The review automation playbook
Automate review requests.
Use their existing software.
Practical setup guides and complete client walkthroughs for connecting everyday software to EmbedMyReviews. Know what the owner does, what you do, and how to prove it works.
Written by Mannie Gill, Founder & Lead Developer at EmbedMyReviews. LinkedInPublished
Find the simplest routeStart with this answer
“Can you connect to the software we already use?”
Often, yes. First identify the moment that means the customer has received the service. Then use a direct EMR connection, an existing email or spreadsheet, or a bridge when the workflow needs one.
A real place to start: the spa checkout
The client takes final payment in Square. You connect Square once, select the right location and campaign, and test a payment. Future qualifying checkouts trigger automatically.
Walk through the Square example →Start here if you are new to automations
What already records the finished work?
Choose the closest answer. You do not need to choose an API or automation tool first.
Your starting point
Check the direct EMR connection first
A built-in connection usually means fewer tools to pay for and maintain. Use it when its exact trigger matches the finished customer experience.
Ask the owner: “Which software do you use, and which action means the customer has received the service?”
Check before promising it: Payment can mean a deposit, a booking can be cancelled, and a fulfilled order is not proof of delivery. Check the matching guide’s trigger.
Find the software setup guide →From the client conversation to the first request
Walk through a real business workflow
Start with the business, its software and the moment the work is finished. These worked examples show the whole setup, including what the owner does and how you test it together.
Square POS → EMR directly
A neighbourhood restaurant using Square POS
“When a diner pays after their meal, can we ask for a review the next morning? We also want to keep using our QR cards for walk-ins.”
Follow the client walkthrough
Google Forms → Google Sheets → EMR
An end-of-tenancy cleaning team
“Our cleaners finish at different properties. Can they tap a link on their phone instead of asking the office to send each review request?”
Follow the client walkthrough
HighLevel workflow → EMR inbound webhook
A roofing business using HighLevel
“Our office moves a roofing job to Job completed after the final inspection. Can that send the customer into our EMR review campaign?”
Follow the client walkthrough
Jobber → Zapier → EMR
A plumbing company using Jobber
“We finish a tap repair, close the job in Jobber, and want the customer to get our review request an hour later. Can you set that up?”
Follow the client walkthrough
Housecall Pro → Zapier → EMR
An HVAC company using Housecall Pro
“Our technician finishes an air-conditioning service and taps Finish. Can the customer get a review request without our office doing anything else?”
Follow the client walkthrough
Choose the workflow your client already uses
Start with the existing system. Each guide explains its exact trigger and the cases where another route will work better.
10 guides shown
Square
Direct Square connection
The customer has received the service by the time they pay, and Square holds their email address.
Follow the setup guide
Stripe
Direct Stripe connection
A consultant, repair business or service provider charges after completing the work.
Follow the setup guide
HighLevel
Direct HighLevel connection
A salon, clinic, consultant or service business already uses HighLevel calendars to record real customer appointments.
Follow the setup guide
Calendly
Direct Calendly connection
Paid consultations, completed coaching sessions and other appointments where every booking in the chosen scope is eligible.
Follow the setup guide
WooCommerce
Direct WooCommerce connection
An agency manages a WooCommerce store whose completion status is used consistently after service, collection or delivery.
Follow the setup guide
Shopify
Direct Shopify connection
A retailer wants a business review after a purchase and can reliably connect the order event to the customer experience.
Follow the setup guide
Google Sheets
Direct Google Sheets connection
One-off cleaning, removals, trades and small teams that need a first campaign invitation for each new customer and already maintain eligible rows.
Follow the setup guide
Google Calendar
Direct Google Calendar connection
A consultant, appointment business or service team already keeps genuine customer appointments in Google Calendar.
Follow the setup guide
QuickBooks Online
Email Trigger through BCC
A tradesperson or service business emails invoices after completed work and wants the least complicated recurring handoff.
