When should you ask a garage customer for a review?
Ask at the counter, at the moment you hand over the keys and the invoice. The customer has just heard your explanation, the car is ready and the relief is at its peak. Send a short message the same evening for anyone who had no time on the spot.
In a garage the key handover is the one fixed moment where the customer and the owner speak face to face. In the workshop you rarely meet the customer, and on the phone the conversation is about the price.
At the counter: "The car is ready and the brakes have been tested. If you are happy with how it went, you are welcome to say so on Google. I will send you the link this evening, so there is nothing to do right now."
The spoken request and the evening message reinforce each other: the customer recognises what it is about the moment the message lands.
Do you send an SMS or a WhatsApp message?
For one-off customers an SMS works best: the mobile number is already in your customer file and no app is needed. WhatsApp suits the customers you have already been messaging, about the schedule or about photographs of the damage taken before the job started.
| Channel | Suits | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| SMS | One-off customers and breakdowns | Keep it short, one link, your name first |
| Customers you already message | Only where the thread already exists | |
| Fleet and leasing customers | Slower, fits a written file | |
| Paper with the invoice | Customers with no number on file | Works with a printed QR code |
The article comparing WhatsApp with SMS covers the consent rules and the times of day when a message actually gets read.
Does a repair call for a different ask than a service?
Yes. After a repair the relief is large and the customer writes easily, above all after arriving with a breakdown. After a routine service the visit feels ordinary, so give a concrete reason: the points checked, the filter replaced, the next appointment. The customer then recognises what the money bought.
- After a repair: ask at the counter, while you explain what had failed.
- After a service: ask in the evening message, with the completed points listed.
- After a tyre change: ask straight away, because the visit is short.
- After an insurance claim: wait until the file has been closed.
A garage in Kontich or Aartselaar lives on a mixture of both. Asking only after repairs leaves most of the diary untouched, because servicing fills the majority of the ramps.
How do you answer a review about the price?
Answer with the figures included and without defending yourself. Say what the amount covers, acknowledge that the explanation beforehand could have been clearer, and offer a conversation. Readers choosing between two garages draw their confidence from a calm, concrete reply under an angry review.
Price complaint: "Thank you for your message. The invoice covers three hours of labour and the parts we quoted in advance, VAT included. We should have explained that more clearly when the quote was accepted. I would gladly go through the invoice with you, call me on 03 xxx xx xx, Peter."
Price complaints are rarely about the amount itself. They are about the surprise afterwards, so your reply mainly shows how you handle surprises.
Your Google Business Profile puts your reply under every review. The article on your Business Profile explains how to set up notifications so you see a new review the same day.
How do you use the winter tyre and holiday check peaks?
Treat the peaks as a review campaign. The tyre change in October and March and the holiday check in June bring more customers through the door in a few weeks than an ordinary month. Ask consistently during those weeks and your profile keeps ticking over all year.
- 1Pick two weeks in October and two in March as fixed review weeks.
- 2Stack cards with a QR code on the counter before the rush begins.
- 3Send the day’s messages every evening, in one go.
- 4Count on Friday how many new reviews the week produced.
In Willebroek and Boom those weeks coincide across every garage, so your customer also gets the request from the workshop down the road in the same period. Simply asking makes you stand out.
What do you do with fleet and business customers?
Ask the person who brought the vehicle in, and use their name. In a fleet the manager decides on the contract while the driver experiences your garage day to day. Both of them may write a review. The fleet manager also gets a separate email once a quarter has closed.
Business customers write less spontaneously, and their review carries weight. A message from a contractor in Puurs about a van that was ready the same day convinces every other contractor in the area.
- Ask the driver at the key handover, exactly as you would a private customer.
- Ask the owner by email, after a job that ran smoothly.
- Avoid a group email to every contact at the same company.
- Track which companies have written, so nobody is asked twice.
Frequently asked questions
- How do I get more Google reviews for my garage?
- Ask out loud at the key handover and send an SMS with the link the same evening. The combination works because the customer has already heard the request by the time the message arrives.
- Can I text customers a link to Google?
- Yes, where the number comes from your own customer relationship and the message concerns the work you carried out. Put your garage name first and send at most one reminder afterwards.
- What do I reply to a review saying I am too expensive?
- State briefly what the amount covers, acknowledge that the explanation beforehand could have been clearer, and offer to walk through the invoice together. Keep it under five sentences and leave your phone number.
- How do I respond to a review about a repair that did not hold?
- Answer within the day, invite the customer to bring the car back in, and say what you will check. Once the problem is solved you may politely ask whether they would like to update their review. The customer decides.
- Can I ask for a review after a short job such as a tyre change?
- Yes. A short visit produces reviews just as well, especially when you ask while the customer is sitting in the waiting area. Keep a card with a QR code ready there.