Automated reminders

WOF and service reminders that fill next month’s diary

Hoist tracks WOF and service dates on every vehicle and sends reminders automatically by SMS and email. Customers come back when they’re due - without anyone in the office keeping a spreadsheet, a wall calendar, or a guilty conscience about the reminder run that didn’t happen.

Why manual reminders stop working

The reminder run never happens

Ringing or texting every customer whose WOF is due takes hours every month. It’s the first job dropped in a busy week - and every skipped month is bookings handed to the workshop down the road.

WOFs are going two-yearly

From 1 November 2026, newer light vehicles move to two-yearly WOFs, with more of the fleet following from 2027. The WOF sticker will drag customers in less often - reminders anchored to service intervals are what bring them back in between.

Emails get buried

Email-only reminders die in promotions tabs. SMS gets read within minutes - and a reminder that isn’t read is a bay that sits empty.

How reminders work in Hoist

1

Dates are captured automatically

WOF and service dates are tracked per vehicle as part of the normal job workflow. There’s no separate reminder list to maintain - if the vehicle is in Hoist, its dates are too.

2

Reminders send themselves

SMS and email reminders go out automatically when a vehicle comes due. You set it up once; the follow-up runs itself, month after month.

3

Service reminders cover the gap between WOFs

Reminders aren’t limited to the WOF date. Service reminders bring customers back on the maintenance schedule - which matters more every year as WOF frequencies stretch out.

4

Every reminder is specific

Because reminders come from the vehicle’s actual record, the customer gets a message about their car - not a generic blast. That’s the difference between a booking and a delete.

ST
Sarah T.
Timaru · customer since 2021
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Total spent

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Owing

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Visits

WOF reminder texted · due 12 Aug

What you get

  • Automatic WOF and service reminders by SMS and email
  • WOF and service dates tracked on every vehicle
  • SMS messages from 12c each - no bundles to buy
  • Set it up once; reminders run without manual work
  • Full history means every reminder references the right vehicle
  • Built for NZ - WOF is a first-class field, not a custom hack

Frequently Asked Questions

How do WOF reminders work in Hoist?
Hoist tracks the WOF due date on every vehicle record. When a customer’s vehicle comes due, a reminder goes out automatically by SMS or email. There’s no manual reminder run - the system does it for you.
What do SMS reminders cost?
SMS messages are 12c per message, on top of your monthly plan. There are no bundles to pre-buy - you pay for what you send. Email reminders are included.
What happens to reminders when WOFs go two-yearly in 2026?
The reminder dates follow whatever is recorded for each vehicle, so two-yearly WOF cycles are handled the same way annual ones are. The bigger shift is strategic: with longer WOF gaps, service reminders become your main retention tool - which is exactly what Hoist automates.
Can I send service reminders as well as WOF reminders?
Yes. Hoist sends both - WOF reminders keyed to the vehicle’s WOF due date, and service reminders for maintenance work. Both go out automatically by SMS and email.

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