Guest Blog: Top 4 questions answered on how to find a shop management system

Managing an auto repair business can get complicated. Between directing your team, communicating with customers, and ensuring that your technicians produce quality work, it can be difficult to keep track of everything going on. However, you can overcome many of these challenges with an efficient system to manage shop operations.

With the right back-end management system, you and your team can track repairs, communicate with customers and track real-time data on a vehicle’s repairs. As a result, you can work on more cars in less time while increasing customer trust and loyalty for future repairs. But what makes a good system? 

1. What benefits does an auto repair shop management system bring to my team and customers?

Time management

With an auto repair shop management system, you gain more control over your shop’s time. Instead of painstakingly gathering various updates from around the shop to confer on the overall repair needs, a shop management system provides the ability to simultaneously check the status of each repair from any device connected to the internet.

Build trust 

Another advantage of using a shop management system is that it increases trust between your team and your guests, even encouraging guests to return for repairs in the future. For example, when I owned my shop, I would have to send photos or videos to customers on my personal cell phone – then turn around and communicate it to my team. This multi-layered approach caused a lot of confusion, internally and externally. A great cloud-based shop management system, on the other hand, allows technicians to take photos and videos of repairs that can then be sent directly to the customer. This creates a transparent repair process by communicating the exact repairs that need to be made. Customers know they aren’t being taken advantage of, and they are more likely to agree to the repairs and trust the shop with future repairs.

Streamline the process

Finally, a capable shop management system creates a streamlined process that ultimately leads to faster turnaround times, and, as a result, fewer missed opportunities. Technicians and service advisors won’t have to go back-and-forth giving each other updates; they can efficiently move through each repair, opening the shop’s schedule to take in more repairs. And the more cars your shop can take in, the higher your car count and profit potential can be.

2. What are the most important offerings to look for in a shop management system?

When it comes to shop management systems, there are a lot of options on the market, which can make it tricky to find the right one for your shop. However, it’s important to look for a system that makes your team’s jobs easier while creating a pleasant experience for the customer. I have found that an all-in-one system that is accessible anytime, anywhere, works well for shop owners. It is especially great for those who don’t want to manage several different subscriptions or be tied to a server based out of the shop.

3. What should I consider when selecting the right shop management system for my shop?

Go cloud-based 

First, a shop management system that is cloud-based can create a lot of freedom for you, as well as your team. You can’t always be tied down to the shop – you might need to attend an industry conference or family event. Or perhaps the business has expanded to a second location, and you’re in one shop, trying to manage problems at the other. With your data on the cloud, you can check in from anywhere with internet access. Even better? There’s no need to invest in an expensive IT infrastructure like an onsite server and the expensive IT support necessary to manage it.

Communication is key

Second, find a shop management system that allows you to communicate easily with customers. A great shop management system helps establish a clear, simple process for communicating with customers, while also making sure everyone on your team has access to those conversations to avoid any misunderstandings. Through simple, streamlined communications, you increase trust with the customer and efficiency in your processes. Ensure the system you’re considering has key features that promote clear communication, such as true two-way texting within the software and digital vehicle inspections.

Track the process

Finally, you want to find a system that offers trackable auto repair notes so you can track a repair process from beginning to end and store vehicle history for future repairs. During repairs, service advisors can update details as needed, and technicians can immediately access those notes while making repairs. Or, a technician can note a particularly complex repair so if the customer returns in the future, the team has a vehicle history, even if the original technician isn’t in the shop that day.

4. Should you look at it as a completed transaction or an ongoing partnership when selecting the company behind the shop management system?

In business, partnerships matter. And a good shop management system is more than just a technology product or platform. The team behind the system should be a true partner and resource on an ongoing basis. You need a partner that puts your needs first while also keeping up with changes in the industry to update its software accordingly. That’s why no matter how intuitive and easy-to-use a system naturally is, it’s still vital that it’s backed by a reliable, responsive team that is invested in your shop’s success.

The first sign of a good partner is that the team behind a shop management system addresses issues quickly and effectively. Your time is valuable, and it’s important that your partner ensures that the time you put into a new system up-front is worth it on the back end. They shouldn’t set up the system and expect you to just run your shop without having questions or issues. Instead, the team should make itself available at any time, whether you have a quick question or need help with a time-consuming data migration. This support is key!

A good partner will also work with you towards your goals. As a shop owner, I never wanted a partner that would ignore my needs or force me to do business with companies I don’t enjoy working with. I wanted a partner that cared about me and my business more than anyone else. A good partnership is based on trust and mutual commitment, and you can usually tell when your partner is truly committed to your shop and goals. Look for a shop management system with a team that understands where you’re coming from and wants to support your endeavors – from running your shop more efficiently to expanding to second, third, or even fourth locations.

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