Government MOT extension creates headache for dealers, 59% of records are inaccurate
Marketing Delivery evaluated more than 150,000 customer vehicle records held by over 100 UK franchised dealers
Dealers urged to complete a simple cross-check against the DVSA database to rectify errors
Marketing Delivery’s Keyloop integration means DMS MOT records can now be updated automatically, offers significant time-savings for data admin teams
Major opportunity to safeguard aftersales retention – 70% of motorists will book with a dealer that issues an accurate MOT reminder
The government’s six-month extension of MOT-due dates in March 2020 has had a huge impact on the accuracy of the aftersales records of dealers across the UK, according to new analysis by Marketing Delivery. The company examined over 150,000 customer vehicle records held by more than 100 dealers and found that only 41% of the MOT-due dates were correct.
In March 2020, the UK government extended by six months the renewal date for any MOT that expired between 30 March and 31 July 2020, to ensure consumers were not forced to visit workshops during a Covid-19 lockdown. However, motorists were then free to book in an MOT before the new expiry date, and there have been a significant realignment of millions of test cycles. The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has reported that around five million tests were deferred, as 2.1 million MOTs were carried out in April and May 2020 compared with 7.1 million during the same period in 2019.
Marketing Delivery's VoiceBox system can access DVSA records to retrieve correct MOT dates and, thanks to a new Approved Partner integration agreement with Keyloop, can automatically upload them to the dealer management system, offering significant time savings for data administration teams.
VoiceBox can then be used to send automated SMS and emails to customers to remind them when their MOT and / or service is due. There is also the facility to ensure messages are not sent to customers who are no longer the registered keeper of the vehicle. Through the Keyloop integration, customers will receive communications with the correct MOT dates meaning they are more relevant to the individual. The messages are fully GDPR compliant and can be opted out of easily.
“Maintaining MOT data accuracy has always been a challenge; it has been made much worse by the automatic extension,” explains Marketing Delivery’s Managing Director, Jeremy Evans. “That extension put a question mark against a huge volume of MOT records, and many dealers have not caught up. MOT and service work is the lifeblood of any aftersales operation and the dealers that are on top of their data are the ones who are best placed to maximise customer retention. Getting data back on track as quickly as possible presents a huge aftersales opportunity.”
Majority of consumers value renewal reminders
In a nationwide survey conducted in 2021 by Marketing Delivery, 70% of those questioned about their contact preferences said that they ‘agree’ or ‘strongly agree’ with the statement:
‘I would be more likely to book my car in for a service or MOT with a dealer that monitors the date on which it is due and makes the effort to contact me about it in advance.’ Only 5% disagreed with the statement.
In a separate survey commissioned by the company earlier this year, 77% of UK motorists said they would be more likely to book their car into a workshop that found a way to combine MOT and service work into a single visit.
Those findings are consistent with the experience of Marketing Delivery’s dealer partners. The company evaluated conversion rates from its automated email aftersales marketing campaigns from January to December 2022, and found that messages intended to encourage an MOT booking had an average conversion rate of 11%, while those for a service had an average 35% conversion. However, when the automated messages were timed to facilitate MOT and service work into a single visit by the customer, the booking conversion figures increased to an average of 42%.