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Who runs the program

Should You Outsource Testimonial Collection

Asking customers for testimonials is nobody’s full time job, so it slips. Handing it to an agency, a freelancer or a virtual assistant sounds like the fix, until customers start getting requests from a stranger. Answer five questions about your customers, your team and what you need back, and see who should run the asking.

  • In house, outsourced or a split
  • Weighs relationships, volume and team time
  • Keeps the account and approvals with you

Decision helper

Who should run your testimonial requests?

Answer for the program as it would run over the next six months.

How personal are your customer relationships?
How many customers would you ask each month?
Does anyone on the team have a few hours a month for this?
What do you mostly need back?
How sensitive is contact with your customers?

Your answers are scored in your browser and are not stored.

The problem, solved

What goes wrong when collection is handed over, and how StoryProof keeps you in control

  • Problem 1

    The agency owns the account, not us

    When the contract ends, the library, the collection links and the widgets on your site sit in an account you cannot log into.

  • Problem 2

    They published a quote we would never use

    An outsider does not know that one customer is in a dispute, or that a quote mentions a feature you dropped.

  • Problem 3

    Customers do not know who is emailing

    A request from an unfamiliar agency address looks like spam, and the reply rate drops.

  • Problem 4

    We are paying someone just to chase

    Most outsourced hours go on reminders: checking who replied, sending the second email, then the third.

Which jobs can go out, and which should stay

JobOutsource?Why
Owning the account and the customer listNoThe library has to survive the end of any contract
Deciding which customers to askNoOnly your team knows who is unhappy or mid negotiation
Sending the first requestSometimesFine for light contact customers; keep it personal for key accounts
Reminders and chasingYesTime consuming and low judgment, or automated
Filming, editing and case study write-upsYesSkilled work that does not need the relationship
Approving what gets publishedNoYour name is on the claim

In StoryProof

Set up the split before anyone sends a request

  1. 1

    Open the account in your own name

    Whoever runs it day to day, the account belongs to the business. Add outside help as a seat in your brand space.

  2. 2

    Agree a contact list and a hold list

    Add the customers outside help may contact. Keep key accounts and anyone mid dispute off it.

  3. 3

    Automate the chasing

    From Pro, let the follow-ups automation send the reminders instead of paying for hours spent chasing.

  4. 4

    Keep approval with your team

    Everything waits in the queue until your approver publishes it. Use tags so outside help can mark what is ready for review.

What happens next: Review the arrangement after three months: replies, quality and any customer who complained about being contacted.

Before you start

What this decision does not cover

What this does not cover, and what to check on your side. Better to know now than after launch.

  1. 01

    It does not compare vendors

    This page does not rate agencies or assistants, or say what they should cost. Ask any candidate how they handle consent and what happens to your data when the contract ends.

  2. 02

    Outside help still needs your input

    Someone on your team has to say who to ask and approve what comes back. Fully hands off is not realistic.

  3. 03

    Contract terms are yours to check

    Who owns the recordings and written testimonials is set by your agreement with the agency, not by the software. Get it in writing.

  4. 04

    Customers notice who asks

    A request from a known name almost always does better than one from a stranger. Factor that into any volume promise you are given.

FAQ

Questions people ask

Short answers to what usually comes up next.

Can a virtual assistant send testimonial requests for us?

Yes, for customers with light contact. Give them a seat in your account, a list of who they may contact and a request written in your voice, and keep approval with your team.

Should the agency use its own testimonial tool?

It is safer to use an account your business owns. If the agency’s tool holds the library, getting it back at the end depends entirely on them.

Who should approve testimonials if collection is outsourced?

Someone inside the business. Only your team knows which claims are accurate, which customers are unhappy and what you are allowed to say.

Is outsourcing worth it for a very small business?

Usually not for the asking itself. A few requests a month take little time, and customers respond better to the owner. Outsource filming or editing if you need it.

Still have a question? Ask the StoryProof team or book a demo.

Keep the account, share the work

Own your testimonial library, give outside help a seat, and approve every quote before it goes live.

Last updated 2026-11-07.