How to Train Your Staff to Ask for Reviews

You asked the team at Monday’s meeting to start asking customers for reviews. Everyone nodded. By Friday, nobody had asked a single person.

If you’re relying on staff to help you buy 5 Star Google Reviews in Australia, an announcement at a meeting won’t do it. Give them one sentence to say, the review link on their phone, a fixed moment in the job to ask, and a short list of rules. Practise it once together, then check the numbers every week.

We set this up with client teams at BuyReviews. It takes about half an hour to train and a few minutes a week to keep going.

Why don’t staff ask for reviews?

It’s rarely laziness. Asking a customer for a favour feels awkward, and most people avoid awkward things when nobody’s checking.

There are usually three reasons behind it. They don’t know what words to use. They’re worried the customer will say no. And nobody has told them it’s part of the job, so it feels like an optional extra. Training fixes all three.

What should staff say?

Give them one line and let them say it in their own voice.

“Would you mind leaving us a Google review? Can I text you the link?”

The first question asks the favour. The second gets the customer’s permission to be messaged, which matters under Australia’s spam rules.

For a shop counter, where there’s no time to chat, a shorter version works: “If you were happy today, there’s a QR code on your receipt for a Google review. We’d appreciate it.” Staff should say this to every customer, so it’s the same friendly line each time.

When should staff ask?

At the end of the job, once the customer has seen the result. For a tradesperson, that’s the walk-through before packing up. For a receptionist, it’s when the customer is paying or booking their next visit.

Write it into the process. Add “ask for review” as the last line of the job sheet or the checkout steps. In our experience, an ask that’s tied to a fixed step gets done. One left to memory doesn’t.

How do you train the team, step by step?

Run one session of about 30 minutes. Here’s the agenda we use.

1. Explain why it matters. Show the team your Google profile next to a competitor’s, and read out a recent review that names a staff member.
2. Set up the link. On a computer, open your Business Profile, select Read reviews, then Get more reviews, then Copy. Google provides this link, so you don’t need a Google review link generator.
3. Send the link to every staff phone, inside a ready-made text message they can reuse.
4. Hand out cards or receipts with the QR code for staff who work at a counter.
5. Teach the one-line script.
6. Practise in pairs for five minutes, including a customer who says no.
7. Go through the rules in the checklist below.
8. Agree how asks will be recorded, such as a tick on the job sheet.

Don’t skip step 6. Saying the line out loud twice takes most of the awkwardness away.

How should staff handle common replies?

Customers tend to say one of three things, and staff should know what to do with each.

“I’ll do it later” is a yes. Staff should send the link straight away so it’s waiting on the customer’s phone, and the office can send one reminder a week on.

“I don’t have a Google account” is a polite no. Google requires customers to be signed in to leave a review, so staff should thank them and leave it there.

An unhappy customer needs help, not a review request. Staff should focus on fixing the problem or passing it to you the same day. Once it’s resolved, the customer gets asked like anyone else.

What rules must every staff member know?

Print this checklist and keep it where the team can see it.

• Ask every customer, not only the ones who seem happy.
• Never write a review yourself, and don’t ask your family or friends to.
• Never offer a discount, gift or freebie for a review.
• Never ask for five stars. Ask for an honest review.
• Never tell a customer what to write.
• Take no for an answer the first time.
• Never fill in a review on a customer’s phone for them.

These aren’t house preferences. Google bans rewards for reviews, and the ACCC says a review written by an employee can mislead consumers when that connection isn’t stated.

Should you reward staff for reviews?

You can reward asking. In our view, that’s different from rewarding customers, because the person writing the review gets nothing.

Be careful how you set it up. A bonus for each five-star review pushes staff to pressure customers or skip the ones who might complain. A small thank-you for asking every customer that week doesn’t. We’d measure the asks, not the stars.

How do you keep it going after the first week?

Most teams start well and fade by week three. A short weekly check stops that.

Each Friday, count how many customers were asked and how many new reviews came in. Read the best review of the week out loud, and name the staff member it mentions. People keep doing what gets noticed.

Keep replying to reviews yourself, or give that job to one person. When a critical one arrives, respond to negative Google reviews within a day and tell the staff involved what you said. If a review comes from someone who was never a customer, select the three dots and Report review. That’s how you remove fake Google reviews properly.

What if your team doesn’t have the time?

Some teams are flat out, and the follow-up is the first thing to slip. That’s where we can help.

Your staff still ask in person, because nothing replaces that. BuyReviews then takes over the messages: you share your customer list, and we send the link and the reminder, using a tested review request email template or text. It’s how we help clients get Google reviews every week and improve Google reviews over the year. A trained team plus reliable follow-up is our answer to how to get more Google reviews, and it’s what online reputation management in Australia looks like day to day.

Frequently asked questions

How do I get my staff to ask for reviews?

Make it easy and make it part of the job. Give each person one sentence to say, put the review link on their phone, and pick a fixed moment to ask, such as handover. Practise it once as a team. Then check each week how many customers were asked, and thank the people doing it.

Can my employees leave reviews for my business?

No. The ACCC says a review can mislead when it’s written by an employee and that connection isn’t stated, and Google treats reviews from people connected to the business as a conflict of interest. Staff should ask customers for reviews, never write them. That includes reviews from their family and friends who weren’t customers.

Should I give staff a bonus for reviews?

You can, if it’s tied to asking and not to results. In our view, a small reward for asking every customer is fine, because the reviewer gets nothing. A bonus per five-star review is risky. It pushes staff to pressure customers or skip the unhappy ones, and that’s where the trouble starts.

What should staff say to ask for a review?

One sentence is enough: ‘Would you mind leaving us a Google review? Can I text you the link?’ The first part asks the favour and the second gets permission to message them. Staff should say it in their own voice, at the end of the job, and accept a no without pushing.

What if a staff member is uncomfortable asking?

Start by asking why. Often they don’t know what to say or they’re afraid of a no, and a short practice session fixes both. If someone still isn’t comfortable, give them a card with the QR code to hand over instead. The card does the asking, and they only need to say thanks.

What should you do next?

Book a 30-minute session with your team this week and run the eight steps. Put the Friday check in your calendar before the session ends.

If you’d like the follow-up messages handled for you, share your customer list with BuyReviews and we’ll help you get Google reviews from every customer your team asks.