Aftermarket March 2022

frequently. Social media is also a great channel to mention the Covid safety measures you have in place, to help put customers’ minds at ease about booking with you. Be searchable: Make sure you are listed on relevant online directories and local lists, so when potential new customers are searching for a garage, you are in the mix. Think ahead: Use the opportunity to get ahead for next year and set up reminders for customers on their MOT deadlines. This way, you can ensure they come back to you next time. Bolster your team: If you have created the demand, but do not have the resource to manage it because team members are off sick or on holiday, there is no need to turn work away. Use our dedicated recruitment partner, AutoTech Recruit, to bring in experienced temporary technicians at a low cost. Prioritising the MOT tester Annual Assessment Disruption to the MOT demand curve, not to mention disruption more broadly, with changing COVID-19 restrictions and staff absences, means many testers have overlooked their compulsory MOT training. The DVSA recently reported that nearly 50,000 testers were yet to complete their assessment this year. While it’s understandable that some might have been focusing on M OTs should be firmly at the top of the agenda for garages this month, for two key reasons. Firstly, it’s the last normal month of MOT demand until later in the year, as a result of the extensions granted in the early days of the Coronavirus pandemic. Secondly, the deadline for testers to complete their MOT Annual Assessment is just a few weeks away. Here’s everything you need to know about making the most of the immediate opportunity, while ensuring you remain qualified and able to conduct MOT work from 1 April onwards. Top tips Use your data: Government research shows that 40% of MOT customers prefer to choose a garage they have used before, so work through your customer database to identify customers in need of an MOT. Pick up the phone: Contact your customers by phone rather than blanket email or text. One garage owner reported a 43% uptake on bookings in a single day after switching to making phone calls to his customers. Get social: Use your social media pages to let your customers know you are open, and to spark the reminder that their MOT could be due. Some might have forgotten while they have not been using their vehicles as 18 AFTERMARKET MARCH 2022 BUSINESS/THE GARAGE INSPECTOR GRADUATES www.aftermarketonline.net With a shifted annual pattern and the Annual Training deadline for 2021/2022 just weeks away, garages should be making the MOT their top priority right now BY Anthony McAteer, Trading Director at LKQ Euro Car MARCH MOT MADNESS: MAKING THE MOST OF IT