2020 MOT Extension Has Led to Inaccuracy of 59% of MOT Records

Published: February 2023

In March 2020, the government extended MOT-due dates by six months to ensure customers were not required to visit dealerships during Covid-19 lockdowns. This was for any MOT that expired between 30th March and 31st July 2020.

Customers were then able to book in an MOT before their new expiry date, causing a significant realignment of millions of test cycles and a huge impact on the accuracy of the aftersales records kept by dealers across the UK.

We recently examined over 150,000 customer vehicle records held by more than 100 dealers and found that, unfortunately, only 41% of the MOT-due dates were correct.

Thankfully, our integration between VoiceBox and the DVSA means we can retrieve the correct MOT due dates. Furthermore, for Keyloop customers, we can automatically upload them to dealer management systems, thanks to our new Approved Partner status, offering significant time savings for data administration teams.

Once dealers are confident that the data in their DMS is accurate, our VoiceBox platforms can then be used to send automated SMS and emails to customers to remind them when their MOT and / or service is due, in a fully GDPR-compliant way.

In a nationwide survey, we conducted in 2021, 70% of motorists 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.’

Within VoiceBox, there is also the facility to ensure messages are not sent to customers who are no longer the registered keeper of the vehicle, maximising both marketing and outbound calling efforts. This data trail is also included in our Keyloop integration to help dealers keep their records timely and accurate so customers receive the most relevant communications with the correct MOT dates.

MOT and service work is the lifeblood of any aftersales operation. However, maintaining MOT data accuracy has always been a challenge, which has been made much worse by the automatic extension. That extension put a question mark against a huge volume of MOT records, and many dealers have not caught up.

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.

The majority of consumers value renewal reminders

In a separate survey we commissioned 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 our dealer partners. We evaluated conversion rates from our automated email aftersales marketing campaigns from January to December 2022 and found that messages intended to encourage a standalone MOT booking had an average conversion rate of 11%, while those for just 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%, and in January 2023 this increased to 47%.

If you need support in getting your MOT due dates back on track, contact us today for a free, no-obligation demo.

Related Posts