Collecting reviews via a bot: a 1–5 rating, unhappy clients to an operator, happy ones to the platform

How the template works: rating, comment, branching

The template puts into the editor: /start → a “Message” asking for a rating → a rating “Data collection” into the score field with “number” validation and saving to the score variable → a comment “Data collection” into the review field → a “Condition” “Rating 1–3?” (the score variable is at most 3). The 1–3 branch: a “Message” “Thanks for being honest, I’m passing this to the administrator” → “Action → add tag” negative → “Operator”. The “otherwise” branch is a “Message” with thanks. The rating and the text are saved to the contact card. If a person answers three times with something other than a number, there is no rating — and they get thanks, not an operator.

The first edit to make it yours is the rating method: instead of typing a number, you can put five buttons “1”–“5” into the “Message”: each has its own exit, each branch has “Action → add tag” score:1…score:5 and “set variable” score. Buttons rule out answers like “fine”. The positive branch should lead to the platform with a link button — more on that below.

The second edit is not to ask for a comment before the branching. An unhappy client is asked by the operator, a happy one is asked to write on the platform. The flow works in all channels; for marketplaces the main entry is the QR code in the insert, and there the template pairs with the “Buyer bot” — more on that below.

When and how to ask for a rating

The bot messages first only those who have already written to it — that is a Telegram and MAX limitation, not CHBT’s. So a review request always continues a conversation that has already started. Three working entry points:

• From a booking or order flow. After the visit is confirmed — a 1–2-day “Pause” → a “Subflow” block with the review flow. The countdown starts from the booking, not the visit, so the pause is chosen for the typical booking horizon. The booking template — “Appointment booking”.
• A QR code in the parcel insert. The buyer scans it, lands in the bot, gets the instructions and warranty, and after a 3–5-day “Pause” (the product is unpacked and tried) — a request to rate it.
• A broadcast by tag (Basic plan and above): at the end of the week you select everyone with the visited tag and send “Rate your visit — one button”. Broadcasts have no buttons, so ask people to write the word «оценка» (rating) — it becomes a “Keyword” trigger for the flow. How broadcasts work in Telegram — on the page about broadcasts via a bot.

To avoid asking twice: set the review:asked tag at the start of the flow, and before the request add a “Condition”: if the tag is already there, a “thanks, you’ve already rated us” branch without asking again. Why a bot can’t message a stranger and what to do about it — in the breakdown of the “bot can’t message first” error.

Negative feedback — into a conversation with an operator

In the template the branch for ratings 1–3 is short: a message, the negative tag and “Operator”. The full one is built from four blocks.

1. “Message”: “Thanks for being honest. Tell us what went wrong — we’ll look into it and get back to you.” No buttons — text is needed here.
2. “Data collection” into the review field.
3. “Action”: add the negative tag; “Notify operator” with the text “Rating {{score}} from {{name}}: see the conversation”; optionally — “Deal in CRM” titled “Complaint: {{name}}” so the complaint lives on the kanban board and isn’t lost.
4. “Operator”. The bot goes silent, the conversation with the “operator” status appears in “Conversations”, operators get a Web Push and a sound, and an email if configured.

From here time works against you: an hour later a person who gave a “2” will open the listing on the platform or the maps. A reply within 30–60 minutes and a concrete action (a replacement, a refund, a discount on the next visit) defuses public negativity in a noticeable share of cases. This is not “hiding reviews”: the client can write anywhere; you just get the chance to fix things first.

After resolving it, the operator removes the negative tag and sets resolved — later “Contacts” shows how many complaints were closed. What the client sees when handed to a person and how to return the conversation to the bot — in the article on handing a conversation to an operator.

Positive feedback — to the marketplace listing or maps

The branch for ratings 4–5: a “Message” with thanks and a URL button — a direct link to the place where you need the review. For an Ozon or Wildberries listing — a link to the product, for an offline location — Yandex Maps or 2GIS, for a service — the reviews page on your website.

The link should depend on the source, which is done with a “Condition” on a tag: buyers with src:ozon get one button, with src:wb — another, salon clients with svc:* — maps. The source tag is set at entry — from the QR code or deep link payload.

Three details that raise the share of people who write a review:

• First ask for a few words in the chat (“What did you like most?”) — the person puts it into words, and then it’s easier for them to paste the ready text on the platform.
• Don’t promise a bonus for a review — marketplace and map rules forbid it, and “for a gift” reviews are removed along with the rating.
• Set the promoter tag: these are your most loyal clients, and a month later this tag is handy for announcing something new by broadcast.

CHBT does not publish reviews automatically — the client leaves the text. But in the “Marketplaces” section, after connecting Ozon and Wildberries via API, you get an email digest with the number of new reviews — you can see whether their flow grows after the requests in the bot. Review texts are not shown in CHBT; you read them in the marketplace account.

Pairing with the QR buyer bot on marketplaces

For an Ozon or Wildberries seller, collecting reviews is the second half of one chain; the first is the “Buyer bot”. How it is built:

1. In the “QR campaigns” section you create a campaign — a QR code with a deep link into the bot, with its own payload for each SKU or batch. The code is printed on the parcel insert.
2. The buyer scans it → the “Deep link” trigger → “Action → add tag” src:wb, sku:1234 → a menu: instructions, warranty, support. The contact is saved in “Contacts”, optionally with a deal in “CRM”. The anonymous marketplace buyer becomes your subscriber.
3. A 3–5-day “Pause” → a “Subflow” with the review flow → a branch by rating: negative — to an operator before the buyer writes on the listing; positive — a button to the product page.

This way the listing stops being the only point of contact: a product question is resolved in the chat rather than in the platform’s “Questions” section, a defect turns into a return before a public one-star review, and happy buyers leave a review you asked for yourself. Six months later the base with the sku:* and promoter tags is an audience for launching a new product that you can reach directly; how to work with the “dormant” part of such a base — in the article on reactivation via a bot.

A limitation: the QR code leads to a Telegram or MAX bot, so the channel must be connected. The bot doesn’t send photos or files in these messengers — the instructions are given as a link.

What to measure and what it costs

Metrics are collected with tags in “Contacts” — there are no per-block counters in a flow.

Tag	What it shows
review:asked	How many people got the request
score:1…score:5	The rating distribution; the average is calculated in a spreadsheet after a CSV export
negative / resolved	How many complaints came in and how many were closed
promoter	The share of happy clients out of review:asked — the flow’s key number

You can build an NPS-style 0–10 scale, but VK shows no more than 10 buttons, so use 1–5 there or a “Data collection” with “number” validation. For a salon, café or a single specialist the free plan is enough: 30 conversations a month, one operator. A seller with a flow of parcels needs Basic — 650 ₽/month per bot: no conversation limit, broadcasts by tags, unlimited operators; the “Marketplaces” section and QR campaigns are available in the account. Open the “Review collection” template and replace the link in the button with your listing.