The thought of owning your own business is exciting, but once you’re actually knee-deep in it, you begin to see just how difficult it is. Running a car repair shop is no exception. Like all things in life, it comes with its ups and downs, and getting through those requires patience and resilience.
Luckily, technology has made this easy for just about all industries. Automotive systems like repair order software, time management tools, and overall automotive shop management software have made managing automotive shops easy. If you’ve been considering management software, continue reading about how this software can streamline the repair side of your business.
Repair Request
What happens when a customer calls your repair shop? Does the person answering the phone take a message with pen and paper or send an email to a box already full of similar emails? It’s appropriate to take a message, but what happens to that message after it’s taken?
If the handwritten message gets lost with all the other post-it notes on the desk, or the email ends up at the bottom of the list, you can upset the person who called. The last thing you want to do is upset the customers who help pay your bills. With repair order software, you can keep all customers’ requests and inquiries safe. This includes the customer’s exact words while making the call, the timeframe they need the request completed, and any contact information you might need.
Parts Ordering
Ordering parts is just one of the day-to-day tasks completed when running an auto shop store. It’s also time-consuming and, depending on your system, can be unorganized and inefficient. It’s not possible to just stop ordering parts, and it’s more than just ordering. Once the parts come in, you need a way to document the inventory.
What if the shipment is delayed? Do you have a tracking system to see where it is? And what if you run out of parts before you can order more? All of these issues cause delays and money. Customers will get upset because their repairs aren’t done promptly, technicians will get behind on their other tasks, and you will scramble to fix it so everyone is happy once again.
Management software may come in handy in such cases, especially when you do everything manually at this time. You can set up the software to order, track, and reorder with just the touch of a button.
Estimates
Another reason to use repair order software is that it makes it easy to configure repair estimates. In an ideal world, the process starts with a customer approaching you and trusting you to do the necessary repairs at a fair price.
Your current process might mean that you build the estimate by hand, searching through resources to find the part at the best price, and writing everything down for the customer, including part numbers and names. This is time-consuming, and unless you have a keen eye for detail, it’s easy to make a mistake.
Repair order software can build an estimate fast. It captures data such as customer requests, vendor quotes, and parts lists from the system and creates an estimate for you. It can also tell you when to expect the parts, so the customer is able to schedule an appointment when you provide them with the estimate.
Conclusion
This article provides a brief overview of how integrating repair order software can simplify your responsibilities as an auto shop owner. The amount of time you save using this software will allow you to work on other aspects of the business. Plus, the technology moves your business to the top level, resulting in more efficiency and profitability.