How to never lose an MOT customer again

An MOT customer who came to your workshop last year will come back this year — but only if you get in front of them before they book elsewhere. That window is about four weeks before their MOT is due.

Most garages know this, but very few actually do it consistently. The ones that do have significantly higher customer retention, fewer quiet weeks, and a more predictable revenue stream.

Why reminders slip through

The challenge is not the intention — it is the system. Manually tracking every customer's MOT expiry date and remembering to contact them at the right time, across dozens or hundreds of vehicles, is not realistic without a dedicated process.

Most workshops either do not do it at all, or do it inconsistently — a batch of calls when someone remembers, then nothing for weeks.

The right approach: automate it

The only reliable way to send MOT reminders consistently is to automate them. The process should be:

1. Record the new MOT expiry date when the job is completed.
2. The system schedules a reminder 28 days before expiry.
3. The reminder sends automatically — no action required from you.
4. The reminder includes a direct link to book online at your workshop.

That is the full loop. From one MOT to the next, without touching it again.

What a good MOT reminder looks like

The best MOT reminders are short, personal, and include a clear next step. Something like:

Hi Sarah, this is a reminder that your Ford Focus (AB12 CDE) MOT expires on 15 April 2026 — that's in 28 days. Book online at [link] or call us on [phone]. — Smith's Garage

Note what it includes: the customer's name, the specific vehicle registration, the exact expiry date, the days remaining, a booking link, and a phone number as a fallback. That level of specificity makes it feel personal, not spammy.

Setting this up with MechDiary

In MechDiary, when you record an MOT result on a job card and enter the new expiry date, a reminder is automatically scheduled. When the time comes, it sends by email (or SMS if you have enabled that). The customer gets a reminder with a link to your booking page.

You do not need to do anything. The reminder goes out whether you are in the workshop, on holiday, or under a car.