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Choosing the Right Automotive Shop Management Software: Beyond Aesthetics

by | May 30, 2023 | General, Winworks AutoShop

Running an automotive shop requires efficient management of various tasks, from inventory and scheduling to invoicing and customer management. To streamline operations and improve productivity, many shop owners turn to automotive shop management software. However, when selecting the right software, it’s crucial to look beyond surface-level aesthetics and consider the depth of features and customer support. In this post, we’ll delve into the importance of prioritizing functionality over appearance and highlight the significance of robust customer support in choosing the perfect automotive shop management software for your business.

  1. Functionality Over Appearance: It’s human nature to be drawn to visually appealing things, and software is no exception. While a modern and visually appealing interface might be enticing, it doesn’t necessarily guarantee a comprehensive set of features. When it comes to shop management software, it’s vital to focus on the depth of features provided.

a. Inventory Management: Look for software that offers comprehensive inventory management capabilities, such as parts tracking, automatic reordering, and real-time stock monitoring. This functionality ensures that you can efficiently manage your inventory, reduce stockouts, and keep track of costs.

b. Scheduling and Work Order Management: Opt for software that allows you to create and manage work orders, assign technicians, track progress, and schedule appointments effectively. These features streamline your workflow, minimize errors, and improve customer satisfaction.

c. Invoicing and Billing: The software should have robust invoicing features that enable you to generate accurate invoices, track payments, and manage accounts receivable. This functionality simplifies the billing process and ensures smooth financial transactions.

d. Reporting and Analytics: A reliable shop management software should provide comprehensive reporting and analytics capabilities, allowing you to track key performance indicators, identify trends, and make data-driven decisions. Look for features such as sales reports, profit analysis, and customer insights.

  1. Customer Support Matters: Choosing the right automotive shop management software is not just about the features; it’s also about the support provided by the software vendor. Here’s why customer support is a critical factor in your decision-making process:

a. Implementation and Training: A software vendor that offers thorough implementation support and training ensures a smooth transition and minimizes disruptions to your business operations. Look for vendors that provide onboarding assistance, training resources, and responsive support channels.

b. Ongoing Technical Support: As you integrate the software into your daily operations, technical issues or questions may arise. A software vendor that offers reliable and prompt technical support ensures that you have assistance whenever you need it. Check for support options such as phone, email, or live chat.

c. Software Updates and Upgrades: The automotive industry is constantly evolving, and your shop management software should keep pace with the changes. Choose a vendor that regularly updates and enhances their software to provide new features, bug fixes, and security updates. Ensure that software upgrades are provided at no additional cost or at a reasonable fee.

When it comes to choosing the right automotive shop management software, aesthetics should take a back seat to functionality. Prioritizing depth of features ensures that you have the tools necessary to efficiently manage your shop’s operations. Additionally, robust customer support is crucial for a seamless implementation process and ongoing assistance when needed. By considering these factors, you can select a software solution that empowers your shop to thrive and deliver exceptional service to your customers. Remember, the beauty lies not only in the appearance but also in the functionality and support provided by the software you choose.

Profit Indicator Light

by | Mar 21, 2020 | Winworks AutoShop

On the Work Order screen, you will notice the stoplight right there in the center of the screen. This is the Profit Indicator Light. We put this here to give you a quick look at the profitability on the work order and give you the option to look at the profitability on a task level. 

Green means “GO”, that means you are on the right track for your profit margins on the Work Order as a whole. Good Job! 

The Yellow light means, that you are doing a little too good. It means that you might be charging a bit too much for the work, which is perfect for you, but it may scare off some customers, and they might shop around and go to another auto shop to get the work done. So if the light is yellow, consider lowing the price of the job so you can get the light back in the green.

The Red light, uh oh. This means that you are potentially losing money on this job, but no need to panic. Take a deep breath; the traffic light has found the problem. Phew, all you need to do is adjust your pricing on the work order to get your margins back in the green! 