Follow the setup guide
Jotform + Make
Jotform → Make → EMR webhook
A team already uses Jotform and Make, or needs form-answer filters and separate job events that the simple Sheets route cannot provide.
Follow the setup guide
Native, BCC, Zapier or the API: what is the difference?
The client’s software tells you what happened. The connection carries the customer details. EMR’s campaign controls the review message and destination. The API is one way for software to communicate; it does not discover a client’s completed jobs on its own.
What do “token” and “webhook” mean?
A token or API key is a private credential that gives a connection permission to use the client’s software. In a native setup, you paste it into EMR’s wizard; EMR handles the connection.
A webhook is an automatic notice from one system to another: “This payment succeeded; here are the customer details.” A webhook URL is the address that receives that notice.
Zapier and Make can connect the systems when a direct route does not fit. They watch the chosen event, apply your rules and pass the details to EMR. You only need custom API development when the available connections cannot do the job.
| Route | Choose it when | Cost and maintenance |
|---|---|---|
| Direct EMR connection | Its exact event and available filters match the business. | No external bridge subscription. The owner approves access; the agency maintains credentials and checks EMR activity. |
| Email Trigger / BCC | The business already sends a suitable email after the experience. | No bridge required. Depends on the email actually being copied. It cannot tell whether an invoice is paid. |
| Google Forms → Sheets → EMR | Staff can record completed work and you want a first request per customer. | No bridge subscription. A short staff submission creates the row automatically; EMR syncs periodically. |
| Google Sheets or Calendar | The team already keeps reliable completed-customer rows or appointment guests. | No bridge for the Google-to-EMR connection. Sheets remembers processed contacts; it is not an every-visit trigger. Syncing is periodic. |
| Direct inbound webhook | The source can already send the right customer fields at the right event. | No bridge if the source can POST directly. Test its payload, timing and retry behaviour; cancellation handling is not automatic. |
| Make or Zapier | You need a source connector, a filter or field changes. | Adds a platform to maintain and usage-based costs. Prefer the tool the client or agency can reliably support. |
| n8n or Pabbly | Your team already runs workflows there and can send an HTTP request. | Check their plan or hosting costs. Self-hosting n8n also means someone owns updates, uptime and backups. |
| Custom API integration | A developer needs control that the supported routes do not provide. | Budget for implementation and ongoing monitoring. An API key alone does not create a working automation. |
These comparisons concern the connection. Your EMR subscription, the source software and email/SMS delivery are separate. Zapier’s webhook action requires a paid plan; Make charges by credits. Check actual usage before quoting a client.
What to ask on a sales call
- Which software records the finished job, appointment, order or payment?
- Does that event happen after the customer has received the service?
- Does the record contain the customer’s email or phone?
- Who can approve access, and who keeps the records accurate?
- Is another tool already sending review requests?
Then choose a guide and test one location. QR cards can still help customers at the counter. Avoid making both the card and the automated message an obligation.
A simple explanation you can use with the owner
“You keep using your existing software. We connect the point where the job is finished to your review campaign. You approve the access and keep customer details up to date. We set it up, test it with our own details, and look after the connection.”
Confirm the software, trigger and available access before promising a specific integration. The guide’s delivery test is the proof.
If your client’s software is not listed
Check whether it can send a useful completion email, write an eligible spreadsheet row, or post customer data to a webhook. A bridge is useful when you need to filter an event or reshape its fields. A custom API integration makes sense when a developer can own the connection, retries and maintenance.
For a direct source workflow, use the Webhooks card. For inbound requests through Zapier, Make, n8n or Pabbly, use the matching card in Connect → Integrations → Automations. It gives you a receiving URL. The separate outbound Zapier app sends EMR events, such as new reviews, out to other software; it is a different direction.
Before buying another automation tool
Find out the software name, the event that means work is finished, and whether that event includes the customer’s email. Then check for a built-in EMR connection. If the software already copies a completion email or writes a completed-job row, you may already have what you need. Only add a bridge when it solves a specific missing step.