Everything, asked and answered.
No hedging and no sales language. Where the honest answer is “no” or “we can’t promise that”, that is what it says.
The basics
Do I have to install anything or learn new software?
No. Review Automation Australia connects to the software you already have — ServiceM8, Xero and thousands of other tools — and runs it from our end. There is no app for your team and no dashboard you are expected to check.
Won’t asking every customer bring in bad reviews?
It brings in honest ones, which is both the point and the law. Every request also carries a direct private line to the business owner, so a customer with a genuine problem can raise it privately first. If a negative review does land, we can help you respond to it properly.
Will it annoy my customers?
The sequence is short and polite, it goes out in your business name, and it stops the moment someone leaves a review or asks to stop. Every message carries an opt-out, and a customer is only ever asked once.
Setup and software
What software does Review Automation Australia integrate with?
ServiceM8 and Xero. ServiceM8 triggers a review request when a job is marked complete. Xero triggers one when an invoice is marked paid. More integrations are coming, and if you run something else it is worth asking.
What access do you need to my systems?
Read access to whichever system holds your customers so we can see job and invoice status, and manager access to your Google Business Profile so we can confirm the review link resolves correctly. We never need banking credentials or payment details.
How long does setup take?
One call of about twenty minutes, then two to three business days on our side to build, write and test it. Your only involvement after the call is approving the message wording.
Do I need a Google Business Profile already?
Yes — the review requests point to it, so it has to exist and be verified. If yours is unverified, duplicated or a mess, we offer a Google Business Profile Optimisation for $440 incl. GST to sort it out before anything else starts.
What if my customer data is messy?
Very common, and it is handled at setup. We strip duplicates, drop records with no valid mobile or email, and remove anyone who has already reviewed you. Bad data does not get messaged.
The messages
What does the review request actually say?
It is short, sent in your business name and your voice, references the job just completed, and contains a direct link to your Google review page. It carries an opt-out. It does not ask for a five-star rating or suggest what the customer should write.
How many times is a customer contacted?
A customer is asked once, ever. The sequence stops immediately if they leave a review, reply, or opt out. Recurring clients who use you fortnightly are not asked again on every job.
Do messages go out at odd hours?
No. Sending is held to sensible hours regardless of when you close a job, so an after-hours emergency callout produces a request the following day rather than at 3am.
What happens if a customer replies to the SMS?
The reply comes back to you, not into a black hole. A customer responding about their job is a customer talking to your business, and it should reach a human at your end.
Can I approve the wording before anything sends?
Yes, and nothing sends until you have. We draft the SMS and email, you read them and change anything you do not like, and we run a live test on a real job before going live.
Compliance
Do you use review gating or sentiment filtering?
No. Review Automation Australia does not use review gating, sentiment filtering or selective branching of any kind. Every customer receives the same message and the same public review link regardless of how the job went. We will not build it for any client at any price.
Why does review gating matter?
Gating means screening customers privately and only sending the happy ones to Google. It produces a filtered profile presented as an honest one. The ACCC has published guidance on managing online reviews and misleading consumers can breach Australian Consumer Law, while gating also breaches Google’s own review policies and can see reviews removed or a profile penalised.
How do you comply with the Privacy Act?
Customer data is encrypted in transit and at rest, used only to send the review requests you authorised, never sold or shared for third-party marketing, and deleted on request. We are bound by the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles.
Do you offer incentives for reviews?
No. We will not run a campaign offering a discount, prize draw entry or anything else in exchange for a review. Incentivised reviews breach ACCC guidance and Google’s policies.
Are you an Australian company?
Yes. Review Automation Australia is a venture of Dictate Digital Pty Ltd, ABN 98 665 807 705, an Australian company servicing businesses Australia-wide.
Negative reviews
Can you guarantee a bad Google review will be removed?
No, and nobody honestly can. Google only removes reviews that breach its published policies — fake reviews, competitor sabotage, off-topic content or personal information. A genuine review from a real customer will not be removed, and anyone guaranteeing otherwise is misleading you.
What kinds of reviews can actually be removed?
Reviews from people who were never customers, reviews posted by competitors, content unrelated to the service, content containing personal information, hate speech or profanity, and obvious spam or duplicates. Our $330 incl. GST Review Audit assesses each of your negative reviews against these policies and tells you which have a genuine case.
Won’t asking every customer bring in more bad reviews?
It brings in honest ones. In practice, businesses that only get reviewed when someone is annoyed have profiles skewed towards complaints, because unhappy customers volunteer and happy ones do not. Asking everyone corrects that skew rather than creating a problem.
Pricing and commitment
Am I locked into a contract?
No. Billing is week to week and you can stop with seven days written notice. Annual prepay is optional — it costs approximately 15% less and waives the setup fee.
Are prices GST inclusive?
Yes. Every price shown is in Australian dollars and includes GST. Subscriptions run from $77 per week incl. GST, and a tax invoice is issued for every payment.
What is the setup fee for?
Connecting your software, configuring triggers, writing and testing your message templates, checking your Google Business Profile, and running a live test. It is $440 incl. GST and is waived if you prepay a year.
Can I change tiers later?
Yes, in either direction, at any time, with no fee. Seasonal trades such as air conditioning and roofing commonly move up for their busy period and back down afterwards.
What is the Goldmine Campaign?
A one-off campaign costing $550 incl. GST that asks your past 6–12 months of customers for a review all at once — up to 550 SMS requests plus unlimited email. There is no subscription and no ongoing commitment.
Still not answered?
Email info@reviewautomation.com.au and ask. If the answer is that we are not the right fit for you, that is what you will get — it saves us both a wasted call.
Fifteen minutes. No pitch deck.
We’ll pull up your Google profile and the three businesses beating you in the map pack, and show you the actual gap.
If we can’t close it, we’ll tell you on the call.