Flashing in-car MOT Reminder

(click here to view customer feedback)

 

The USER MOT Reminder; an ingenious idea to keep your customers coming back…

There’s one thing you know for sure every time you wave a customer goodbye after issuing an MOT pass certificate; the car will need another MOT in a year’s time. What is less certain is whether the owner will come back to your VTS to have their car Tested. Of course, it’s a free market and many factors will affect the car owner’s decision in that respect; superb personal service, price and location being just a few.

 

But even if you pride yourself on your customer relations, are exemplary in your pricing and are located in the most convenient part of town; guess what? Apparently around thirty per cent of car owners will completely forget that their MOT is due in good time. 

 

Then what happens? 

 

The motorist call their friendly, economical and convenient VTS, apologetically explain how they can’t understand where the time has gone, they’re going away on a driving holiday next week and… what do you mean you’re booked solid until a week next Thursday?

 

So of course there’s no option – someone else will get the work. Probably the friendly, cheap and convenient bloke who’s been slowly nicking your customers since he set up on your patch a year ago.

 

What to do?

What about an ingenious electronic device which sits on your customer’s windscreen (on the back of the tax disk for example) all year, quietly tracking the time since the car’s last MOT. Then, when it has been eleven months, it starts flashing amber. This is unlikely to be missed by even the most distracted customer, and of course the name and telephone number of his (or her) favourite Testing Station is conveniently printed on the device. What are the chances you are going to get a timely call from a loyal customer very soon thereafter?

 

USER friendly

The device in question is called the USER MOT Test Reminder. 

USER claim that use of the device will result in increased customer retention, more MOT business and increased general repair business, and they could well be right – the MOT reminder market seems to have been attracting a good deal of attention recently.

 

Use of these units is extremely simple; the VTS sets the device after Test and it is then applied to a suitable part of the interior windscreen.

 

Whether the units are charged separately or ‘included’ in the price of the MOT is down to your marketing policy.

Which brings us to the price, and here we have some good news for you.

 

We were very impressed by this device and decided that anything which prompts drivers to have their  cars MOT’d in a timely fashion is something which we should support.

 

Subscription Offer now closed – please contact USER direct.

 

FAQ (frequently Asked Questions)

"Can the USER MOT Reminder be reset after its initial use"?

No, the unit is designed to operate for a 12-month cycle (it will however remain operative for a while after the initial period and indicate the length of time since the 12-month period elapsed).

 

"Is any point-of-sale material available"?

Yes, point-of-sale material will be included with the first order.

 

"Can the time period until it flashes be adjusted"?

No, the unit is sealed and the time periods are preset. 

 

"Can the device be used to remind me about calibration and service of MOT Testing equipment?"

USER have developed a range of devices with various time-period settings for this purpose  – see below:

 

 

A range of USER devices are available for industrial and Health & Safety applications.

Industrial use

USER is available in the following formats: 6 weeks, 3 months,12 months and 2 years. It can also be tailored to other time periods and the format and design of the product can be changed (e.g. into the shape of a fire extinguisher, smoke alarm or anything else!) Contact USER if you feel it could be altered for new applications.

 

View / download the USER Industrial / Health & Safety applications document here.

(Click to view on screen, right click to download)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Customer Feedback

"Having purchased 50 units of the MOT Electronic reminders we were stunned to have sold them in just over 2 weeks of purchase, customers were delighted to have such a simple yet catchy gadget attached to the inside of the top windscreen, comments ranged from ‘Now I don’t have to try and peel off all the glue from the old MOT reminder sticker’, also "this is a unique bit of kit I’ll have to show it off to my friends!"
As part of the service having carried out the MOT my tester will reset the reminder and sign and date and leave on the passenger seat of the car so the customer understands how it all works. Certainly a excellent reminder and a unique gadget which will soon catch on to others, must also say great prompt service from yourselves look forward to a long working relationship."

From Mits Pancholi, Aftersales Manager, Sycamore Uppingham

www.sycamoreuppingham.co.uk

 

PRESS RELEASE FROM USER

Over 8m MOT tests missed last year. Was your vehicle one of them?

According to VOSA¹, 8 million vehicles missed their MOT renewal date last year, with a million of those tests over 4 weeks late. Currently there is no national reminder system in place (unlike car tax). Despite calls from road safety organisations² for a more effective solution to aid the vast majority of motorists who are unwittingly breaking the law by driving cars illegally and in a potentially dangerous condition, the problem persists.

At a time when the motor industry is struggling, income from MOT inspections continues to be a vital revenue stream for garages. Missed MOT tests represents millions in lost revenue, with vehicle owners not required to pay retrospectively for the period when their vehicle did not have a valid MOT certificate.

After two years of development and in consultation with leading Government agencies, a company in Coventry has developed a simple, innovative and cost-effective solution.

The electronic MOT Test Reminder is the brainchild of David Wilson, founder and managing director of USER Limited which develops products that provide easy and visible reminders predominantly to the Health & Safety and Commercial Transport sectors.

Based on the universally recognised Traffic-Light warning system, the device has 3 flashing lights – GREEN, AMBER and RED.
Once the car has passed its MOT, the garage activates the USER device and places it in the corner of the car’s windscreen.

At any time during the year the driver can check how long it’s been since the car’s last MOT by pressing a button. This activates the GREEN light which flashes the number of months that have passed since the car’s last MOT test. In other words, if it was tested 8 months ago it flashes GREEN 8 times.

After 11 months, the device automatically flashes AMBER to warn the driver that their MOT test is due within 1 month.

After 12 months, the RED light automatically flashes to notify them that their test is overdue.

The name, logo and number of the MOT test centre or garage are printed onto the USER device, so that the customer has the details immediately to hand and can arrange the vehicle’s next test.

“This is one of many, easy to use, tamper proof and accurate reminder systems that USER has produced. As we were prototyping the product, feedback from garages was superb”, said David Wilson, managing director.

“Developing the technology to achieve this meant that we had to integrate an internal digital timer into a very small and flat object, and make it tamper proof so that it cannot be altered or switched off. It also needed to be visible enough so that when it flashes it can’t be missed.

“For the garage market it’s a simple and very low cost route to improved customer retention, more MOT business and increased general repair work. After all, once your customer has it on their windscreen with the garage’s name and number, it’s so simple for them to book their MOT when it starts flashing.

“If you speak with family and friends, it is surprising how many people genuinely and unintentionally forget to renew their MOT. Most people expect to get a letter, similar to their car tax renewal, but at present there is no such reminder system in place. If this technology can save just one life because a potentially dangerous vehicle has been taken off the road, then it makes it worthwhile.”

¹ Late Test Distribution (April 2007-March 2008), VOSA
² Press Release (6 March 2009), Institute of Advanced Motorists

 

USER website