Summary: Make the request brief, honest and optional. Ask at an appropriate point after the customer can assess the work, provide a direct route and avoid repeated pressure.
How to ask for a Google review is mainly a question of timing, wording and respect. The customer has already hired you to do a job. They should not feel that finishing the transaction now depends on writing something complimentary.
A useful request is easy to understand and easy to decline. It also gives people a straightforward route to share their own experience in their own words.
Choose a moment that makes sense
Ask after the customer has had a fair chance to assess the service. For some jobs, that is after handover; for others, a later message may be more appropriate.
Do not build the request around an assumption that payment equals satisfaction. The timing should fit the completed customer journey, not merely an accounting trigger.
If work remains unfinished or a question is still being handled, resolve the operational next step. Keep service communication clear rather than using a review request to rush the relationship to an artificial conclusion.
Use plain language
The following are illustrative templates. Replace the business name and link with your real details, and use only channels appropriate for the relationship.
In person: “If you'd like to share your experience, we can send you our Google review link. There’s no obligation.”
Short follow-up: “Thanks for choosing our team. If you’d like to leave an honest review of your experience, you can use this link: [review link]. Thank you for your time.”
Handover card: “Tell us about your experience. Scan the code to leave a Google review.”
Ask for an honest review, not a particular rating. Google's review guidance prohibits incentives in exchange for reviews. Do not offer a discount, gift or competition entry as the reason to post one.
Make the route easy to use
| Request method | Useful when | Check first |
|---|---|---|
| Direct review link | Customer already uses a suitable message channel | Correct business profile opens |
| QR code on a handover card | Customer prefers to act later | Code scans at printed size |
| Link in appropriate follow-up | A normal closing message is being sent | Review request does not obscure service information |
| Verbal invitation | Conversation ends naturally | No pressure to complete it on the spot |
Google provides review-link and QR-code options. Test the route on a phone outside the owner's signed-in management view.
Do not stand over someone while they write. Let them decide when and whether to respond.
Give staff one consistent process
Create a brief instruction: when to offer the request, which wording to use, where the approved link lives and when to stop. Avoid leaving each employee to improvise increasingly forceful messages.
Record that a request was offered or sent so another staff member does not repeat it. You do not need to track customers obsessively or ask them to prove they submitted a review.
For a small team, a single field in the job record may be enough. The process should be easy to follow during a busy day.
Keep reminders restrained
A customer may forget, decide not to review or be unable to use the platform. Silence does not create an obligation to chase.
If your process includes a reminder, keep it modest and stop after your defined limit. Stop immediately if the person declines or asks not to receive further requests. Do not turn a thank-you into an ongoing campaign.
Any messaging setup also needs to follow the rules applicable to its content and channel. Do not add unrelated promotional offers to a service message without reviewing the implications.
Review the process, not individual customers
Check whether the link works, requests are duplicated or staff find the timing awkward. Those are useful operational improvements.
Do not judge team members only by how many reviews appear. They can control a respectful process, but they cannot control whether someone chooses to respond.
The best version feels like a natural invitation at the end of a clear customer experience. It gives people a voice without turning the request itself into the thing they remember most.
For help maintaining your business profile and customer-facing information, see Tradie Local’s Google Business Profile optimisation.
Sources & further reading
Frequently asked questions
Should I ask for five stars?
Ask for an honest review of the customer’s experience. Let the customer choose the rating and wording without pressure.
Can I offer a discount for a review?
Google prohibits incentives in exchange for reviews. Keep the request separate from gifts, discounts and similar rewards.
When is the best time to ask?
Choose a point when the customer can fairly assess the service. The right moment depends on the work and handover process.
Should staff watch customers submit reviews?
No. Give customers space to decide and write privately. A review request should remain voluntary.
What if the customer never responds?
Respect that choice. Keep any reminder policy restrained and stop if the person declines or asks not to receive more messages.
