Google Reviews & Customer Feedback
Overview
CaptiFi's Google Reviews integration helps venues increase their online reputation by automatically requesting reviews from satisfied WiFi guests. Using an intelligent review gating system, guests who had a positive experience are directed to leave a public Google review, while guests with negative feedback are routed to a private feedback form — giving you the opportunity to address issues before they become public.
📋 Plan Requirement: The Google Reviews integration requires the Busy Venue plan or higher.
Table of Contents
- Getting Started
- Connecting Your Google Place
- Review Request Settings
- How Review Gating Works
- Review Request Email
- Google Review Stats
- Customer Feedback Dashboard
- Troubleshooting
Getting Started
The Google Reviews Integration page is located under the Integrations navigation group (sort position 51) in the CaptiFi dashboard.
Prerequisites
| Requirement | Details |
|---|---|
| CaptiFi Plan | Busy Venue plan or higher. |
| Google Business Profile | Your venue must have an active Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business). |
| Active Site | At least one site configured with an active captive portal. |
| Guest Email Collection | Your captive portal must collect guest email addresses (required to send review request emails). |
Quick Setup Checklist
- [ ] Ensure you are on the Busy Venue plan.
- [ ] Navigate to Dashboard → Integrations → Google Reviews.
- [ ] Search for and select your Google Business listing.
- [ ] Configure review request timing settings.
- [ ] Enable automatic review requests.
- [ ] Monitor results via the stats panel and feedback dashboard.
Connecting Your Google Place
The first step is to link your CaptiFi account to your Google Business Profile listing.
Step-by-Step: Linking Your Google Place
- Navigate to Dashboard → Integrations → Google Reviews.
- In the Google Place search field, start typing your business name.
- An autocomplete dropdown (powered by the Google Places API) will appear with matching results.
- Select your venue from the list.
- Once selected, the following details will be displayed for confirmation:
| Detail | Description |
|---|---|
| Business Name | The name of your business as it appears on Google. |
| Address | The full street address from your Google listing. |
| Current Rating | Your current Google star rating (e.g., 4.3). |
| Total Reviews | The total number of Google reviews your business has received. |
| Place Photo | A photo from your Google Business listing. |
- Verify the details are correct and save.
💡 Tip: If your venue doesn't appear in the search results, ensure your Google Business Profile is published and verified at business.google.com.
Review Request Settings
Once your Google Place is connected, configure when and how often review request emails are sent to guests.
Settings Fields
| Setting | Type | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Auto Review Enabled | Toggle | Off | Master switch to enable/disable automatic review request emails. |
| Review Request Delay (Hours) | Number | 2 | How many hours after a guest logs into your WiFi before the review request email is sent. Help text: "Hours after guest WiFi login." |
| Review Request Frequency (Days) | Number | 30 | Minimum number of days between review request emails sent to the same guest. Prevents repeat guests from receiving too many requests. Help text: "Minimum days between requests to same guest." |
Step-by-Step: Configuring Review Requests
- On the Google Reviews Integration page, locate the Settings section.
- Toggle Auto Review Enabled to on.
- Set the Review Request Delay:
- Recommended:
2hours — gives the guest time to experience your venue while the WiFi login is still fresh. - Minimum:
1hour. - For hotels/accommodation: Consider
24–48hours (after checkout).
- Recommended:
- Set the Review Request Frequency:
- Recommended:
30days — prevents review fatigue for regular visitors. - For infrequent visitors:
7–14days. - For daily regulars:
60–90days.
- Recommended:
- Click Save.
Timing Recommendations by Venue Type
| Venue Type | Delay (Hours) | Frequency (Days) | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|
| Café / Coffee Shop | 1–2 | 30 | Short visit, request while experience is fresh. |
| Restaurant | 2–3 | 30 | After the meal is finished. |
| Bar / Pub | 3–4 | 14 | Later in the visit; less frequent repeat visitors. |
| Hotel / B&B | 24–48 | 90 | After checkout; guests visit infrequently. |
| Co-working Space | 4–8 | 60 | After a work session; regulars should not be spammed. |
| Retail Store | 1–2 | 30 | Quick visit, prompt request. |
| Gym / Fitness | 2–4 | 60 | After workout session; members visit often. |
How Review Gating Works
CaptiFi uses a review gating system to intelligently route guests based on their satisfaction level. This is a core feature that protects your online reputation while still capturing valuable negative feedback privately.
