Cutting no-shows for a car service workshop

The challenge

The workshop had four service bays and a full booking book, yet on a typical day one or two customers simply did not turn up. Staff phoned customers the day before when they had time, which was rarely. At the same time, many customers only came back when something went wrong, long after their next service was due.

What we found

• Bookings were kept in a simple booking system that could export appointments daily.
• Customer phone numbers and the date of the last service were already recorded.
• There was no consent record for marketing, but customers expected reminders about their own bookings.

What we did

1. Booking reminders. A transactional SMS the day before each appointment, with a reply option to confirm or reschedule. Replies went straight to the front desk.
2. Consent at the counter. We added a single question to the job card: “Would you like a reminder when your next service is due?”, with a checkbox for SMS.
3. Service-due messages. For customers who opted in, a reminder five months after their last service, linked to the online booking page.
4. Simple reporting. A weekly sheet showing confirmed, rescheduled and missed appointments, plus bookings made from reminders.

Results

Missed appointments fell by 58% in the first three months. Rescheduled slots were usually filled the same day from the waiting list. Service-due reminders brought back 21% more returning customers than the same period the year before, mostly people who would otherwise have waited for a problem.

What we would do next

Add a short feedback message after each service, and use the replies to encourage happy customers to leave a review.