Reputation Engine

Your Next Customer Is Reading Your Reviews Right Now.

Every happy guest who doesn't leave a review is an invisible endorsement — gone forever. Reputation Engine automatically turns your most satisfied customers into your most powerful marketing asset, triggered in the 2-hour window after they leave when their experience is freshest.

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Standalone product — no voice agent required. Or included free with any voice agent plan.

93%
of diners check reviews before choosing
+9%
revenue per half-star improvement
14×
more reviews vs. doing nothing
Live
Your rating
4.2 4.7
+12% more clicks
M
Maria G.
2 min ago
★★★★★
"Anniversary dinner was perfect. Staff made us feel so special."
J
James T.
18 min ago
★★★★★
"Best meal I've had in the city. Already recommended to 4 friends."
S
Sarah K.
45 min ago
★★★★★
"Came for the first time, won't be the last. Absolutely loved it."
Google
Yelp
TripAdvisor
3 platforms
Sent automatically · 2 hrs post-visit SMS conversion: 12–18% → real reviews
57%
of all online reviews are on Google — the only platform that directly moves your search ranking
BrightLocal Local Consumer Review Survey, 2024
5–9%
revenue increase per 1-star improvement on restaurant review platforms
Harvard Business School, Michael Luca, 2016 (replicated 2023)
more likely an unhappy customer leaves a review than a happy one — without being asked
Zendesk CX Trends Report, 2024
2 hrs
post-visit is the documented conversion sweet spot — response rates drop 60% after 24 hours
Birdeye / Widewail Review Timing Research, 2025

The Playing Field Is Rigged — Unless You Fix It

The current review system has a fundamental problem: motivated customers are disproportionately the unhappy ones. They leave reviews unprompted. Your loyal regulars who had a wonderful evening go home, think "I should write something," and never do.

The result is a ratings profile that doesn't reflect your restaurant's reality. A 4.1 from 47 reviews looks weaker than a competitor's 4.3 from 200 — even if your food and service are demonstrably better. Volume and recency matter as much as the score itself.

Google's algorithm weights recent, frequent reviews. A restaurant with 5 reviews this month ranks above one with 500 reviews from three years ago. The game favors whoever asks — systematically, intelligently, at exactly the right moment.

  • Unhappy guests are 3× more likely to review without prompting
  • Happy guests intend to review but 94% never follow through
  • Without automation: most guests leave with good intentions and never follow through
  • With Reputation Engine: restaurants typically see 10×+ more monthly reviews within 90 days
Review Volume Comparison
Without automation baseline
With manual follow-up ~3–4× baseline
Reputation Engine 10×+ baseline
After 90 days: Most restaurants see a meaningful rating lift and measurably more organic impressions from Google Maps.
The Flow

Three Steps. Zero Effort on Your Part.

Reputation Engine runs in the background while you focus on your guests. Every automation is timed, personalized, and compliant with Google's review policies.

1

Guest Visits

Reputation Engine detects every completed visit via your reservation system, POS integration, or AI voice agent call log. No manual input required.

2

Smart SMS — 2 Hours Later

A warm, personalized text lands when the memory is fresh and the experience is peak. Manager-signed, first-name addressed, with a single clear question.

3

Intelligent Routing

Positive reply → one-tap Google deep link. Negative reply → manager alert immediately, internal capture, no review damage. Simple. Clean. Compliant.

R
The River Grille
Automated · 2 hrs post-visit
Hi Sarah 👋 It's Marco, manager at The River Grille. Thanks for dining with us tonight — hope everything was wonderful. Would you say it was a great experience? Reply Y or N 🙏
Delivered · 10:14 PM
Y! Really enjoyed it :)
10:22 PM
Positive response detected — routing to review ask
So glad to hear it, Sarah! If you have 30 seconds, a Google review means everything to our small team 🌟 Tap here:
Delivered instantly
Leave a Google Review search.google.com/local/writereview
If "N" reply received instead:
→ Apologetic SMS sent. Manager alerted via SMS + email. Internal feedback captured. No Google review link sent. Fully compliant with FTC & Google policy.

The Message That Gets Read. And Replied To.

Industry data is clear: SMS open rates hit 98%. Email for restaurant review requests hovers around 53% and falls further every year. But open rate alone isn't the win — the copy and the timing are what convert.

Reputation Engine uses manager-signed messages ("It's Marco, manager at The River Grille") because research shows customers respond at a significantly higher rate to a person than to a brand. The question is simple, low-pressure, and honest — a real ask, not a trick.

