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Hold the request

When Not to Request a Testimonial

Most advice is about the perfect moment to ask. The costlier mistake is the wrong moment: a cheerful “would you vouch for us?” landing in the inbox of someone with an unresolved ticket, a disputed invoice or a contract under negotiation. Run this checklist on a customer before the request goes out, and hold it if any box says stop.

  • Situations where a request does harm
  • Checks to run on one customer before sending
  • What to do instead while you wait
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Clear to ask
2 of 12 done17%
  • They have no open support ticket or bug report
  • No outage or incident has affected them in the last two weeks
  • Nobody on the team has escalated a concern about this account recently
  • There is no disputed or overdue invoice on the account
  • They have not asked for a refund or credit that is still being discussed
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Pre-send checklist

Should this customer get a request today?

Tick each check that is clear for one customer. Any item you cannot tick is a reason to hold the request.

Service and support
Money and contracts
The work itself
The person

Your ticks stay in your browser. Nothing is saved or sent.

The problem, solved

How requests end up at the wrong moment, and how StoryProof helps you hold them

  • Problem 1

    We emailed the whole customer list

    A bulk send reached the three accounts with open complaints. One replied to everyone asking why you want praise while their system is down.

  • Problem 2

    The reminder went out during an outage

    The first ask was fine. The automatic reminder arrived a week later, on the day your service went down.

  • Problem 3

    They answered with their complaint

    Asked at a bad moment, some customers use the form to say exactly what is wrong. You need to hear it fast.

  • Problem 4

    An angry reply nearly went public

    A bitter submission from a mistimed request should be handled as a complaint, not published by accident.

  • Problem 5

    We cannot see who is mid negotiation

    Sales knows a renewal is tense; marketing does not, and sends a request asking for a glowing quote that week.

Hold reasons and when to look again

Your own judgment about the relationship beats any rule in this table.
SituationWhy it hurts to askWhen to look again
Open ticket or bugFeels like you are ignoring the problemA week or two after it is resolved and confirmed
Disputed invoice or refundReads as asking a favour while you owe themAfter the money question is settled
Renewal or price talksLooks like a bargaining tacticAfter the contract is signed
Project cut shortThey did not get the full resultUsually never, unless they raise it
Personal hardshipTone deaf at the worst timeOnly when they are clearly back to normal

In StoryProof

Build the hold into your request routine

  1. 1

    Run the checklist against the list

    Before a send, ask support and finance who should not get a request right now. Five minutes of names saves a week of apologies.

  2. 2

    Keep held customers out of the send

    Build the request list from the clear customers only. Contacts and smart lists are on every plan.

  3. 3

    Send, with reminders inside quiet hours

    From Pro, let the follow-ups automation send the two reminders inside your quiet hours, and pause it if an incident starts.

  4. 4

    Treat bad replies as support cases

    Low ratings and complaints that come back through the form go to the person who can fix them, not into the approval queue.

What happens next: Keep a short note of who was held and why, and check them again next time you plan a send.

Before you start

What StoryProof and this checklist cannot see

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

  1. 01

    StoryProof does not read your help desk

    It does not know a ticket is open or an invoice is disputed. Only your team does, so the hold depends on asking them.

  2. 02

    Reminders follow their own schedule

    Follow-ups stop when a testimonial arrives or someone unsubscribes. They do not stop because something went wrong elsewhere, so pause them yourself.

  3. 03

    Some holds never lift

    If a project ended badly, waiting does not make a request appropriate. Leave that customer out.

  4. 04

    You will sometimes get it wrong

    You cannot know everything happening in a customer’s life. If a request lands badly, apologise briefly and do not ask again soon.

FAQ

Questions people ask

Short answers to what usually comes up next.

Should I ask right after fixing a customer’s problem?

Not immediately. Wait until the fix has held for a week or two and the customer has said things are back to normal. Asking the day you close the ticket can feel like you only fixed it for the quote.

Is it ever fine to ask during a renewal?

It is safer to wait until the contract is signed. During talks, a request can look like you want leverage, or like their praise is part of the deal.

What if the customer is happy despite an open ticket?

Then they will still be happy in two weeks when it is closed. Waiting costs little; a request that lands badly costs a lot.

How do I keep a held customer out of automated reminders?

Do not add them to the request list in the first place. If they already received a request, they can unsubscribe, and the follow-ups skip anyone who has.

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

Send requests only to customers who are ready

Build request lists from the customers you choose, and keep angry replies out of public view until you have read them.

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Last updated 2026-11-07.