Winning a new customer takes advertising, a website, reviews, a quote and often a bit of luck. Winning the same customer a second time mostly takes remembering them. That is why working out how to get repeat customers is usually the best-value marketing a small business can do.
The honest truth is that most customers who do not come back have not chosen someone else. They have forgotten when their boiler was last serviced, or which salon did the good cut, or the name of the electrician who was so tidy. When they next need someone, they search again, and the search starts from zero. The job is to be remembered at the right moment.
Start with the job itself
No reminder system rescues a bad experience. The things that make people come back are usually small: turning up when you said, keeping them informed, leaving the place tidy, a clear invoice with no surprises, and being easy to reach if something needs fixing afterwards.
Before you invest in reminders, ask what a customer remembers about dealing with you. If the honest answer is “it was fine”, that is a start. If it is “they rang to check it was all working a week later”, you have a customer who will come back and tell their neighbours.
When customers need you again, by type of business
Most businesses have a natural rhythm: a point at which a customer will need them again. A reminder sent at that moment is not marketing spam; it is a service. Here are typical rhythms, which you should adjust to your own customers.
| Business type | Natural repeat point | When to remind |
|---|---|---|
| Heating engineers | Annual boiler service | Two to four weeks before the anniversary, earlier going into autumn |
| Landlord services (gas and electrical safety) | Annual gas safety check; periodic electrical inspections | A month or more before the certificate falls due |
| Dog groomers | Every 6 to 8 weeks for many breeds | Book the next appointment before they leave, remind a week ahead |
| Hair salons and barbers | Cuts every 4 to 8 weeks; colour roots often 6 to 8 weeks | Offer to rebook at checkout, text a reminder when they are due |
| Garages | Annual service and MOT | A month before, then a week before |
| Gutter clearing, chimney sweeps, roofers | Seasonal: before winter | Late summer or early autumn |
| Window cleaners, gardeners, cleaners | Regular rounds | Fixed schedule agreed upfront, with a reminder the day before |
| Accountants and bookkeepers | Tax year and filing deadlines | Well ahead of each deadline, again as it approaches |
| B2B services and subscriptions | Contract or licence renewal | Two to three months before renewal, with a review of the year |
| Dentists and opticians | Recall intervals set clinically | Follow your own clinical recall policy and your system’s recall tools |
Keep a simple record of every customer
Reminders only work if you know who to remind and when. That does not need an expensive system. For a small business, a spreadsheet or the customer list in your booking or invoicing software is enough, as long as it holds:
- Name, and how they prefer to be contacted (text, email, WhatsApp, phone).
- What you did or sold, and the date.
- When they are next likely to need you.
- Whether they have agreed to receive reminders and offers.
- Anything useful to remember: the dog’s name, the boiler model, the colour formula, the access code for the side gate.
Follow up after the job
A short message a few days after the work does three things: it catches problems before they become complaints, it shows you care about the result, and it gives a natural moment to ask for a review or mention when they will next need you.
Something as simple as this works: “Hi Sarah, it’s Tom from Tom’s Electrical. Just checking the new lights are all working as they should. If anything’s not right, let me know. Your next inspection will be due in five years, and I’ll drop you a reminder nearer the time.”
If you ask for a Google review at this point, ask every customer the same way, and never offer anything in return for it. Our guide to getting more Google reviews covers how to ask.
Consent for reminders and offers
Service messages and marketing messages are treated differently. A text confirming tomorrow’s appointment is a service message. A message saying “your boiler service is due, want to book?” or “20% off colour this month” is generally treated as marketing under PECR, the rules on electronic marketing.
For individual customers, the soft opt-in usually lets you send marketing about your own similar services to people whose details you got during a sale, provided you gave them a clear chance to opt out when you collected their details and in every message. The simplest approach is to ask plainly at booking or on the invoice: “Would you like a reminder when your next service is due?” People who say yes want to hear from you. The ICO’s PECR guidance has the detail, and it is worth reading.
Loyalty that actually works for a small business
Formal loyalty schemes suit businesses with frequent, small purchases, such as cafés, bakeries, barbers and car washes. A stamp card or a simple digital equivalent (buy nine, the tenth is free) is easy to understand and cheap to run.
For businesses with bigger, less frequent jobs, loyalty is better shown than scheduled:
- Priority booking for existing customers during busy periods (“past customers get first pick of December slots”).
- Remembering details, so they do not have to explain everything again.
- A small, unexpected extra: a free filter change, a treatment upgrade, a hand-written thank-you card.
- Holding prices for returning customers for a period, if that works for your margins.
- Being straight about when they do not need you yet. Telling someone their roof has years left earns more trust than selling them a job.
Make coming back effortless
The easier it is to rebook, the more people will. Offer to book the next appointment before the customer leaves. Put online booking on your website if your work suits it. Make sure your name, number and website are on every invoice, card and van, so the customer can find you again without searching.
Your website plays a quiet part here. When a past customer searches your business name to find your number, they should land on a site that makes it obvious how to call, message or book. We build that into every site we make, but it is worth checking on yours: search your own business name on a phone and see how many taps it takes to rebook.