Deferred work helps boost profits at Brackmills MOT Centre
Feature within Autowork Online automatically reminds customers to book in jobs they have postponed
Brackmills MOT Centre in Northampton is actively recovering thousands of pounds of jobs it may otherwise have lost thanks to its garage management software.
The company has been using the deferred work feature within MAM Software's Autowork Online, which enables it to remind customers of work they have previously turned down. The system can automatically send out SMS and email reminders to customers, which eliminates the need to manually follow up on leads.
For example, a customer might have visited the garage to have new discs fitted, but at the same time the technician finds the tyres are close to the legal limit. They can choose to leave the tyres until a later date, and thanks to the deferred work feature, Autowork Online will send a reminder when the time comes to schedule in the work.
Owner of Brackmills MOT Centre Mo Hussein explained that before using deferred work, his business wasn't actively pursuing customers after they had turned down work on their vehicles.
Mo continued: "The ideal situation for us is that the customer books in a date for the work there and then - but this often isn't the case. Staff will ask a customer when they are looking to get the work completed. By using the deferred work feature, we can move the job to the relevant part of their diary and the system will automatically contact the customer closer to the time."
As an MOT centre, Brackmills will price up the work needed to address both failures and advisories. Deferred work ensures the customer returns to the centre to have the recommended work completed.
"We are successful with deferred work because we use it alongside an element of selling our services. Customers generally see an advisory as something that's not non-essential, but it is important to remember that it has been issued for a reason," said Mo.
"As a business, you've got to bear in mind the system can be as good as it needs to be - I've got a fantastic team who are actively encouraging customers to get work booked in. There needs to be an urgency in relaying that message, and expressing how important it is to get the work done."
Brackmills MOT Centre has recovered many of its deferred jobs in the past six months, and Mo believes there is a solid business case for continuing to use the feature.
"What we have advised customers on is only going to get worse, so it's work that needs to be done. If we're not getting the job then someone else is," Mo added.
For more information on Autowork Online or the deferred work feature, visit www.autowork.online or call MAM Software on 01126 352902.
