As the owner of a business that is rapidly going from strength to strength, I’m finding it more and more difficult to get time for admin, answering messages, organising calendars and bookings, among all the other tasks you need to do just to keep a business running. I always strive for ways to make things easier for myself and my customers. Making things easier also makes things better for everyone! So to allow me to spend less time typing emails and to focus more of my time on fixing bikes, and to save customers from responding to numerous back and forth messages, I’ve introduced a semi automated booking system to my website. You can now search for, select and request your own time slot, making it easy to book your Mobile Newcastle Bike Repairs, Servicing or Training.
I know what you are all thinking… you are thinking, “wow, does this mean I can just click a few buttons and Neil will be here on the day and time I’ve asked for?”
Well, no, the system is ‘semi automated’. You can absolutely pick a day and time to suit your needs, but that request comes through to me to check a few details. If everything is ok, I’ll send a confirmation email with a booking reference ID.
What Will I Check When You Submit a Request?
Most of these decisions won’t stop your work going ahead, although it may alter the day or the time slightly.
These are the 4 points I’ll check…
1. The bike you have
It’s always good to know. Road, MTB, Gravel, Hybrid, Kids, Commuter – there is so much variety just in the type of bike. Then there is the amount and type of gearing and brakes. If it is an eBike, is it UK legal. The only thing I’d say no to is a non UK legal/modified eBike.
2. The work you have asked for
This decision is usually based on the time it would take to carry out the work you have asked for, not the type of work. Depending on how much work I am already commited to with my confirmed bookings, I may not be able to carry out your request. For example, on occasion, I stop taking requests for Comprehensive servicing if my calendar is already full, because I don’t have suitable blocks of continuous time to do that type of involved work.
3. Availability of parts
I might need to order parts or specific servicing kits, these parts may not be in stock with suppliers. I’ll decide if I can get the parts your bike needs in time for your booking.
4. Your location
Most of my work is within a few miles of Newcastle, so I usually have short drives between bookings. But sometimes, I get a request that would need me to travel a bit further. It’s only these requests, that need planning and extended travel time, where I need to see if I can actually make it for the time you have selected.
How Does It Work?
You can view my schedule and select an appointment time here… [Bike Appointments]
[ Step 1 ]
It’s a 3 step process, starting with an overview of my calendar, where you can narrow down a possible day.
[ Step 2 ]
Scroll down the page a little further and you will come to the first part of step 2. Selecting a day here will show the availble starting time slots for that day. In the example I’ve shown, there are no dates in April, so the first time slot you can pick is the 16th May (the morning is already booked, so the first time slot is 15:00.
If you click through to ‘May 2025’, you will see all my available days for the rest of that month.
Complete the form with some basic contact and bike details.
- First name
- Surname
- Email address
- Phone number
- Postcode
- Bike make and model
- A brief description of the work you need
That’s it, you’ve sent through a request to book me, and you should be directed to a ‘Thank You’ page on my website.
The important message here is to please check your SPAM/JUNK email folders. As much as I try to make sure that everything comes directly into your Inbox, sometimes, emails slip through into these folders.
[ Step 3 ]
Your requst comes through, and the basic details you’ve provided above are recorded on my CRM system. If the checks I do all work out, I’ll send you a confirmation email.
A booking isn’t confirmed until you receive this email. It confirms your day, time and booking reference.
If you need to update any details such as your full address, you can do this directly through my website using the link in your confirmation email.
And that is it, search my calendar, find a day and time, provide a few details, and you’ll hopefully receive a quick confirmation!
Is There Flexibility if I Can’t Find a Suitable Day?
Yes, absolutely!
I’ve divided my appointments into 2 hour slots, but not everything takes 2 hours to complete. Your location may be right next to another job. So there is always flexibility in what I offer.
If you can’t find a suitable day or time on my calendar, you can still send a message through my repairs and servicing contact form, with details of what you need, and if I can do it, I will.