The Automation Flow Builder

Here's the Flow Builder article:

The Automation Flow Builder

The Flow Builder is the engine behind ReviewRover's automated review requests. It's a visual canvas where you can see every step of your outreach sequence — exactly what gets sent, in what order, and when.

The good news: you don't need to change anything. ReviewRover comes with a default 5-step flow that has been refined based on performance data from over 150,000 outreach messages sent across our customer base. It's already set up and ready to go. This article explains how it works, and what you can customize if you choose to.

Where to Find It

Click Review Request Flow in the left sidebar, then click Flow. This opens the Automation Flow Builder.

Understanding the Canvas

The canvas shows your full outreach sequence as a visual flow from top to bottom. Each step is connected by a line showing the order and timing of messages.

In the top-right corner you'll see the Campaign Overview panel showing:

  • Status — Active or Inactive
  • Steps — total number of steps in your flow
  • Email Steps — number of email steps
  • SMS Steps — number of SMS steps

At the very top of the canvas is the Trigger node — this fires when a new contact is created in ReviewRover, which is what kicks off the entire sequence.

The Default 5-Step Flow

ReviewRover's default flow is built from performance data across 150,000+ sends. The sequence is:

Step Type Timing
1 SMS Immediately
2 SMS 1 day later
3 Email 1 day later
4 SMS 1 day later
5 Email 1 day later

Our recommendation: leave this as-is. The timing, channel order, and message copy have been tested at scale and represent the best-performing combination we've found. Most businesses see their strongest review conversion rates with this default sequence.

How Each Step Works

Click any step on the canvas to open its settings in the left panel.

SMS Steps have two settings:

  • Message — the text that gets sent. Supports variable tokens like {{contact.first_name}} and {{account.name}} to personalize each message automatically
  • Time Delay — how long after the previous step this message sends

Email Steps have three settings:

  • Subject — the email subject line
  • Body — the email content, also supporting variable tokens
  • Call to Action — the button text that links to your review page (e.g. "Leave us a review")
  • Time Delay — how long after the previous step this email sends

Click Save after making any changes to a step.

Enabling and Disabling Your Flow

The Disabled / Enabled toggle sits in the top-right corner of the Flow page.

  • When the button shows Disabled — click it to activate your flow. The button will update to show Enabled
  • When the button shows Enabled — your flow is live and contacts are being enrolled automatically
  • You can also confirm your flow status from the dashboard — the top-right button will show green Review Automation is Enabled when active

Important: Make sure your flow is enabled before importing contacts or connecting your CRM. Contacts that enter ReviewRover while the flow is disabled will not receive outreach retroactively.

Adding or Removing Steps

To add a new step, click the + button between any two existing steps on the canvas. You'll be prompted to choose SMS or Email. Configure the message and time delay in the left panel, then save.

To remove a step, click the gear icon on any step card, then select delete.

That said — we recommend sticking with the default 5-step sequence. Adding too many steps can reduce deliverability and lead to unsubscribes. The default flow is optimized for engagement without overwhelming your customers.

Variable Tokens

Both SMS and email steps support variable tokens that automatically personalize each message. The two most commonly used are:

  • contact First Name — inserts the customer's first name
  • account Name — inserts your business name

These are inserted using the + Variables button in the message editor. Click it to browse all available tokens and insert them directly into your message.

Customizing Your Messages

If you do want to update the copy, here are a few things that tend to perform well based on our data:

  • Keep SMS messages short and conversational — under 160 characters where possible
  • Use the customer's first name in the opening line
  • Make the ask clear and direct — don't bury the review link request
  • The email Call to Action button text matters — "Leave us a review" consistently outperforms longer or vaguer alternatives
  • Avoid sounding automated — messages that feel personal convert better

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to set up the flow from scratch? No. The default 5-step flow is already built and ready. All you need to do is enable it.

What happens if I disable the flow while contacts are mid-sequence? Contacts already enrolled will stop receiving messages at their next scheduled step. They will not receive those steps retroactively when the flow is re-enabled.

Can I have different flows for different GBP locations? Yes. Each location in ReviewRover has its own Flow Builder. Switch between locations using the dropdown in the top-right corner of your dashboard.

Can I A/B test different messages? A/B testing is on our product roadmap. For now, we recommend starting with the default flow and making incremental copy adjustments if you want to experiment.

What's the difference between the Flow Builder and Flow Settings? The Flow Builder controls what gets sent and when — the message content, channels, and timing. Flow Settings controls who gets sent to Google vs. the Feedback inbox, and how reviews are distributed across multiple GBPs. See our Flow Settings article for more detail.

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Next Steps

Now that you understand the Flow Builder, here's where to go next:

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