The Guest Journey
Guest connects to WiFi → [Delay Hours] → Review Request Email Sent
↓
Guest opens email
↓
Guest sees star rating selector (1–5 stars)
↓
┌─────────────────────┴──────────────────────┐
↓ ↓
⭐⭐⭐⭐ or ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ⭐, ⭐⭐, or ⭐⭐⭐
(4–5 Stars) (1–3 Stars)
↓ ↓
Redirected to Google Redirected to Private
Review Page for your Feedback Form
venue (public review) (internal only)Rating Routing Table
| Star Rating | Classification | Destination | Visibility |
|---|---|---|---|
| ⭐ (1 star) | Negative | Private feedback form | Internal only — visible on Customer Feedback Dashboard |
| ⭐⭐ (2 stars) | Negative | Private feedback form | Internal only — visible on Customer Feedback Dashboard |
| ⭐⭐⭐ (3 stars) | Negative | Private feedback form | Internal only — visible on Customer Feedback Dashboard |
| ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4 stars) | Positive | Google Review URL | Public — posted on Google |
| ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5 stars) | Positive | Google Review URL | Public — posted on Google |
Why Review Gating?
- Protects your Google rating — Unhappy guests provide feedback privately rather than posting a negative public review.
- Captures actionable feedback — You learn about issues through the private feedback form and can address them.
- Increases positive review volume — Happy guests are seamlessly directed to Google, increasing your public review count.
- Improves guest relations — You can follow up with unhappy guests privately to resolve their concerns.
Review Request Email
CaptiFi uses a pre-built email template for review request emails. The template includes:
| Element | Description |
|---|---|
| Venue Branding | Your venue name and branding from the captive portal settings. |
| Greeting | Personalized greeting using the guest's name (if collected). |
| Review Prompt | A friendly message asking the guest to rate their experience. |
| Star Rating Selector | Interactive 1–5 star rating selector that the guest clicks. |
| Rating Action | Clicking a star rating triggers the gating logic (4–5 → Google, 1–3 → Private form). |
Email Flow
- Guest connects to WiFi and their email is captured.
- After the configured delay (e.g., 2 hours), the review request email is automatically sent.
- The system checks if the guest has received a request within the frequency window (e.g., 30 days). If so, the email is not sent.
- Guest opens the email and sees the star rating selector.
- Guest clicks a star rating.
- Based on the rating, they are redirected appropriately (see Review Gating).
Google Review Stats
The Google Reviews Integration page displays real-time statistics about your Google Business listing and review performance.
Stats Panel
| Metric | Description |
|---|---|
| Current Rating | Your venue's current Google star rating (e.g., 4.5 / 5.0). |
| Total Reviews | Total number of Google reviews for your venue. |
| Recent Review Count | Number of reviews received in the recent period. |
💡 Tip: Monitor these stats regularly to track the impact of your review request campaigns. You should see a gradual increase in both total reviews and your average rating over time.
Customer Feedback Dashboard
The Customer Feedback Dashboard (CustomerFeedbackDashboard) displays all feedback collected from guests who rated their experience 1–3 stars (and were routed to the private feedback form instead of Google).
Dashboard Stats (Top Section)
| Metric | Description |
|---|---|
| Average Rating | Average star rating across all private feedback submissions. |
| Total Feedback Count | Total number of private feedback entries received. |
| Positive % | Percentage of all gated interactions where the guest rated 4–5 stars (went to Google). |
| Negative % | Percentage of all gated interactions where the guest rated 1–3 stars (submitted private feedback). |
Feedback Table Columns
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
| Guest Name | The name of the guest who submitted feedback. |
| The guest's email address (collected during WiFi login). | |
| Rating | The star rating the guest selected (displayed as stars: ⭐⭐ etc.). |
| Feedback Text | The written feedback/comments the guest provided on the private form. |
| Site Name | Which venue/site the guest visited. |
| Created At | Date and time the feedback was submitted. |
Step-by-Step: Reviewing Customer Feedback
- Navigate to Dashboard → Customer Feedback (or access via the Integrations section).
