When the exhaust fell off my car last month, I phoned a local tyre and exhaust specialist. They gave me a good price so I got the car there, they fixed it and it was ready to collect the next day.

When I went to collect my car, my key was returned to me, with a keyring attached to it, with the name and phone number of the garage on it. It also says they do MOTs, which I didn’t know! This struck me as a clever way for the garage to keep in touch with their customers.

While I very much hope that I don’t need another new exhaust for some time, the next time I need new tyres, or even an MOT, guess who I’m going to phone?

These keyrings don’t cost much and can do a lot to help to help the garage keep in touch with customers, who might only need their services now and then.

How can you be creative and keep in touch with your customers?