In my own experience, I have found that simply asking often works wonders. Maybe not immediately, but follow up several months later. Be sure to include a link that will take them directly to the review area.

That said, the answer depends a lot on the type of business you are in and it might make sense to pay a digital marketer to help you develop and implement a customer review strategy.

What would make you WANT to leave a review if you were them? .... a future discount? knowing it helps the staff who helped you?

Without knowing what you sell, it's difficult to give you specific ideas. But here's an out-of-the-box example.... print simple business cards with instructions on the back that offer to share a secret password which activates a game you can play on Google search.... "Review us on Google Maps and then email us to get the secret word"... etc
https://www.google.com/search?tbm=isch&q=Atari+Breakout

I agree with a couple of other answers in that it will depend on the nature of the business and even more specifically the business (and your audience).

So I would recommend you embark on a process of testing different times, email subject lines and messages, review platforms, etc. But document the tests to make sure you understand what is working.

Best practices are a good start to begin testing what gets you results.

As a couple of other answers suggested, providing a direct link to write a review will help. To do this you can create your own Google review link here - https://www.onqmarketing.com.au/google-review-link-generator/.

I would also be careful with how you're asking for reviews and understand that different platforms have different guidelines. For example, Yelp does not like you to solicit and Google definitely doesn't want you paying or compensating for reviews.

Good luck!

I somewhat disagree with the other answer posted here. When the communication is active, then only you can get reviews. If you are meeting your client personally, you can use an iPad, open your profile and ask them for a favor. Other than this, add a link with a badge of "Review Us on Google" on your website, newsletter, email signatures etc.

Make sure you show the necessity of these reviews and why you need them. If you are simply asking for a review, they may not take it seriously. But, if you give them a reason, like we are going to run a marketing campaign to a wider audience and we would like to increase our overall ratings before the campaign, as our competitors have better rating, it would be great if you can share your valuable feedback for the services we offered. We will really appreciate it.

I agree with a comment made previously that it somewhat depends on the business you're in. A company I'm working with currently offers training to software developers. Good ratings on Google are important for them. But, the feedback is also important as it helps them shape the offering.

We ask for the Google review on the final day of class both in person and with an email that contains a direct link to the form they need to fill out. Google makes this tough to get but it's possible to locate the exact URL that pops up the form automatically without the user trying to find it. I like to make it as easy as possible to leave the feedback.

We also offer a $5 coffee card which I'm sure helps them take a few seconds to fill it out. A reminder email is sent a week after as well if they haven't filled it out.

I also like to make it clear that their feedback is valuable for us not only for ratings but to help us make sure we're offering the best possible experience. I feel people are more eager to do that than just help boost ratings.

Hi, this is a perpetual problem for business owners. Automotive dealerships grapple with how to engage CGC - consumer-generated content. Human nature is at issue as well. Two things work: 1. If you are face-to-face, as suggested previously, provide the client with a device and active link to your Google review page while you are finishing up something they are waiting for. 2. If working remotely, incentivizes the review. Offer a modest, but meaningful discount off their final bill upon completion of the review. Give them a 1 week deadline to complete the review or they will forego the discount on their final invoice. Hope this was helpful to you. It has been successful for others.

My business would not be what it is without Google reviews. You have to start somewhere to get these reviews because unlike other review platforms Google reviews are the most trustworthy and most searched regarding review websites.

Here are my recommendations based on what has worked for us:

1. Automate
Have an automation set up that directly emails your customer approximately 7 days post-purchase. In the email kindly ask them to review your product. Make the email short and sweet and as personal as possible. This is the perfect window for Google reviews. Too early and you look desperate, too late and they’ll be less likely to write a review.

2. Direct Communication
Don’t be afraid to reach out to them personally asking for a review. When you send them an email write something specific in it based on your previous conversation with them. “I wish you the best at your Spartan race back home…..By the way, if you can a chance it would mean a lot if you wrote a review about our product. These reviews help us attract great customers just like you.”

3. Website Widget
Download the WordPress plugin called “Google Reviews Business” on to your website. It automatically aggregates your Google reviews. Purchase the premium version as it has its option for a dynamic slider section and “write a review section” that you can direct your automation toward.

-Mario Ashley, MBA
www.crossfitnaples.com, owner

I hope that helps get you started. If you want more ideas to feel free to set up a free call: https://clarity.fm/settings/expert/vip-link

BOTTOM LINE is that customers EXPECT excellent service everyday no matter what and “giving positive reviews”, is not on the top of the list for clients or customers.

We use a 3 step process here to both aggregate and distribute reviews across our clients’ service profiles.

You have to be diligent, and you have to use some automation if you want to show a stellar showcase of history for “social proof” to work.

Only really old people fall for the trick of “of there’s a badge here, they must be trustworthy”, otherwise if they are younger and more tech savvy, it’s a whole different set of rules.

If you want to talk about a working system for reviews and that actually feeds out properly to enhance your company results feel free to reach out at https://www.GetFoundMarketing.org

Ask them what did they like the most about the experience. Let them know or send a gift tonshow your appreciation.
Asking works but showing appreciation creates a better feedback loop (before they do what you need them to do)

For starters,always have explicit permission before soliciting feedback via email,SMS or social.
Automating your reviews is the key to get more reviews and better ratings
If your business has an actual physical location it's a good idea to prepare sheets of paperwith a request for review.
Add a review widget to your website.On your official website or company blog,you can add a sidebar or widget which customers can click and use for posting on your business most relevant review sites.

The best time in the process to ask for a review is when your client is happiest with your product or service - either when you’ve just delivered it or you’ve achieved a great result for them.

You mentioned your clients leave you glowing feedback but don't respond when you ask them for a Google review.

Next time a client leaves you a glowing review, I would take their feedback and re-write it as a review, then email the client and ask them if they would mind leaving you a Google review as it really helps your business online. Tell them you’ve written a review based on their feedback to save them time, and leave them a link to your Google business page. It’s possible to not only link to your Google review page but have the 5 stars option pre-selected (Google it).

You want to make it as easy as possible for them to leave a review so they can simply click the link and paste in the review you wrote for them based on their own feedback. Most people should be happy to do this.

I am in the service business sector and the trick is to ask multiple times during the customer life cycle. My crews are trained to ask during and after the project is completed. Then someone in the office calls and emails to follow up asking for a review. Seems to work well for us!

Most everything has been covered in previous responses, but one thing our insurance brokerage does is offer incentives to our agents for referring a positive google review. As soon as we implemented the program our staff all started calling their best clients asking for positive reviews. We went from having 3 reviews to 65 in a week or so. You'll pay out a bonus to your employees but the improvement to your online reputation and incremental revenue growth will make it well worth it.