- Review the stats cards at the top for an overview of feedback trends.
- Scroll down to the feedback table to read individual submissions.
- Use the search and filter options to find specific feedback.
- Consider reaching out to guests who left negative feedback to resolve their concerns.
Using Feedback Effectively
| Feedback Rating | Suggested Action |
|---|---|
| ⭐ (1 star) | Urgent: Investigate immediately. Consider reaching out to the guest to apologize and resolve. |
| ⭐⭐ (2 stars) | Important: Review the feedback for recurring themes. Address systemic issues. |
| ⭐⭐⭐ (3 stars) | Monitor: Neutral-to-negative. Look for easy wins to push this guest toward a positive experience next time. |
Troubleshooting
Common Issues
| Issue | Possible Cause | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| Google Reviews integration not available | Account is not on the Busy Venue plan. | Upgrade your plan to Busy Venue or higher under Dashboard → Billing. |
| Venue not appearing in Google Place search | Google Business Profile is not verified or published. | Verify and publish your listing at business.google.com. |
| Review request emails not being sent | Auto Review is not enabled. | Toggle Auto Review Enabled to on in the integration settings. |
| Review request emails not being sent | Guest email was not collected during WiFi login. | Ensure your captive portal form includes an email field and it is required. |
| Guest received email but no review request email | Guest was sent a request within the frequency window. | This is expected behavior. The system respects the Review Request Frequency setting to avoid spamming guests. |
| All guests going to private feedback | Guests are all rating 1–3 stars. | This may indicate genuine satisfaction issues. Review feedback and address root causes. Consider if the delay timing is appropriate. |
| All guests going to Google | All guests rating 4–5 stars. | Great! This is the ideal scenario. Your guests are happy and leaving positive public reviews. |
| Low email open rates | Emails may be going to spam or guests ignoring them. | Ensure your sending domain is properly configured (SPF, DKIM). Consider adjusting the delay time — too long and guests forget the visit. |
| Google rating shown is outdated | Stats are cached and update periodically. | Refresh the page or wait for the next sync cycle. Google data is fetched via the Places API and may have a short cache period. |
| Private feedback form not collecting responses | Form may not be properly linked. | Verify the Google Place is connected and the integration is saved. Check the Customer Feedback Dashboard for any entries. |
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Can I customize the review request email template? A: The review request email uses a pre-built template optimized for conversions. The template automatically includes your venue name and branding.
Q: Does the system actually post reviews on Google? A: No. CaptiFi directs satisfied guests to your Google review page, but the guest still writes and submits the review themselves on Google. CaptiFi does not post reviews on behalf of guests.
Q: Is review gating against Google's policies? A: Google's policies prohibit selectively soliciting only positive reviews. CaptiFi's approach requests feedback from all guests equally — the gating simply routes the guest experience after they've already provided their rating. Many businesses use this approach, but please review Google's current terms of service for your specific situation.
Q: What happens if a guest rates 4–5 stars but doesn't actually leave a Google review? A: The guest is redirected to your Google review page, but whether they complete the review is up to them. CaptiFi cannot guarantee the review is posted.
Q: Can I respond to private feedback within CaptiFi? A: The Customer Feedback Dashboard displays all feedback entries with guest email addresses. You can use this information to reach out to guests directly via your own email.
Q: How quickly do Google stats update after a new review? A: Google stats are fetched via the Google Places API and may take several hours to reflect new reviews. The stats panel shows the most recently fetched data.
Best Practices
- Start with a 2-hour delay and adjust based on your venue type and guest behavior.
- Set frequency to 30 days to balance review volume against guest fatigue.
- Check the Customer Feedback Dashboard weekly to identify and address recurring issues.
- Track your Positive % over time — an increasing positive percentage indicates improving guest satisfaction.
- Respond to negative private feedback promptly — this can turn a dissatisfied guest into a loyal one.
- Monitor your Google rating on the stats panel to measure the impact of your review campaigns.
- Ensure email collection is enabled on your captive portal — without guest emails, review requests cannot be sent.