Review Request Timing
When to ask for a Google review — at handover, by SMS, by email — and how many follow-ups are too many.
Last updated 6 July 2026 · 4 min read
Part of our guide to Google Reviews for Garages
The best moment: happy handover
Keys back, car clean, customer satisfied — that is your highest-conversion moment. A face-to-face ask takes five seconds and costs nothing. Train whoever handles payments to mention reviews when the interaction is genuinely positive. Pair this with how to get more Google reviews for the full playbook.
SMS: wait an hour or two
Do not text while they are still in your car park. Wait until they have driven home and confirmed everything feels right — usually one to two hours after collection. Evening sends often work well for people who collected in the afternoon. Use wording from google review templates.
Email follow-up
If there is no review after three days, one polite email reminder is fine. Include the direct Google review link again. If they still do not respond, stop. Chasing damages goodwill.
Automate so timing stays consistent
Manual timing fails when the workshop is busy. AskMike Review Assistant sends review requests when you mark a job complete — same delay every time, no one forgetting at handover. See review statistics for how driver behaviour supports post-collection asks, and run the review health checker to track whether your timing is working.
Frequently asked questions
- Should I ask for a review before the customer pays?
- Only if the job went well and they seem happy. Payment is a natural checkpoint — they have seen the finished work and accepted the bill. Asking before revealing the cost can feel presumptuous.
- How many follow-ups is too many?
- One in-person ask, one automated message after collection, and one email follow-up is reasonable. More than that risks annoying people who chose not to review.
Related guides
How to Get More Google Reviews
Practical tactics to increase your Google review count — timing, messaging and making it easy for customers to leave feedback.
Google Reviews for Garages
How to collect genuine Google reviews, respond professionally and use social proof to win more local work.
Google Review Templates
Ready-to-use messages for asking customers to review you, plus reply templates for positive and negative feedback.
Review Statistics
What the data says about online reviews — how many drivers read them, when they trust a garage, and what ratings actually convert.
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