Running an automotive workshop isn’t easy. There’s a thousand things to do in such a short space of time. Frustrations often occur but failing to address them can cost you thousands!
Workshop Mate has put together the 5 biggest frustrations experienced by automotive workshops in 2021 and the simple ways your workshop can avoid them.
1. Job Management
A common trap that many workshop’s fall into is taking on more jobs then possible. The last thing you want is to make a promise to a customer and not delivering. With the mechanical industry experiencing a spike in demand it’s so important to you have a reliable system in place that assists you with managing bookings and tech efficiency.
A workshop management system automates all the day-to-day tasks of running of a workshop.
Some workshop management features include:
- Automated bookings
- Jobs allocation
- Clock in and Clock off jobs
- Update jobs on the go
- Automated customer reminders
- Efficiency reporting
A workshop management system removes all the frustrations of managing jobs – giving your workshop higher efficiency and customer satisfaction.
2. Difficult Customers
We’ve all been there, having a difficult customer who complains about the speed of service. A frustrations experienced by many mechanics is reminding customers when the service is complete or running behind schedule. To chase every customer up manually is time consuming and there’s a high chance you won’t get through right away.
A solution is to implement an automated reminders feature. An automated reminders feature allows mechanics to instantly notify customers when their booking is complete or if it requires additional time. In the click of a button you can send an automated message to the customer letting them know the update.
3. Parts Management
There’s nothing worse than needing a part for a vehicle and discovering that the item is out of stock. This looks bad on your workshop and more often than not leads to the customer going elsewhere. Manually recording stock once a month in a booklet or spreadsheet takes so much time and often leads to common mistakes that could cost your workshop thousands. Statistics show that the average Australian business loses upwards of 3% of total revenue on lost or unaccounted for stock.
A workshop management system automates your entire parts inventory process. The benefit of managing your stock through a specific workshop management software is every time you book a job and assign parts to a job your stock will automatically update. No manual input needed!
4. Invoice disputes
How often do you have a customer dispute the price? Many workshops experience invoice disputes from customers after the works have been completed. This wastes valuable time you could have used on other vehicles and seriously impacts your cashflow.
One of the areas that many workshop’s miss is having a dedicated website where customers can see the pricing for all the services that the workshop provides. Even if you don’t have an exact price, you can add a rough estimate, this gives your customers a heads up about the pricing and allows them to prepare prior to attending your workshop and getting a shock.
5. Growing the Workshop
81% of workshop customers base their buying decision on the information available online. It's so important your workshop has a website that allows potential customers to find out about your services, and book in for a service. Not having a website in the current market is such a liability and you could be losing up thousands not having one.
Workshops can now get professional website for as little as $16 a week!
How Workshop Mate can help?
Workshop Mate is a comprehensive, web-based workshop management software that automates all the day-to-day tasks of running of a mechanical workshop.
From the workshop owner to the casual mechanic, every Workshop Mate feature is easy to use - allowing you to take back control and grow profit.
If you’ve never used Workshop Mate, now is the best time to have a go. Call us today on 1300 473 744 or click the button below to start your free trial.