Sure, as a workshop owner, you already know that your mechanics are qualified and experienced. But as the saying goes a mechanic is only as good as his tools.
To maximise workshop productivity, you need to have key tools in place that automate common jobs and provide you with more time to focus on other key areas of the business. No, we don’t mean tools that you use to repair cars, we mean a set of processes your team uses to get the best performance.
To stay successful in the auto repair industry you need to ensure that the tools you use get the best out of your mechanics.
Here are the essential tools your mechanics need:
1. Job management:
How do you currently manage jobs? Job management should be easy and transparent. Mechanics should know what needs to be done, when it needs to be done by and how long it is expected to take. When it comes to managing your jobs, you need to implement a Workshop management software.
The benefit of a workshop management software is mechanics can log into one central system, assign/delegate jobs and provide live updates to customers. You need to make your process as quick and easy as possible. The less time you spend fiddling with job management the more your mechanics will get done.
2. Booking Diary:
If you still record bookings manually you could be in some serious trouble. The problem with recording bookings manually is there is a high chance of error. The last thing you want is to misplace, add a booking incorrectly or overbook.
In any business communication is key, if one mechanic doesn’t know what the other mechanic is doing, you’ll have a problem. Using a Workshop management software mechanics can enter bookings into one central system. The benefit of using one central system for bookings is every mechanic can view, update, and allocate the booking on the spot. As it is centralised, your mechanics won’t need to run the risk of overbooking again.
3. Service History:
How long do you spend trying to find a customer in the system or find a customer’s vehicle history? Common administration tasks like this wastes time and takes you away from your priority of repairing and servicing vehicles.
You need to make your customer filing simple. You should be able to find something instantly! Using a workshop management system, you can instantly file and access customer vehicle information. By simply searching a customer’s name or registration plate you will be able to identify all relevant information – removing the time-consuming customer administration tasks.
4. Parts inventory:
Do you still manage parts manually? If you manage parts manually or in multiple systems, it’s very easy to make a mistake. You may end up with the wrong part, too many parts or not enough parts – which only hurts your productivity and cashflow.
Parts inventory is an extremely sensitive task. One of the biggest advantages of using a workshop management system for parts inventory is it completely automates your process. Stock numbers are automatically updated as you buy and sell. Reports are populated in the background and are accessible in the click of a button – making a once complicated process easy!
5. Photo App:
Many customers want to know why you needed to repair something or if you have replaced something properly. If a customer is not confident in your workshop, they won’t return in the future.
To provide the best customer service, your mechanics need to use a photo app. A photo app linked with your workshop management software lets you take before and after pictures of all repair jobs. Many customers are fearful of paying for services that were not required. Providing customers with visual proof of the work you’ve done makes your workshop look more legitimate.
Where Workshop Mate can help?
Workshop Mate by Jeal is a web-based workshop management software that automates all the day-to-day tasks of running a workshop.
Workshop Mate includes, parts inventory, job management, service history, booking diary, photo app, customer reminders, service history, Xero/MYOB integration, and so more – everything you need to run your workshop efficiently.
If you have never used workshop mate now is the best time to give it a go. Call us on 1300 473 744 to see what sets us apart or click the button below to start your 14-day free trial.