Ten o'clock and nobody in the bay
The ten o'clock MOT does not arrive. The desk rings the customer and gets voicemail. At twenty past ten, the tester starts tidying the bay. At half past, a customer rings asking whether there is anything today. Yes, there was a gap at ten.
Some days there are two or three of these. A booking made online weeks ago by someone who then forgot, or who booked at two centres and went to whichever was nearer on the day. Each one leaves a tester and a bay idle for the length of a test.
Why customers do not turn up
Most no-shows are not rude. They forgot, their plans changed, or they booked with two centres to be safe. Cancelling feels like effort, especially if it means ringing during working hours. So they do nothing.
The centre only finds out at the time of the slot, when it is too late to fill. Customers who would happily have taken that slot, people who rang yesterday and were told you were full, are not on any list.
Online booking makes it easier to book and just as easy to forget. A phone booking involves a conversation that sticks in the memory. A booking made in two minutes on a phone, weeks ahead, often leaves no trace in the customer's mind apart from a confirmation email that went into a promotions folder.
What an empty bay costs
| Cause | Effect on the day |
|---|---|
| Customer forgot | Slot lost, tester idle |
| Customer double-booked | Slot lost to another centre |
| Cancelling is awkward | No warning, no chance to refill |
| No waiting list | People who wanted the slot not contacted |
| Repeat no-shows not noticed | Same customers do it again |
The cost is simple: an MOT slot is capacity that cannot be recovered. A day with several no-shows is a day of lost tests.
Idle testers also feel it. A tester standing in an empty bay for half an hour, then rushing to fit in the walk-in who arrived late, is not a good use of a skilled person, and it makes the rest of the day harder to run to time.
How we build a no-show routine
- A confirmation goes out when the test is booked, and a reminder the day before, by text, asking the customer to reply to confirm or tap a link to move or cancel.
- Moving or cancelling is done in a couple of taps with no phone call, and the slot is released immediately.
- Customers who ring or book online when you are full can join a short waiting list for earlier slots on the days they choose.
- When a slot is released, whether by cancellation or a no-show confirmed by the desk, the waiting list is offered it by text, first come first served.
- No-shows are recorded against the customer, so repeat no-shows can be asked for a deposit or confirmation call if you decide that is your policy.
- A weekly view shows no-shows, late cancellations and refilled slots.
Deposits and no-show policies are your decision. The system simply makes it possible to apply them consistently if you choose to.
The same morning, refilled
The ten o'clock customer gets the reminder the day before and taps to move to Thursday, because their plans changed. The slot is released that evening. A customer on the waiting list who wanted an earlier test gets a text, takes it, and arrives at ten.
Genuine no-shows still happen now and then, but fewer slots go unused, and the desk no longer spends the morning ringing people who forgot.
- Confirm or move by reply or tap
- Released slots offered to a waiting list
- No-show history per customer
- Fewer idle testers and empty bays
Are no-shows costing you tests?
- Several MOT bookings a week never arrive.
- Customers have to phone to cancel or move a test.
- You have no list of people wanting an earlier slot.
- You find out about no-shows at the time of the slot.
- The same customers miss appointments repeatedly.