The easiest customer to win is one you already have. Yet many Norwegian garages rely entirely on customers remembering to book their own service — and most customers simply forget. EU-kontroll is due every two years. Seasonal tyre changes are needed twice a year. Annual servicing rolls around quietly. A well-timed reminder from your garage, sent through Car Spot, can be the difference between a customer returning to you or booking with a competitor who happened to reach out first.
Why reminders work so well in Norway
Norwegian drivers take vehicle maintenance seriously — road conditions, winter driving, and the mandatory EU-kontroll inspection all create regular, predictable service needs. This means the timing of a reminder is highly relevant. A reminder sent six weeks before a customer’s EU-kontroll deadline, or in September as the first frost approaches and drivers need their winter tyres fitted, lands with real urgency. Car Spot makes it straightforward to track these dates per customer and send targeted, personalised reminders through the platform.
Types of reminders to send
- EU-kontroll reminder: Send six to eight weeks before the customer’s EU-kontroll deadline, offering a pre-inspection check and a booking link.
- Annual service reminder: Based on the mileage or date of last service recorded in your Car Spot Contacts dashboard.
- Seasonal tyre swap: Send in October for winter tyre fitting and April for summer tyre fitting — Norway’s tyre regulations make this a reliable annual touchpoint.
- EV battery health check: For EV customers, suggest an annual battery health assessment — particularly relevant as Norway’s EV fleet ages.
- Follow-up after work: A brief message a few days after a job is completed shows you care and opens the door for feedback.
Using the Contacts dashboard to track service history
Car Spot’s Contacts dashboard lets you maintain a record of each customer and their vehicle. When you record a service — including the date, mileage in km, and type of work done — you have the data you need to calculate when the next service will be due. This transforms your Car Spot account from a simple directory listing into an active customer relationship tool. Rather than guessing who is due for service, you can see at a glance which customers need to be contacted this month.
How to write an effective reminder message
The best reminder messages are brief, specific, and include a clear next step. Avoid generic language like “It’s time for a service”. Instead, be personal: mention the customer’s name, their vehicle, and the specific reason for the reminder. Include your current pricing in NOK if possible — Norwegian drivers appreciate transparency about costs up front. And always include a direct link to book an appointment through Car Spot.
Building a rhythm: the annual reminder calendar
The most effective garages on Car Spot treat reminders as a scheduled activity rather than an occasional afterthought. Consider building a simple annual calendar: EU-kontroll reminders go out in batches to relevant customers each month, tyre swap reminders go out every autumn and spring, and annual service reminders are triggered by each customer’s last service date. This approach turns reminder sending into a predictable, manageable task rather than something that falls through the cracks.
