How Auto Repair Software Helps Streamline Workflow In Your Shop

If you find yourself running into the same frustrations day after day, this could be a sign that your efficiency isn't what it could be. Oftentimes we tend to live with the grunt work that's repetitive and time-consuming and make peace that this is just "how things are." However, by letting these inefficiencies constrain us rather than working to eliminate them, we often have less time to focus on the more important goals. 

Streamlining shop processes doesn't just make day-to-day life easier for owners, service advisors, and technicians alike—it also helps you achieve bigger business goals like increased car count or a higher ARO. Taking the first step to implement the right auto repair shop software can help all aspects of the shop flow better, creating an overall much more efficient workflow.  

Starting The Day Off Right

The morning rush is arguably one of the most hectic parts of the day. The line is multiple customers deep, everyone is in a rush to get to work—it's exhausting. You want to speed things up, but you also don't want to compromise the quality of your customer service. Up until now this has seemed a bit unrealistic, but with software helping to automate this process it's now more reality than fantasy. This is where kiosks come into play—they're a useful front counter assistant for any service advisor. Customers can check themselves in, expediting the drop-off process. The interface is easy to navigate, all the vehicle owner has to do is enter their phone number and Welcome Station will display all their information. As an added bonus, the kiosk can help you upsell the customer by reminding them of previous recommendations or even highlight new services based on current seasonal and weather conditions.

Keep An Eye On Moving Parts

In a busy shop, keeping track of all moving parts can prove to be quite the feat on any given day. When time is of the essence, the last thing you want to do is spend an excessive amount of your day tracking down the status of an open job. A key part of having a streamlined workflow is simply being able to see everything at a glance, as well as the ability to refine your search so you can cut through the clutter to find what you need. 

You also have the ability to understand the overall workload on any given day in order to better assess the individual productivity of your technicians. With our software, service advisors can see the time estimates for each repair order, giving them the ability to determine if a technician can handle more for the day or whether a job should be assigned to another tech.

Efficient Communication 

It's amazing how texting has transformed the way our society sends and receives information. By and large people are embracing it as their primary form of communication, which means it's time for businesses to embrace it as well. This is a beneficial offering not only from the point of view of the customer, but for the shop as well. Implementing texting into the workflow - which is proven to increase how quickly customers respond with approvals - helps sustain a shop's rhythm and productivity.  

Knowing What Lies Ahead

Proper planning and preparation is the backbone of efficiency. When you know what's coming up, you can ensure that you're using everyone's time wisely and capitalizing on all opportunities. With advanced appointment scheduling, not only can you plan out work in advance, but you can also ensure repeat business. With routine maintenance appointments automatically set on a consistent rolling basis, customers become more likely to keep their appointments, resulting in more business. From a workflow standpoint, the automated scheduling takes the work out of your hands, as well as the customer's.