The short answer: ask every happy customer, at the moment they're happiest, and make leaving the review a one-tap job. Businesses with hundreds of reviews aren't luckier than you, they just ask systematically instead of occasionally.
Why reviews matter so much
Google reviews are the first thing a potential customer checks and a major factor in how you rank on Google local search. For a garage or dealership, the business with 150 recent five-star reviews wins the call over the business with 12 old ones, almost every time.
When should you ask?
At the peak of satisfaction: the handover of a car, the NCT pass, the repair done ahead of schedule. Ask a day later and the moment has passed. The best-performing method is an automated SMS shortly after the job, with a direct link to your review page.
What about bad reviews?
Reply to every review, good and bad, professionally and quickly. A calm, helpful reply to a bad review often does more for trust than another five-star one, because everyone reading knows how they'd be treated if something went wrong.
What not to do
Never buy reviews or review-swap with other businesses. Google detects patterns, and a wiped profile is far worse than a slowly built one.
The bottom line
Review generation is one of our core services: automated requests at the right moment, professional replies in your voice, and your best reviews showcased where buyers see them. Book a free call to set it running.