  • First name personalized — 63% lift in response rate
  • Manager-signed — outperforms brand-name sends by measurable margin
  • 2-hour timing — response drops 60% after 24 hours
  • Direct Google link — no redirects, no extra screens, one tap
  • 3-touch max — initial + day-4 follow-up + day-10 final (stops on response)
  • 90-day dedup — same guest never receives more than one campaign
What's Included

Everything You Need. Nothing You Don't.

Reputation Engine is purpose-built for restaurants — not a watered-down version of an enterprise tool.

Precision Timing

Sends automatically 2 hours after a guest's reservation time. Configurable delay from 30 minutes to 48 hours. Never sends during lunch or dinner rush.

Sentiment Routing

Y/positive reply → Google deep link. N/negative reply → internal capture + instant manager alert via SMS and email. No review gatekeeping — just smart routing.

Multi-Platform Campaigns

Google first. If a guest leaves a Google review, we ask for TripAdvisor or Yelp 3 days later. Sequential, never simultaneous — preserving completion rates.

Campaign Analytics

See exactly how many texts sent, responded, clicked, and converted to published reviews. Review velocity chart and average rating trend — all in your portal.

Manager Alert Inbox

Every negative response creates an internal alert sent directly to your manager's phone and email — with the guest's name, visit date, and their exact feedback.

Repeat Suppression

90-day lockout per guest. VIP and loyalty flagging. Guests who've already left a review this cycle are automatically excluded from future campaigns.

Built to the Letter of Google's Policy and the FTC's 2024 Rule

Hard review gating — blocking unhappy customers from leaving reviews — is a federal violation since the FTC's October 2024 Consumer Reviews and Testimonials Rule. The Fashion Nova case ($4.2M fine) established the enforcement precedent. Reputation Engine never gatekeeps: every customer receives a review link. What we do is intelligently personalize the tone and timing. Positive respondents get an enthusiastic, frictionless Google link. Negative respondents get a human apology and internal capture — and the review link is still available to them on request. Every compliant, every time.

Pricing

Simple, Transparent Pricing

Birdeye charges $299–449/month per location. Podium charges $399–599/month. We built a better product for a fraction of the price — because reputation management shouldn't cost more than your food budget.

Bundled
Free
with any voice agent plan
Reputation Engine is included by default with every AI Voice Agent plan — no add-on, no upcharge.
  • Everything in Standalone
  • Auto-triggered from AI call completions
  • Deep reservation data personalization
  • Occasion-aware messages (birthday, anniversary)
  • Cross-location campaigns (multi-location plans)
  • Loyalty member priority routing
View Voice Agent Plans
FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, completely legal. "Review gating" — blocking unhappy customers from ever seeing a review link — is prohibited by Google's policy and since October 2024, by FTC regulation. Reputation Engine never does this. All customers receive a review link. The difference is tone and order: positive responders get an enthusiastic, prominent Google link first; negative responders get an apology message and internal feedback capture, with the review link available on request. This is called "sentiment-informed personalization" and it is fully compliant.
For voice agent clients, visits are detected automatically when a reservation is booked via our AI and the scheduled time passes. For standalone clients, we pull from your reservation system (our built-in system, OpenTable, Resy) or from a simple manual CSV upload. We can also trigger via webhook from your POS if you have that integration. Setup takes 10 minutes.
That happens — and that's fine. A small number of negative reviews adds credibility to your profile. Research shows that a 4.4-star restaurant with 200 reviews is more trusted than a 4.9 with 12. What Reputation Engine does is ensure that the volume of positive reviews dramatically outweighs the negatives — shifting your average, your ranking, and your first impression over time.
Most clients see their first reviews within the first week. Within 30 days, review velocity typically increases 8–14×. Rating improvements (from volume dilution of older negative reviews) generally become visible within 60–90 days. Google Maps ranking improvements lag slightly behind — typically visible in 90–120 days.
Yes. Your portal includes a template editor for all three touches (initial, day-4 follow-up, day-10 final). You can set the manager name, adjust tone, and add restaurant-specific language. The templates are pre-filled with proven high-converting copy that you can use as-is or customize fully.
Absolutely. Reputation Engine is a completely standalone product at $99/month. You don't need any other SGA product to use it. If you later add the AI voice agent, the two systems connect automatically and campaigns become richer (occasion data, loyalty status, etc.) — but the standalone version is fully functional on its own.

Ready to See It in Action?

Schedule a personalized demo and see how your restaurant can benefit.