Customers: enquiries, reminders, campaigns
Service reminders by date and by km
Each delivered job card plans the next service of the car. It falls due by date or on the day the car is expected to reach the next km, whichever comes first. That day is worked out from the car's own readings. The customer is reminded before it is due with a link to book, and the reminder closes when they come back.
PlansFrom Growth
The problem it solves
- Customers forget their next service and go to whichever garage is nearest that day.
- A taxi does 200 km a day and a family car 20, but both get the same "six months" reminder.
- Reminders go out from a spreadsheet when someone has time, and nobody knows who came back.
How it works
- 01
On each service, set Service Every in days, in km (or miles), or both.
- 02
When a job card with that service is delivered, the next one is planned. Its due date is the date interval, or the day the car is expected to reach the km, from its average a day.
- 03
The average comes from the car's own odometer readings, or the branch's default until it has enough.
- 04
Before it is due, the customer gets a reminder with a link to book a visit. Work they declined last time can be named in it.
- 05
If they do not book, they are reminded again later, up to the number you set. An appointment books it; the next delivered job card closes it as Came Back, with how late.
- 06
A reminder too long past due becomes Missed.
Everything it does
When it is due
- By date: last done plus Service Every (days)
- By km: the reading then plus Service Every (km / miles), on the day the car should reach it
- The earlier of the two; the reminder says which
- Average a Day from the vehicle's readings, else the branch's Default Average a Day (30)
When the customer is reminded
- Remind Before Due: 14 days, or 500 km before the due km
- Remind Again After: 7 days, at most 2 reminders
- Missed After: 60 days past due
- Add Declined Work to Reminders: on
- A daily job sends what is due; Remind Now sends at once
States
- Planned, Reminded, Booked, Came Back, Missed, Cancelled
- Not Needed stops reminding (the car was sold, for example); Plan Again brings it back
The booking link
- Opens a booking form for that car; the request reaches the advisors to confirm
- A click is counted on the reminder
On the vehicle and in reports
- The vehicle's Service Reminders tab and Next Service Due
- Due vs Came Back report: Waiting, Due in 30 Days, Overdue, Came Back, Missed, by service, brand or month
Who uses it
Where you use it
- Web: Garage > Customers > Service Reminders; the vehicle's Service Reminders tab; Garage > Reports > Customers > Due vs Came Back
- The SmartMy Garage app: Due soon on the Enquiries screen, with Remind now, Book and Not needed. Next service on the vehicle and the job card. Kept without signal and sent later. Built and in testing, not in the app stores yet.
- The customer: a message with a link to book a visit
What you control
Settings
- Per service: Service Every (days) and Service Every (km / miles)
- Remind Before Due: 14 days and 500 km
- Remind Again After: 7 days; Reminders at Most: 2
- Missed After: 60 days past due
- Default Average a Day: 30 km
- Add Declined Work to Reminders: on
Messages and alerts
- Service Reminder: to the customer, by WhatsApp, else SMS, else email, and in-app for a customer with a login. It is promotional: it waits for quiet hours and the customer can switch it off
FAQ
Questions, answered.
How does it know when a car will reach the next km?
From the car's own odometer readings: its average a day since the last service. Until the car has enough readings, the branch's default (30 km a day to start with) is used.
What if a car is due by date before it reaches the km?
The reminder falls due on whichever comes first, and says whether it is due by date or by km.
Will customers get reminded forever?
No. They are reminded before it is due and again after 7 days, at most 2 times to start with. 60 days past due it becomes Missed.
Do we see who came back?
Yes. The next delivered job card closes the reminder as Came Back, with how many days late. Due vs Came Back shows it for every service.
Can the customer stop these messages?
Yes. Service reminders are promotional messages, so the customer can switch them off. Messages about a job card in progress still reach them.
Related
Related features.
Declined work brought back, and follow-ups on estimatesFrom Growth
Work a customer declined comes back on the vehicle's next job card, to propose again at today's price or mark as not needed. Estimates left waiting, and work declined on a finished visit, are followed up after the days you set. The customer gets a message and the advisor a call to-do.
Campaigns to a segment of your customersFrom Growth
Send one message to a chosen group of customers, such as diesel cars over 80,000 km or customers not seen in a year. Send now or schedule it, and every message carries an unsubscribe link. The campaign counts how many were sent, clicked the link and booked a visit.
Customer retention and enquiry source reportsFrom Growth
Three reports tell a workshop manager whether customers come back. Customer Retention sorts each car and customer into Active, At Risk or Lapsed. Due vs Came Back shows who returned for the service that was due. Enquiries shows where enquiries come from and why some are lost.
Appointments on a bay calendar with daily capacityFrom Growth
Book visits by customer, vehicle, services, time and bay. The booking warns when the bay is taken, the branch is closed or the day is full. The customer is reminded, the arrival opens the job card, and no-shows are counted.
Readings that cannot be edited, and the car's timeline of km and fuelEvery plan
At check-in, vehicle out, vehicle back and delivery, the odometer, fuel or battery level and a dashboard photo are recorded with who and when. Once saved, nobody on your staff can change them. A lower odometer needs a note and is flagged, and the job card adds up the km driven while the car was with you.
Messages to the customer at every step, with the invoice on deliveryEvery plan
Customers hear from you when the car is checked in, the estimate is ready, extra work is found, the car is ready, delivered and paid. Each message carries the link to their job page, and the delivered message carries the invoice. Messages go by WhatsApp, else SMS, else email, on every plan.
Want to see it on your own job cards? Book a demo and we walk you through it with your workshop's work.