The hard truth: You can have perfect messaging, a flawless customer experience, and a simple review process—but if you ask at the wrong time, you'll still get poor response rates. Timing isn't everything, but it's close.
The Golden Window: Strike While the Iron Is Hot
Customer memory and enthusiasm decay rapidly. Here's what the data shows:
Response Rates by Timing:
Experience is fresh, emotion is peak, customer is still engaged
Still in “transaction mode,” memory clear
Memory intact, but other priorities competing for attention
Momentum lost, customer moved on mentally
Too much time passed, feels irrelevant
For most businesses, sending the review request within 1-2 hours of service completion delivers the highest response rates. The customer is still thinking about their experience, their emotion is at its peak, and they haven't moved on to other priorities yet.
Industry-Specific Timing Recommendations
While 1-2 hours works for most businesses, some industries have unique timing considerations:
🔧 Home Services (HVAC, Plumbing, Electrical)
Send immediately after the technician leaves. The problem was urgent, it got fixed, customer is relieved and satisfied. Strike now.
High emotion (relief), clear outcome (working AC/heat/water), fresh memory of the service. They're still in “I'm so glad that's fixed” mode.
🏠 Contractors (Remodeling, Roofing, Painting)
Wait until final walkthrough is complete and customer has had a chance to see the finished product. Then send within 24 hours.
They need time to appreciate the work, show it off to family, live in the space for a few hours. But not so long that they forget the process or move on mentally.
🦷 Medical & Dental
Same day, but not immediately. Give them time for anesthesia to wear off or to feel the benefit of treatment.
For routine cleanings or checkups where there's no numbness, you can send within 1-2 hours. For procedures with anesthesia, wait longer.
🍽️ Restaurants & Food Service
Send while they're still in the parking lot or driving home. The meal is fresh in their mind and taste buds.
Restaurant experiences are highly emotional but fade quickly. By tomorrow, they'll barely remember what they ate. Catch them while the experience is vivid.
🏪 Retail & E-Commerce
This varies by product type:
- Immediate use products (clothing, accessories): 24-48 hours after purchase
- Takes time to appreciate (furniture, appliances): 7-14 days after delivery
- Consumables (food, supplements): After 1-2 uses (1-3 weeks)
Ask for a review the day the package arrives. They haven't used it yet and can't give meaningful feedback.
💼 Professional Services (Legal, Accounting, Consulting)
Wait until the customer sees the result. Case won, taxes filed, problem solved. Usually 24-48 hours after completion.
They're paying for outcomes, not process. Let them appreciate the result before asking for feedback. The relief of completion is peak emotional moment.
Time of Day Matters Too
Beyond timing relative to service completion, the time of day you send also affects response rates:
Morning (6 AM - 12 PM)
People are busy getting their day started, commuting, or working. They might see the request but save it for later (and forget).
Best for: B2B services where customers check email first thingAfternoon (12 PM - 5 PM)
Lunch breaks, quick phone checks between tasks. People are more willing to take 2 minutes for something quick.
Best for: Most industries, especially if service completed in morningEvening (5 PM - 9 PM)
Winding down from work, checking phones while watching TV, more relaxed. This is when people catch up on texts and emails.
Best for: Consumer services, especially home services completed during the dayLate Night (9 PM - 6 AM)
People are sleeping or trying to wind down. Messages sent late at night get buried under morning notifications.
Avoid: Sending review requests between 9 PM - 6 AMIf a service is completed at 8 AM, don't send immediately. Wait until afternoon (2-4 PM) or early evening (5-7 PM) when response rates are higher. Still within your 2-hour window relative to when you want optimal engagement.
Day of the Week Impact
Interestingly, the day of the week when you send review requests also affects response rates:
Mid-week sweet spot. People are in routine, not overwhelmed (Monday) or checked out (Friday). Highest response rates.
People are catching up, busy, but checking messages. Still solid, just not peak.
People are mentally checking out for the weekend. Response rates drop as the day goes on.
People are less engaged with non-urgent messages. Exception: restaurants and retail see decent weekend response rates.
For services completed on weekends, consider waiting until Monday afternoon or Tuesday to send the review request. You'll often get better response rates than sending over the weekend.
Common Timing Mistakes That Kill Response Rates
“We'll send review requests every Friday for the week's customers.”
Why it fails: By Friday, Monday's customers have forgotten the details. Tuesday's customers have moved on. You've lost the emotional moment.
Automate to send within 1-2 hours of each individual service completion.
Asking for a review the day a product arrives or immediately after scheduling an appointment.
Why it fails: They have nothing to review yet. You look pushy and out of touch.
Wait until they've actually used the product or completed the service.
Automated emails going out at 11 PM, 3 AM, or 6 AM.
Why it fails: Gets buried under other notifications, feels impersonal and automated (because it is), hits when people aren't engaged.
Set “quiet hours” in your automation. Never send between 9 PM - 8 AM.
Using the same timing strategy for every type of service or customer.
Why it fails: A roof installation needs different timing than an oil change. A teeth cleaning needs different timing than a root canal.
Segment by service type. Set different timing rules for different services.
Your Timing Action Plan
Here's how to implement optimal timing starting today:
Based on the recommendations above, choose your default timing (usually 1-2 hours for most businesses).
Connect your review platform to your CRM/job system so requests send automatically at the right time. No manual work required.
Configure your system to never send between 9 PM and 8 AM. Messages that would go out then should queue until 8 AM.
Track response rates by time of day and day of week. After 30 days, look for patterns and adjust your timing accordingly.
If you offer multiple service types with different optimal timing windows, set up separate automation rules for each.
The Bottom Line
Perfect timing won't fix a terrible customer experience or poorly worded review requests. But great timing can double or triple your response rates when everything else is right.
The sweet spot for most businesses is 1-2 hours after service completion, sent during afternoon or early evening hours, Tuesday through Thursday.
But the real key? Automation. Set it up once based on these guidelines, then forget about it. The system handles optimal timing for every single customer, every single time.
Timing is the difference between “I meant to do that” and “Done.”
Strike when the iron is hot. Automate the timing. Watch your response rates soar.