Let’s face it, the Australian Automotive Industry has changed dramatically in the last two years. The way the Mechanics serviced and repaired cars before Covid-19 is much different to the way they do it today. With that being said, many workshops still find themselves wasting valuable time on manual tasks - impacting both sales and efficiency.
To be successful in 2022 Mechanical Workshops need to minimise time spent on manual tasks and focus on escalating growth. Here are the most time-consuming tasks for mechanics in 2022 and how your Workshop can avoid them.
Let’s get into it.
1. Manual Bookings
Arguably the most time-consuming task for mechanical Workshops in 2022 is taking customer bookings manually. If your Workshop is currently taking and receiving customer bookings manually either by Phone or Email you are wasting hours of valuable servicing time.
Think about it, you have to answer a customer’s call or email, record the service type and vehicle details, input the booking into your calendar/ management system and then set off on completing the job – just saying it sounds exhausting! Not to mention the high risk of error it brings.
To reduce time-spent on the bookings process, Mechanical Workshops need to have a designated Workshop Website. The benefit of having your own Workshop Website is customers can book in for their next service or repair at a time that suits them best. Customers no longer have to manually call or email your shop to make a booking.
The benefit for your Workshop is it reduces the need of having a mechanic by the phone. Once a customer requests a booking through your website, all your mechanics need to do is confirm the job – No wasted time and no booking errors.
Related article: What Customers Look For On A Workshop Website.
2. Reminding Customers When a Job is Complete
Another extremely time-consuming job that all workshops need to do daily is remind customers when their vehicle is ready to be picked up. Many Workshops make the mistake of reminding customers manually, the problem with this, like bookings, is it takes a valuable mechanic away from their primary job of servicing and repairing vehicles.
The absolute best way to avoid wasting time chasing up customers is to use a Workshop Management software that offers automatic customer notifications. Using a Workshop Management software like Workshop Mate, mechanics can trigger automatic reminders to be sent to customer by either email or SMS when their vehicle is ready to complete.
The benefit of automated customer reminders is your shop doesn’t need to take a mechanic away from servicing to call customers when their vehicle is ready to go. The less time your mechanics spend on admin tasks the more efficient your Workshop will be.
Related Article: The Best Strategies to Retain Customers at Your Workshop.
3. Manual Stock Take
One of the biggest mistakes any Workshop can make in 2022 is doing stock take manually. The problem with doing stock take manually is it is time-consuming and extremely prone to error. Making one small error during stock take can cause major issues that could take hours to fix or cost your shop thousands.
Using a Workshop Management software, mechanics can automate the entire stock take process. As a centralised destination for your workshop’s operations, part stock numbers automatically update as you buy and sell. Populated and accurate stock reports can be exported in the click of a button without you or your team needing to do any data entry tasks. A Workshop Management Software reduces time spent on stock take and minimises the risk of costly errors.
Related Article: Tasks You Can Automate Using a Workshop Management Software.
4. Using Multiple Software’s
One of the most time-consuming things you can do in any business is use different software’s to manage the business. Think about it, you have to go from one program to the other to find key business information. Using multiple systems not only impacts your shops efficiency but it also affects your financial position, the more software’s you use the more you need to pay.
To increase efficiency, Mechanical Workshops need to use a Workshop Management Software. The benefit of using a Workshop Management Software is it centralises your shops operations. Mechanics can use one program to complete all daily tasks like job management, quotes, bookings, and invoicing. A Workshop Management Software is the best tool for Mechanical Workshops in 2022.
Related Article: 5 Reasons Why Your Workshop Needs a Workshop Management Software.
Final Word,
To be successful in 2022 and beyond, Mechanical Workshops need to reduce time-spent on manual tasks and focus on escalating growth. Using the recommendations mentioned above your Workshop will increase efficiency and open the doors for future growth.
We hope you enjoyed reading this article. To read more articles like this, visit the Workshop Mate latest news page here.
About Workshop Mate
Workshop Mate by Jeal is an Australian, web-based, Workshop Management Software that automates the daily tasks of running a mechanical Workshop. Using innovative technologies, Workshop Mate removes common frustrations experienced at the Workshop and opens your doors to future growth.
Workshop Mate features include Job Management, Stock Management, Quotes, Invoicing, Integrated Accounting, Barcoding, Service History, Job Allocation and more – in the one central, easy-to-use application.
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