Want to know how to modify the profitability margins? Or See more detail in the traffic light keep reading below

Double clicking on the light will give you a bit more detail of the profit on the work order. It breaks it down into four groups: Labor Margin, Parts Margin, Sublet Margin, and a Combined Margin. You will see below the bars, the actual numbers of profit or loss. At the bottom of this window, you can select the “Entire Work Order, ” or you can choose a particular task on the work order.

To change your profit margin, go to Options> Preferences > Work Order Settings. Change the Low and the High-profit margin to whatever is best for you shop and what is expected for the demographic you are serving, Once this is set up, you are done, and you don’t need to touch it again.

 

Why Winworks?

Because Winworks Works!

Learn WHY Winworks is the preferred Shop management Software!

Lookup Window

by | Mar 1, 2020 | Winworks AutoShop

Hello and welcome. In this post, I’m going to go over the useful functionality of the Lookup window in Winworks AutoShop

The First thing ill cover is what all the colors mean and how you can customize them. If you look on the right side right here, you can see the legend of what the colors mean. We designed this with shop owners so they can see at a glance what work order is where is the process. To change the colors go to settings and click ‘select color’. Choose the status that you want to change the color for. And then all the colors for that status will change. You can also change the fields that are in the lookup screen. you can customize all the columns to the right of status. Just go to Customize Columns, and you will see the 5 columns you can customize. There are so many different ways to customize this lookup screen. You can change the font and the sort right here as well. This lookup screen is helping shop owners stay organized and run more efficiently. Thanks for watching

Winworks Service Tracking

by | Mar 16, 2019 | Winworks AutoShop

Service tracking in AutoShop can save you time and help you bring customers back into your shop. Getting customers to come back into your shop is a key part of growing your business. Winworks Service Tracking and automatically notify you when a customer is due for a service when they are in your shop. That way you can upsell them on a service, or check up. You can also run a marketing campaign in our Marketing Machine. Send a text, email, postcard or just print mailing labels. Want to know more, read below, and watch the video at the bottom of the page.

1. Set up the Service Tracking Groups.-

Go to Lists>Service Tracking. Here you can set up different service groups. Set up your timeframe, and mileage you would like to track for that service group. So when every task with that service group is selected, it will be tracked by Winworks.  Make sure to have the correct maintenance schedule selected. This will ensure that when you run marketing campaigns they will go to the correct people and the correct vehicles. 

2. Set up the Tasks

When you are in the task window. Look on the right-hand side of the screen, and look for “Service Tracking” and when you have that selected to the correct Service Type, you will be able to automatically track the Service Selected.

Why Winworks?

Because Winworks Works!

Learn WHY Winworks is the preferred Shop management Software!

Print Oil Change Stickers

by | Nov 29, 2017 | Articles, Winworks AutoShop

You can now easily print oil change stickers for your customers, a convenient reminder when to bring their vehicle back. You’ll need a DYMO LabelPrinter 450 (or 450 Turbo) (about $60) and 1 1/8” x 3 1/2” labels (Item 30252 or 30370). Labels can be printed from the special icon (the funnel with the odometer) on the work order window and from the Oil Change Sticker button on the vehicle window.  We offer several label configurations. You can turn on this feature and select the label file to be used on the Interface Settings window, Other Interface Settings tab.  Also on that tab, you can click the icon to get a test print.  Be sure to first install the DYMO software. Month and mileage intervals can be customized for each vehicle; the defaults are 3 months and 3,000 miles.  On the vehicle window, click the Oil Change Sticker button with the RIGHT mouse button to change these values. Finally, you can fully customize the label within the DYMO software.  Just double-click one of the .label files using Windows File Explorer.  The DYMO software will launch and allow you to change the logo, change the text and even change the size of the label you want to use.  Be sure to save the changes under a new file name and then select that file in the Interface Settings window to use it.
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