Five-Star Week
Most 5-star reviews this week — great service, made competitive.
Trusted by frontline teams 15 years of frontline software
Built for: Hospitality · Retail · Healthcare · Call Centers
Overview
Five-Star Week is a manual highest-score contest template for counting five-star customer reviews over a 7-day period. It is built for situations where service quality is already captured in a review platform and you want a simple, visible way to recognize the people or locations driving the best feedback.
Use this template when a short, episodic contest will help focus attention on customer experience without turning reviews into an always-on leaderboard. The structure is individual, so each entrant competes on their own verified review count, and the prize is points. That makes it easy to run for front-desk staff, call center agents, store associates, or any role with a clear connection to customer feedback.
Do not use this template if you need a team-based fairness model, a per-capita comparison across uneven groups, or a contest based on metrics the platform already tracks automatically in another mode. It is also not a fit for open-ended recognition programs with no end date. Because the scoring is manual, the organizer should post only verified counts from the source review platform and keep the rules tight about what qualifies as a five-star review. The result is a short, clear contest that turns great service into a scoreboard without adding unnecessary complexity.
Standards & compliance context
- Keep the scoring tied to legitimate customer reviews and avoid any practice that could be viewed as incentivizing fake or coerced feedback.
- If the contest is run in a unionized or works-council environment, review the rules with the appropriate employee representatives before launch.
- Make sure the prize and recognition approach complies with internal incentive policies and any local rules governing employee contests.
- If review data includes customer information, limit access to the minimum needed for contest administration and follow your privacy policy.
General regulatory context for orientation only — verify current requirements with counsel or the relevant agency before relying on this template for compliance.
How to use this template
- 1. Set the contest dates for a single 7-day window and define exactly which review source and rating criteria count.
- 2. Add each entrant as an individual and make sure everyone understands that only verified five-star reviews will be scored.
- 3. Collect the counts from the review platform during the week and post the standings on a regular cadence so entrants can see progress.
- 4. Close the contest at the end of day seven, confirm the final totals, and assign points to the top finishers using the published rank rules.
- 5. Review the results afterward to see which service behaviors correlated with strong feedback and decide whether to repeat the contest.
Best practices
- Use verified review counts only, and do not accept screenshots or self-reported totals without checking the source platform.
- Keep the contest to one week so the standings feel active and the incentive stays tied to a specific service push.
- Publish the rules before launch, including what counts as a five-star review and how ties will be handled.
- Update standings on a predictable schedule so entrants know when to expect the next post and can track momentum.
- Use the contest to reinforce service behaviors, not to pressure staff into asking for reviews in a misleading way.
- If the group sizes are uneven, consider whether an individual contest is fair enough or whether a team format would better match the work.
- Close the contest cleanly at the deadline and avoid extending it informally, which can undermine trust in the scoreboard.
What this template typically catches
Issues teams running this template most often surface in practice:
Common use cases
Frequently asked questions
What does the Five-Star Week template actually track?
It tracks the number of five-star customer reviews each entrant earns during a 7-day contest. The template is set up for manual scoring, so an organizer posts the counts from the review platform into the standings. It is meant for verified review totals, not subjective manager scoring.
Is this template for individuals or teams?
This version is an individual contest, so each entrant competes on their own review count. That makes it a good fit for roles where one person can clearly own a customer interaction or location-level review outcome. If you need a store or department contest instead, you would adapt the structure to teams.
How often should Five-Star Week run?
It is designed for a one-week sprint, which fits the natural cadence of review collection and keeps the contest focused. Running it as a short episodic contest helps avoid the fatigue of an always-on leaderboard. If you repeat it, use separate weekly rounds rather than leaving the same standings open indefinitely.
Who should run the contest and update the standings?
Usually an operations lead, location manager, or customer experience coordinator runs it. That person should verify the review counts from the source platform, post the standings, and close the contest at the end of the week. Keeping one owner avoids disputes about which reviews count.
What are the common mistakes with a review contest like this?
The biggest mistake is counting unverified or self-reported reviews instead of pulling totals from the review platform. Another common issue is using raw counts without considering fairness across small and large teams or locations. If the contest spans uneven groups, consider whether an individual format is still the right fit.
Can this template be customized for different review platforms?
Yes. The template is platform-agnostic as long as you can reliably export or view five-star review counts. You can customize the source, the ranking cadence, the prize, and the wording of what qualifies as a valid review. The key is to keep the scoring tied to verified review data.
How do I roll this out without creating pressure to game reviews?
Set the rules before launch and make it clear that only legitimate customer reviews count. Keep the contest short, use verified counts, and avoid any reward structure that encourages asking for reviews in a misleading or coercive way. The best rollout pairs the contest with service coaching, not with pressure to chase ratings.
How is this different from an ad-hoc leaderboard?
An ad-hoc leaderboard usually has no fixed end date, no clear scoring rules, and no defined prize. Five-Star Week is a bounded contest with a start, finish, and simple highest-score goal. That makes it easier for entrants to understand, easier to administer, and less likely to turn into background noise.
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