> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.hiveinspect.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Review Engine

> Automate review requests after every inspection. Send timed email and SMS reminders and turn lower ratings into actionable, private feedback delivered straight to your inbox.

## What is the Review Engine?

The Review Engine is an automated follow-up system that asks every customer to rate their inspection — and makes sure you actually hear what they have to say:

* **Higher ratings** see a one-tap path to share their experience on Google, Facebook, or Yelp
* **Lower ratings** come straight to your inbox as private, actionable feedback you can follow up on

It runs on its own after each inspection, so you never have to manually ask for a review again — and you never miss a piece of feedback that could improve your business.

***

## How It Works

```
Inspection complete  →  Wait 2 hours  →  Email + SMS
                                              │
                                       (no rating after 48h)
                                              ↓
                                          Email reminder
                                              │
                                       (no rating after 72h)
                                              ↓
                                          SMS reminder
                                              │
                                        (expires after 14 days)
```

Each customer contact receives:

| Step            | When                                           | Channel            |
| --------------- | ---------------------------------------------- | ------------------ |
| Initial request | 2 hours after the inspection is complete       | Email + SMS        |
| Reminder 1      | 48 hours after initial send (if no rating yet) | Email              |
| Reminder 2      | 72 hours after reminder 1 (if no rating yet)   | SMS                |
| Expiry          | 14 days after the request was created          | All outreach stops |

The sequence stops the moment a customer submits a rating. SMS respects quiet hours in your organization's timezone, so customers are never messaged late at night.

> **Note:** "Inspection complete" fires only after the report is published, payment is collected, and agreements are signed — so review requests only go out for properly closed-out jobs.

***

## The Customer Experience

### Step 1: The Star Rating Screen

The email and SMS link opens a clean, branded rating page that shows the inspection address and asks one simple question:

> **How was your inspection?**
> ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

The customer taps a star — and what happens next depends on the rating.

### Step 2a: Higher Ratings → Share Publicly

When a customer leaves a strong rating, they're offered a one-tap path to share their experience on:

* **Google** (most impactful for local SEO)
* **Facebook**
* **Yelp**

Only the platforms you've connected appear. Every click is tracked, so you can see exactly how many people followed through.

### Step 2b: Lower Ratings → Actionable Private Feedback

When a customer leaves a lower rating, they're shown a text box — *"What could have been better? (optional)"* — and a Submit button. Their feedback comes directly to you so you can act on it.

After submitting they see a thank-you screen and their notes are delivered to your team for follow-up.

***

## Lower Ratings Come Straight to You

This is where the Review Engine pays for itself. The moment a customer submits a lower rating:

1. **A private alert email is sent** to every inspector and admin in your organization
2. **The rating and written feedback are saved** to your dashboard under "Private Feedback"
3. **You get an immediate window to follow up** while the experience is still fresh

It's real, actionable feedback you can use — to call the customer, address the concern directly, or improve a process internally. Without the Review Engine, most of this feedback is simply never shared with you.

### Example Private Feedback Alert

> **Subject:** Private feedback received — 123 Maple St, Austin, TX
>
> A client has left private feedback for the inspection at **123 Maple St, Austin, TX**.
>
> **Rating:** 2/5
> **Feedback:** The inspector arrived 40 minutes late and the report had two photos missing from the roof section.
>
> This feedback was **not** posted publicly. The client saw a thank-you message only.

***

## The Dashboard

The Review Engine dashboard shows four key metrics at a glance:

* **Sent** — total review requests delivered
* **Response Rate** — percentage of customers who rated
* **Avg Rating** — average across all submissions
* **Review Clicks** — total clicks through to Google, Facebook, and Yelp

Below that, a Positive / Private Feedback breakdown shows how many ratings went public vs. stayed internal. The Recent Requests table shows every customer, their inspection address, current status (Pending, Sent, Reminder 1, Reminder 2, Rated, Expired), and their star rating once submitted.

***

## Setting It Up

### Step 1: Connect at Least One Review Site

Navigate to **Business Tools > Review Engine > Review Sites** and connect one or more of:

* **Google** — search for your business or paste your Google Maps link
* **Facebook** — paste your business page URL
* **Yelp** — paste your Yelp business URL

The Review Engine will not send any messages until at least one review site is connected.

### Step 2: Subscribe and Enable

From the Review Engine dashboard, click **Disabled** to start a monthly or annual subscription. Once subscribed, the engine is automatically enabled — every completed inspection from that point forward will trigger the workflow.

***

## Example Messages

### Initial Email (sent 2 hours after inspection complete)

> **From:** Hive Inspect \<[reviews@hiveinspect.com](mailto:reviews@hiveinspect.com)>
> **Subject:** How was your inspection?
>
> Hi Sarah,
>
> Your inspection at **123 Maple St, Austin, TX** is complete. We'd love to hear how it went — it takes less than 30 seconds.
>
> **\[ Share Your Feedback ]**
>
> Thank you,
> Hive Inspect

### Initial SMS (sent at the same time)

> Hi Sarah, how was your inspection at 123 Maple St, Austin, TX? Share your feedback (30 sec): [https://reports.hiveinspect.com/review/a7c3f2…](https://reports.hiveinspect.com/review/a7c3f2…)

### Reminder 1 — Email (48 hours later, if no rating)

> **Subject:** Quick follow-up — your feedback matters
>
> Hi Sarah, just a quick follow-up about your recent inspection at **123 Maple St**. Your feedback helps inspectors improve their service.
>
> **\[ Share Your Feedback ]**

### Reminder 2 — SMS (72 hours after reminder 1, if still no rating)

> Hi Sarah, last chance to share your experience from 123 Maple St: [https://reports.hiveinspect.com/review/a7c3f2…](https://reports.hiveinspect.com/review/a7c3f2…)

***

## Key Details

* **Emails are sent from Hive Inspect**, not your company name. This keeps requests neutral, increases deliverability, and prevents your domain from getting flagged for review-solicitation patterns.
* **SMS is sent from the Hive Inspect shared toll-free number** — not your organization's dedicated number.
* **Quiet hours are enforced** based on your organization's timezone. SMS will not send overnight.
* **Only Customer-role contacts** are messaged — agents and other parties are excluded.
* **A contact needs an email or phone number** on file. Customers with neither are skipped.
* **One request per customer per inspection.** Duplicate sends are not possible.

***

## Frequently Asked Questions

### Why isn't the Review Engine sending messages?

Check these in order:

* Is the engine **Enabled** on the dashboard? (Requires an active subscription.)
* Have you connected **at least one review site** (Google, Facebook, or Yelp)?
* Does the customer have an **email or phone** on file?
* Has it been at least **2 hours** since the inspection was marked complete?
* Was the inspection actually marked complete? This requires the report published, payment collected, and agreements signed.

### How do I receive the private feedback?

You'll receive an email alert the moment a customer submits a lower rating, sent to every inspector and admin in your organization. The same feedback also appears in your Review Engine dashboard under the "Private Feedback" card, alongside the customer's name and inspection address.

### Can I customize the email and SMS wording?

Not currently. Messages are standardized across all inspectors to maintain deliverability and keep messaging concise. The address, customer name, and rating link are personalized automatically.

### What happens after 14 days?

The request is marked **Expired** and no further messages are sent. The customer can still rate using their original link until that point.

### How do I turn it off?

The Disable toggle requires a quick chat with support so we can pause your subscription correctly. Use the in-app chat bubble and we'll handle it.