Use case
Feedback request texts
A text an hour or a day after a visit catches people while they still remember it. Ask one simple question, read the answers in your inbox, and get back to anyone who had a bad time while you can still put it right.
How do you ask for customer feedback by text?
Send a short text soon after the visit asking one question, such as how it went or whether they'd come back, with an easy way to answer by reply or a link to a form. In CaptiFi Connect replies land in your inbox, so you can thank people, fix problems and point customers to wherever you'd like them to share their thoughts.
Why ask by text
A feedback email lands among all the others. A text arrives on the phone itself and answering takes one reply, so it suits the one question you most want answered.
It also gives you a chance to put things right. If someone replies that the food was cold or the fitter left a mess, you hear about it directly and can sort it out while the customer still cares.
Asking well
These habits get you more useful answers:
- Ask one question. A score from 1 to 5, or YES and NO, is easy to answer by reply.
- Send it soon: the same evening for a meal, the next day for an appointment or a delivery.
- Say who you are and which visit you mean.
- Ask everyone the same way, whatever you expect them to say.
- If you want people to post about their visit on Google or elsewhere, give everyone the same link, whatever they replied, and leave it up to them.
- Don't offer rewards for positive comments.
Sending feedback requests automatically
If your till, booking or job system knows when a visit ends, the API can send the request for you. Call POST /api/v1/messages with schedule_at set a few hours later, or the next morning, and client_ref set to the booking or job number. Replies come back through the message.received webhook with the customer's number, so your system can record the score against the visit.
Scores in replies are plain text, so allow for '5', '5!' and 'five, thanks'. Anything your system can't read can go to a person.
There are no ready-made connections to till or booking systems, so a developer adds the calls. They can build and test the whole thing with a test key first.
Features you'll use
What feedback requests use in CaptiFi Connect:
- Send SMS with templates and merge fields, for a batch at the end of each day.
- Scheduled sending, so the text goes at a sensible time after the visit.
- The two-way inbox for replies, threaded by number.
- The message.received webhook for recording answers automatically.
- Message history with CSV export, for counting up replies at the end of the month.
Rules that apply
The ICO's guidance doesn't deal with feedback requests head on. Its test is whether the content is promotional. It says genuine market research isn't direct marketing, and that a message becomes marketing as soon as it includes promotional material, even when that isn't the main purpose.
A plain 'How was your visit?' sits close to research or a service message. Add an offer ('...and here's 10% off next time') and it's marketing. Asking people to praise you in public is promotional in its aim, so be careful with it. If you're unsure, treat the text as marketing: send it only to customers who've agreed to hear from you, or who fall under the soft opt-in, and add the opt-out line.
Either way, STOP replies are acted on automatically, and an opted-out number never gets another text from you.
Who asks for feedback by text
Restaurants and pubs after a booking, hotels after checkout, trades after a job, salons, garages and clinics after an appointment, and shops after a delivery.
Sample texts
Merge fields in braces are filled from each contact. The part count is worked out the way the platform bills it.
After a meal(service)
Hi {first_name}, thanks for coming to The Old Bell last night. How was everything? Reply with a score from 1 (poor) to 5 (great).
129 characters, 1 part
After a job(service)
Hi {first_name}, it's Fairfield Plumbing. Are you happy with the work we did on Tuesday? Reply YES or NO, and tell us if anything needs sorting.
144 characters, 1 part
Asking for a public comment(marketing)
Thanks for staying at Harbour View, {first_name}. Got a minute? We'd love a few words about your stay on Google: example.co.uk/hv Reply STOP to opt out
151 characters, 1 part
Send feedback requests from the dashboard
- 1
Make a list for the day
Add the day's customers to a list, or import them from your booking system's CSV export.
- 2
Write the question
Keep it to one question and one part, with {first_name} at the start.
- 3
Schedule it
Set the send for a sensible time, such as 10am the next day.
- 4
Read the replies
Answers arrive in the inbox, one thread per customer. Reply to thank people or sort out a problem.
- 5
Export the results
At the end of the month, export your message history as CSV and count up the scores.
Questions people ask
Is a feedback request text marketing?
It depends on what's in it. The ICO says genuine research isn't direct marketing, but any promotional content makes a message marketing. A plain question about a visit is low risk; one with an offer, or one pushing people to praise you in public, should be treated as marketing.
How soon after a visit should I send it?
While it's fresh: the same evening or the next morning for most visits. Scheduled sending lets you set it up at the time of booking or checkout.
Can customers reply with a score?
Yes, if you send from a UK mobile number by leaving the sender name blank. Replies come into the inbox, and to your own system through the message.received webhook if you use one.
Can I send people a link to a form or a Google page?
Yes, a link is just text in the message. Keep it short, use your own domain if you can, and remember it counts towards the character limit.
Do replies cost anything?
No. Texts you receive are free. You pay one credit per SMS part for the request itself.
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