A promise made at the till and forgotten
When you sell a new bike, you probably tell the customer to bring it back after a few weeks for a free check, because cables stretch and gears need adjusting. Many customers forget. Some bring it back months later with gears that have skipped for weeks. Others never come back and think the bike was badly set up.
The same happens with annual servicing. Your regulars come in when something breaks, usually in spring, when the workshop is already full. Nobody reminds them in the autumn or winter, when the workshop has space.
The sale and the workshop do not talk to each other
The bike sale is in the EPOS. The customer's email may or may not have been taken. The workshop history, if there is one, is in a different place. Sending a reminder means someone pulling a list, checking who bought what and when, and writing emails. It never rises to the top of the to-do list.
- Contact details are not always taken at the sale, or are not saved against the customer.
- Marketing consent is not recorded, so staff are unsure who they can message.
- No record links the bike sold to later services.
- Reminders, when sent, go to everyone at once, including people who serviced last week.
- The timing of reminders ignores how busy the workshop is.
Missed checks and a lumpy workshop year
A missed first check is a customer whose new bike feels worse than it should. That shapes what they say about your shop. A missed annual service is workshop income that either goes to someone else or arrives all at once in spring, when you are turning work away.
The workshop feels the second part most. Winter weeks are quiet while spring is overloaded, and the same customers are behind both.
Reminders driven by what the customer actually bought
We build a reminder service that reads from your EPOS and workshop records.
- At the sale, the counter screen asks for the customer's contact details and their choice about receiving reminders, recorded properly.
- Each new bike creates a reminder for its first check at the interval you set, with a link to book.
- Each completed service sets the next reminder, based on the type of bike and the service done.
- Reminders are held back if the bike has been in recently, so nobody is nagged the week after a service.
- You can shift reminder timing into quieter weeks, and offer a winter service slot that suits the workshop.
- Replies and bookings go straight into your workshop diary, and anyone who opts out is removed.
| Trigger | Reminder | Booked into |
|---|---|---|
| New bike sold | First check at your chosen interval | Quick-job space |
| Full service done | Next service reminder | Quieter weeks first |
| E-bike serviced | E-bike check reminder | E-bike mechanic's slots |
| No visit for a long time | Friendly check-in | Customer's choice |
Customers who come back when you want them
New bike customers get their first check, which keeps them happy with the bike and with you. Regular customers get a reminder at a sensible time, and some of that spring rush moves into weeks when you have space. Nobody writes a reminder email by hand.
Consent is handled at the start, so you know who has agreed to receive messages. The rules on that are for you and your adviser; the system records what each customer chose.
You also get a clearer picture of your customer base: how many bikes you sold last year are still coming back to your workshop, which types of bike return most often, and which customers have drifted away. That is useful when you plan winter offers or decide whether to add a collection service for people who struggle to get their bike to you.
Is this your shop?
- You promise a free first check but rarely see customers come back for it.
- Winter workshop weeks are quiet and spring is overloaded.
- You are not sure which customers have agreed to hear from you.
- Reminders, when sent, go to everyone at once.
- Bike sales and workshop history are in separate places.