with consent. “STOP”, “No more messages” or a click on “Unsubscribe” takes effect immediately for all channels – waiting messages are discarded.
- One question, no reminder. At most one question and one care message per job, at most one follow-up in 30 days. Anyone who does not reply is not asked again.
- Emergency first. If a customer writes “water is leaking out” or “smell of gas”, they immediately get 112 and your emergency service number – your emergency service is alerted, at night too. Unclear words (“dripping”) or negated ones (“no smell of gas”) get the follow-up question “Is this an emergency?”.
✓ How it protects your team
- No evaluation per person. The installer is not stored with the job. Satisfaction only for the whole business and per type of work from 5 responses – no figure per project manager or team.
- Honest rather than polished. The review request goes out to all customers alike, without incentives, without prescribed stars – as Google requires.
- No AI. Replies are read according to fixed rules. The system does not open photos and voice messages – the customer gets a call-back.
What you need
| Component | Default | Replaceable with |
|---|---|---|
| Database | Yes, required. Supabase, EU region (Frankfurt) – free up to medium size – or any PostgreSQL | own server, IONOS, STACKIT, Azure |
| Finished jobs & customers | Import from HERO (field mapping adjustable) or via CSV/JSON – or the installer reports “done” via WhatsApp | Plancraft, Craftnote, Lexoffice, any software with export |
| Messages | WhatsApp Business (official interface from Meta) – customers only with consent, project manager, office, emergency service | SMS, Microsoft Teams, email only |
| Your mailbox via SMTP | Microsoft 365 / Outlook, Gmail | |
| Reviews | Link to your Google Business Profile | ProvenExpert, Trustpilot, MyHammer – any link |
| AI | None needed. | – |
| Feedback and case page | directly from the automation – no web server of your own needed | – |
| Automation platform | n8n, self-hosted (e.g. on a server in the EU) | – |
Running costs (guide value for 150 jobs per month, 60% of them with consent): approx. €20–45 per month – WhatsApp messages, database, server. No AI costs. Email is usually already in place. Please check the providers’ current price lists. Every default is replaceable.
Setup: Your IT gets a step-by-step guide with a self-check – approx. 2–3 hours of technical work, plus Meta’s review time for the WhatsApp templates (minutes up to 1 day) and approx. 1 hour in the office for the care tips for the most common types of work.
Downloads
For everyone involved in the decision: works council, data protection, IT.
Documents for works council, data protection & IT
- Overview for works council, data protection & IT (PDF, 2 pages, German)
- Workflow file to import
- Database script (SQL)
- Setup guide with self-check (PDF, German)
No code?
Request the download link by email
Frequently asked questions
Why does the dissatisfied customer also get the review request?
Because Google requires it: businesses must not selectively ask only satisfied customers for reviews. The difference lies in what happens beforehand – anyone who gives 8 or less is called by their project manager, usually on the same day. A customer whose problem has been solved often writes a fair review. There is deliberately no switch that bypasses this.
Does the customer have to install anything?
No. They reply in WhatsApp with a number or click a number from 1 to 10 in the email. On a small feedback page they can add a sentence or tick “Please call me”. No account, no password.
How does the system know that a job is finished?
From your trades software: when a job is closed there, it arrives via import (e.g. HERO, otherwise a daily CSV export). Without an interface the installer simply writes “done A-1043” via WhatsApp – this only works with registered numbers, and who reported it is not stored.
May we ask customers about their satisfaction?
In our assessment, a satisfaction question counts legally as advertising (German Federal Court of Justice, BGH, judgment of 10/07/2018 – VI ZR 225/17). That is why the system only asks customers who have given consent – for example by a tick on the job or at acceptance. The existing-customer rule for emails (Section 7(3) of the German Unfair Competition Act, UWG) is switched off and should only be switched on after legal review. This is our technical assessment – the legal review is carried out by your advisers.
What about customers who do not speak German?
The question, replies, care tips and feedback page are set up in 5 languages (German, English, Polish, Romanian, Turkish) and can be extended as you like. If a care text is missing in the customer’s language, they get it in German.
What does the works council say about it?
Customer feedback can allow conclusions to be drawn about employees. That is why the installer is not stored with the job, there is no figure per person or team, and satisfaction is only shown for the whole business and per type of work from 5 responses. We recommend involving the works council early – the 2-page overview in the package is made for exactly that.
We are a small business – is it worth it?
Yes, especially then: the owner is the only project manager, the installers report “done” via WhatsApp, and care tips are written for the 3–5 most common types of work. In the evening and at weekends the phone only goes off for emergencies.
What does it cost?
The running fees for WhatsApp, database and server are approx. €20–45 per month as a guide value; there are no AI costs. The effort for setup and customisation depends on which program is connected and how many types of work get care tips. You get a fixed cost estimate in advance.
Something like this for your business?
No-obligation initial conversation – together we will see whether it suits you.
Request a free process analysis