Zapier + Google Forms + Gmail: The DIY Review Request Funnel

You don't need fancy software to automate review requests. You need Google Forms, Zapier, and Gmail. And about 20 minutes to set it up. Here's exactly how.

What you'll learn:

• How to capture customer emails with a Google Form
• Setting up a Zapier trigger for form submissions
• Building a delayed Gmail sequence
• Adding a follow-up message for non-openers
• Tracking what's actually working

---

Why This Stack Works

Google Forms is free. Zapier costs £20-30/month. Gmail is already in your life.

Together, they become a review request machine that sends emails automatically, with delays, follow-ups, and tracking.

No coding required. No fancy tools. No monthly bills that feel like a second mortgage.

Let's build it.

---

Step 1: Create Your Google Form

This is where everything starts.

Open Google Forms. Create a new form. Call it "Customer Feedback" or "Service Review" or something you don't mind showing to customers.

Add three questions:

Question 1: "What's your email address?"

• Type: Short answer
• Required: Yes
• This is how we contact them

Question 2: "What's your first name?"

• Type: Short answer
• Required: Yes
• This lets your emails feel personal instead of templated

Question 3: "Any comments?"

• Type: Paragraph
• Required: No
• This gives them a direct line to you, alongside the public review option

One thing NOT to add: a "how would you rate your experience?" question that decides who gets the Google link. That's review gating — sending happy customers to Google and steering unhappy ones away. It violates Google's review policies and consumer law (the FTC in the US, the ACCC in Australia), and Google can wipe your reviews or suspend your profile for it. Everyone who fills out the form gets the same sequence.

Once you've built the form, note the form's URL. You'll share this with customers or embed it on your website.

Test it by submitting a response to yourself. Make sure you receive a confirmation email.

---

Step 2: Connect Google Forms to Zapier

Now Zapier needs to "listen" to your form. Every time someone submits the form, Zapier will know about it.

Log into Zapier. Create a new Zap.

Step 2.1: Set the trigger

• Choose "Google Forms" as your app
• Choose "New Form Response" as your trigger
• Click "Connect Account" and authenticate your Google account
• Select your form from the dropdown

Once connected, Zapier will find all the responses you've entered so far. Good—this means it's working.

Click "Continue."

---

Step 3: Add a Delay (2 Hours)

Here's the smart bit: you don't want to email people immediately. You want to wait a couple of hours so the moment doesn't feel contrived.

In Zapier, add an action:

• Click "+" to add an action
• Search for "Delay" and select the Delay app
• Choose "Delay for" (not "Delay until")
• Set it to 2 hours
• Click "Continue"

This tells Zapier: "Someone filled out the form. Wait 2 hours. Then do the next thing."

---

Step 4: Send the First Gmail (To Everyone)

Now we'll send the review request. Same email, every customer.

Add another action:

• Click "+" to add another step
• Search for "Gmail" and select "Send Email"
• Authenticate your Gmail account
• Fill in the details:

To: Click the field. You'll see "Responses" appear. Select "Email Address."

Subject: "Quick favour—Google review?"

Body:

"Hi [First Name],

Thanks for choosing us for the job.

If you've got 30 seconds, we'd be grateful for a Google review. Here's the link:

[YOUR GOOGLE BUSINESS PROFILE URL]

And if anything wasn't right, just reply to this email — it comes straight to me and I'll sort it.

Cheers, [Your name]"

To insert the customer's first name, click the dynamic field button (looks like a lightning bolt) and select "First Name" from the form responses.

Note what this email does: every customer gets the same Google link AND a direct private line back to you, side by side. No pre-screening, no sentiment filter. That's the compliant shape — and it works, because people with a genuine gripe usually reply rather than review.

Click "Continue."

---

Step 5: Add Another Delay (22 Hours)

For the follow-up, wait another 22 hours (so roughly 24 hours from the original submission).

Add another Delay action:

• 22 hours
• Click "Continue"

---

Step 6: Send the Follow-up Email

Now add a second Gmail action for people who didn't open the first email.

Same steps as Step 4, but this time:

Subject: "Did you see that Google review link?"

Body:

"Hey [First Name],

Just checking in—did you get the chance to leave that review?

Here's the link again if you didn't see it:

[YOUR GOOGLE BUSINESS PROFILE URL]

Would mean the world to us. And as before — if anything wasn't right, just reply and I'll sort it.

Thanks, [Your name]"

Same as the first email: it goes to everyone, no filters.

Click "Continue."

---

Step 7: Handle Private Feedback When It Comes In

The "just reply to this email" line in your messages is your private feedback channel — offered to every customer, not just ones you suspect are unhappy. When someone replies with a problem:

• Respond within 24 hours. Speed is most of the fix.
• Ask what went wrong, put it right, and say what you've changed.
• Don't ask them to remove or avoid a review. Just fix the problem.

If you'd rather collect feedback in a form than an inbox, add a second Google Form ("Tell us what went wrong") and link it in the SAME emails everyone receives, right under the Google review link. Both options, every customer.

And if a critical review does land on Google? Reply calmly and professionally, publicly, and offer to make it right. A well-handled negative review reads better to prospects than a wall of untouched 5-stars.

---

Step 8: Test and Publish

Before you go live, test the entire funnel.

In Zapier, click "Test." Fill out the form with your own email address. Watch the emails arrive in your inbox at the 2-hour and 24-hour marks (Zapier will execute the delays).

Once you're confident it's working, click "Publish Zap."

Now every form submission will trigger this entire sequence automatically.

---

How to Share the Form With Customers

Print the QR code or link:

• Share it via SMS: "Service complete—review us? [FORM LINK]"
• Email it: Include the link in your post-service follow-up email
• Display it: Post a QR code at your till or on your invoice
• Embed it: Add it to your website

Every submission automatically triggers your email sequence.

---

What You're Actually Tracking

Zapier shows you:

• Form submissions: How many customers are filling it out? (Track this weekly)
• Email sends: How many automated emails went out?
• Email opens: How many people opened the first message? (Most email clients don't track opens, but Gmail does)
• Conversion: How many people actually went from form → Google review?

Most of the time, you'll need to track conversions manually by checking your Google Business Profile for new reviews the day after your email sends.

Log the dates. Log the number of reviews that appeared. This tells you what's working.

---

The Reality Check

This system works brilliantly IF people actually fill out the form. If you're only getting 3 form submissions a week, this whole thing will feel slow.

The real work isn't the automation—it's getting people to fill out the form in the first place.

So:

• Ask in person ("Oi, can you do us a favour and fill this out on your phone?")
• Include it in your invoice
• Text it right after service delivery
• Offer a simple incentive: "Fill this out and you're in our draw for [something small]"

Better question: are you even asking right now? If you're not, start with this system. You'll be surprised how many people will say yes when given an easy path.

---

What This Actually Delivers

If you implement this properly:

• You'll send review requests automatically without lifting a finger after setup
• You'll space messages across 24 hours (better conversion than single asks)
• You'll give every customer a private feedback line alongside the review link (so problems reach you directly)
• You'll track data so you know what's working
• You'll get 4-8 new reviews per month (if you're getting 15-20 form submissions per month)

And you built it yourself. No dependency on fancy software. No monthly subscriptions beyond Zapier.

Simples.

---

So. Are you currently asking for reviews manually? Or is this DIY stack giving you the blueprint to automate without the cost? Drop a comment and tell me if you're building this or if you've hit a stumbling block.