Why Does Auto Shop Management Software Matters? How am I suppose to save time in my auto repair shop and keep customers coming back in? Read below for 6 reasons why auto shop management software matters:
1.) Keep track of your inventory.
Automotive shop software can keep track of all your inventory, you are able to print out an inventory report and really see what you have in your shop’s inventory. You wont have to go through the guesswork of what is in inventory and what is not. We have heard so many stories of shops accidentally selling parts to customers that they don’t actually have in their shop. That takes them more time to go out and make a part run and get the parts they sold. When you can keep track of your parts, it saves you time, in turn saving you money.
2.) Write Work Orders
Most auto shop softwares out there will give you the ability to write work orders and estimates, but all are different. When looking at auto shop softwares, you need to look at both function and ease of use. You can have just function, but if you are spending 10 minutes looking for the print button, it’s not the software for you. As well as if you don’t have the necessary ways to add parts and tasks onto the work order, it’s equally useless. When you find a good balance of function and ease of use, you found a good shop software for you and your business.
3.) Necessary Interfaces
No shop software is going to have all the utilities you need for your shop. The key is to find one that makes a seamless interface with the applications you need. If you use Quickbooks, then you should start looking for a software that interfaces with Quickbooks. When it comes to parts ordering, if you find your self ordering parts from a lot of suppliers online, you should be looking for an auto shop program that gives you the ability to order parts through IAP, NAPA, and so on. Parts and Labor estimators are important too, be sure to have a shop program that can seamlessly interface with parts and labor estimator.
4.) Built-in Time Clock
A built-in Time Clock is another important factor when choosing a shop management program. A place where you techs and clock in and out of jobs and tasks. This will save many hours of manually adding up timesheets. This also helps with your labor rate that when a tech clocks into a job, it starts it and you can find out how much money you are making in real time for the task the tech is clocked into.
5.) Service Tracking
In regards to service tracking, it is best to have a system that can keep track of both customers and vehicles separately and together. Information is power when it comes to running a shop. The more you know, about your customers and vehicles, the better business decisions you can make. When you can make informed decisions, you will see your business grow.
6.) Built-in Marketing
Having some marketing tools built into your program is a huge bonus, for bringing customers back into your shop. There are full blown email marketing programs out there like MailChimp and Constant Contact, they are great tools to build a great looking email. but in order to get the emails to send, you need a shop program that and extract email with ease. If you find a shop program that has the ability to send postcards and text messages that is even better. Find out what works best for your shop, and go with the best ROI (Return on investment).
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