The Digital Shop® Blog
Implementing the right technology for your auto repair shop is crucial to helping you combat the shortage of technicians by allowing you to be infinitely more efficient. Technicians will get more billable hours on projects when they don’t have to run back and forth to get the information they need for a repair.
1. Choosing Scheduling Software
The most important aspect of implementing auto repair shop scheduling software is choosing the right one. There are many brands and offers on the market, but you need one that understands the pain points of your unique industry and one that allows you to implement it as seamlessly as possible.
Take a look at some of these key features you won’t want to overlook:
- Software that integrates with your current POS
- Ability to add notes about the repair and status
- A software company that is willing to train you
- Reliable customer service
Many auto shops should also consider whether they want a cloud-based program. This allows you to access your software from anywhere and protects your data with a backup on the web. It can come in handy if you or your managers are frequently on the road or worry about what would happen if your computer systems crashed.
Most importantly, you need to make sure that the company you choose will be as reliable as possible, offering your business assistance as necessary. One of the most important aspects to consider is whether they will offer team training sessions for you as that will drastically reduce downtime due to the learning curve.
2. Team Training
Once you settle on your specific auto repair shop scheduling software, it is time to introduce it to the team. Everyone should have an opportunity to see how the system works in action. More importantly, give them a chance to play around with the new software to see if they come up against any issues while using it.
Walk them through the process to add a new appointment and see it through from the first entry all the way to the completion of the appointment.
Team training is the best time for everyone to ask questions and learn from one another as they experiment with the new process. You never know what questions might come up once the workflow is put in place.
Shop training gives you an opportunity to answer those questions as soon as possible, enabling you to get to work faster.
3. Complete a Current Appointment Inventory
After training your team on how to use the new software, it is important to conduct a thorough audit of your current system. Take care to transfer current scheduled services and work orders that are in progress into your new system. This will prevent missed appointments and incomplete data for customer repairs.
While this can be done during the day, you may want to consider after hours so that your staff can focus completely on the transfer process. You don’t want to make mistakes that could lead to appointments not getting entered into the system or double-booking your technicians.
It’s crucial to double-check your appointments during this crucial transfer stage.
4. Launch It
Your service advisors and auto technicians have been trained on the new software and all of your appointments have been added. Now what? It’s time to officially launch the new auto repair shop scheduling software so you can get down to business and stop wasting time with unproductive minutes spent running back and forth between the auto repair shop and the front office.
Establish a New Workflow
The idea is to simplify the lives of your service advisors and auto repair technicians. Consider starting by utilizing the task manager function of your software to allow service advisors to manage their technicians. They should be able to track available hours and see progress on repairs.
Try Features
Start encouraging auto repair shop workers to take advantage of features like the chat function that gives them more valuable minutes spent on the necessary work instead of tracking down the answers elsewhere. This saves your technicians time, and it prevents your service managers from receiving countless interruptions throughout the day.
Outreach
Launching your new auto repair shop scheduling software has added benefits for managers as well. If your software allows, you can use it to attract new customers, prompt previous customers to come in for repair work, and more. This helps shop owners set and measure goals to see how the shop is performing overall.
Choose the Right Partner
Implementing your auto repair shop scheduling software doesn’t have to be complicated if you choose the right partner. The perfect software should come from a company that understands how your business works and has solutions for the pain points that are unique to auto repair shops.
Enter AutoVitals.
AutoVitals specializes in auto repair shop scheduling software with all of the features you need to run a more efficient business and save money with a greater degree of efficiency. It not only allows staff to schedule more proficiently but also allows service advisors to track incoming business and campaigns to get more customers into the bays.
If you’re ready to improve the efficiency of your auto repair shop, contact AutoVitals today to set up your demo and learn more about the process.
Not to mention, the right software can improve the process and give you a more satisfied front office staff. Even customers benefit from having the right scheduling software with fewer missed opportunities and more efficient repairs.
The good news is that auto repair shop scheduling software can be implemented in four quick steps. Here is a comprehensive guide to show you how to choose your software and introduce it to your staff.
