Getting Reviews From Customers Who Aren't Tech-Savvy

If your business serves a demographic that skews 55 and older, or includes any significant population of customers who aren't comfortable with smartphones, the standard playbook for review requests needs to be rethought entirely.

Sending a text with a link to a Google review form assumes the recipient knows how to click a link, is logged into a Google account, can navigate the review interface, and is comfortable typing on a phone. For a meaningful portion of customers, one or more of those steps is a barrier.

Here's how to adapt your strategy without abandoning it.

Understand the Actual Barriers

Not all tech hesitancy is the same. Common barriers include:

• No Google account (or one they don't remember the password for)
• Discomfort typing on a touchscreen
• Unfamiliarity with the review interface (where to find the stars, where to type)
• Concern about "doing it right" (not wanting to accidentally post something public)
• Privacy concerns about linking their name to a public review

Each of these calls for a slightly different solution. The first step is understanding which barrier your customers actually face, which means talking to a few of them directly.

Strategy 1: The Verbal Ask With a Direct Setup

For certain customers, the most effective approach is a staff member who offers to help them leave a review right there at the point of service. This isn't ghostwriting for them. It's:

1. Opening the review form on a shared tablet or the customer's phone
2. Showing them how to tap the stars
3. Letting them dictate or type their own words
4. Helping them click Submit

This takes 3 to 4 minutes and has a high completion rate with customers who are willing but uncertain. Train your staff on how to make this offer naturally: "We really rely on customer feedback. Would you mind leaving us a quick Google review? I can pull it up for you right now if that's easier."

Strategy 2: Voice Input for Google Reviews

Most people don't know this: Google accepts voice input on review forms on mobile. A customer can tap the microphone icon in the text field and speak their review rather than type it. For customers with arthritic hands or discomfort typing, this removes a significant barrier.

Include this tip in your review request message or print it on a physical guide: "You can speak your review instead of typing it, just tap the microphone button."

Strategy 3: Printed Step-by-Step Visual Guides

A one-page printed guide with screenshots, large text, and numbered steps works remarkably well for customers who prefer to do things at home but need instruction. Include:

1. Open Google (screenshot of the app icon)
2. Search for your business name (screenshot with the business name highlighted)
3. Tap "Write a Review" (screenshot with the button circled)
4. Tap the stars and write a few sentences (screenshot)
5. Tap "Post"

Print these as takeaway cards, business-card sized or half-sheet. Hand them out at the point of service with a personal verbal ask.

Strategy 4: Tablet Station at the Point of Service

A dedicated tablet near the checkout counter, permanently open to your Google review form, is one of the most effective physical review stations for customer demographics with lower tech comfort. The setup is simple:

• Inexpensive Android tablet mounted on a stand
• Permanently set to a bookmark of your Google review form
• A simple printed sign: "Enjoyed your visit? Tell us about it here."
• Staff available to assist if needed

The barrier is pre-removed. The customer doesn't need an account, doesn't need to navigate, doesn't need to know what a QR code is.

Strategy 5: The Family Member Referral Strategy

Some customers will never leave a review themselves, but they'll tell their adult children or grandchildren about their experience. You can intentionally activate this: "If you enjoyed your visit, feel free to mention it to anyone in your family. They can leave us a review on Google if they'd like."

This sounds like a soft ask, but it works because family members often help older relatives with tech tasks anyway, and a positive recommendation from their parent or grandparent is a strong motivator to spend 2 minutes helping.

What Doesn't Work (and Why)

• QR codes: Require knowing what they are, having a camera app ready, and understanding what to do next. Too many steps.
• Email links to review forms: If the customer isn't an active email user, the message sits unread.
• Generic SMS to a cold number: Without a warm personal relationship or prior interaction, older customers are more likely to treat this as spam.

The consistent thread in what works for this demographic is reducing steps, adding human assistance, and making the ask personal rather than automated. The automation that serves tech-comfortable customers well can actually be a hindrance here.

Build your automation for the majority, and create supplemental offline processes for the customers who need them.

Laudy handles the automated review request workflow for your tech-comfortable customers, so you can focus your personal attention on the ones who need it. Try it free at /signup.