Auto Repair Shop Management Software
A web-based software management solution ideal for all sizes of automotive & transmission repair shops.
Web-based and cloud friendly, the program is easy to learn and use. Shop owners, service writers, mechanics, and bookkeepers can perform common tasks such as repair estimates, repair orders, invoices, and reports with ease.
Cloud-Based Auto Shop Management
Desktop, Tablet & Smartphone Compatible
Simply the best automotive shop management software in the transmission & auto repair industries, Auto Shop Software by ProfitBoost is the perfect cloud-based managerial program for business owners seeking an affordable way to manage even the busiest of shops.
The program is easy to use and makes common repair shop tasks, including repair estimate preparation, repair order writing, and invoice completion quick and easy. Cloud-based, Auto Shop Software is compatible on all types of devices and operating system PC & Mac platforms, including desktops, laptops, Ipads, tablets, and smartphones from Apple, Android, and Microsoft.
ProfitBoost software recognizes that the choices we make in our third-party integrations bring value to our software and enhances every shop's ability to run efficiently and be profitable.
Cloud-based shop management software easily, affordably and securely integrates with other providers, and seamless integrations are what allow repair shops to benefit across a range of functions by connecting these solutions in one workflow.
Third-party integrations enable auto repair shop businesses to enhance and add much-needed features such as POS, accounting, and marketing, to boost a shop's holistic profit-maximization efforts. Using these integrations, a shop can gain information and rely on a greater number of resources to save time and corner their market advantage
Using these integrations, a shop can gain information and rely on a greater number of resources to save time and corner their market advantage.
Credit Card Processing for Auto Repair Invoices
When it comes to making large purchases, like automotive repairs, many customers prefer to use credit cards over debit cards or cash. To keep your customers satisfied, you need to be able to process these types of payments quickly and easily. With ProfitBoost, credit card processing is easier than ever.
How It Works
Our system is designed to complete the whole car repair experience using an integrated suite of features, including credit card processing. This capability is integrated right into the software, so it is easy for you to get up and running right away. While this may seem like such a simple aspect of your auto shop business, it can go a long way toward building goodwill with your customers.
When it is time for a customer to pay for your services, you can pull up their repair order on your shop's desktop, laptop, iPad or tablet. Your customer can then swipe their credit card through your credit card terminal to complete the transaction. They can even sign the receipt directly on a tablet screen, saving paper and helping your business do your part to protect the environment.
Our system integrates with QuickBooks as well, giving you the advantage of the software's robust accounting features. This way, your accountant or bookkeeper can stay on top of everything without having to enter credit card transactions manually, saving time and minimizing the risk of mistakes due to human error.
Our Philosophy
In creating the ProfitBoost platform for auto shops, we took great care in designing the credit card payment integration. We spent more than a year interviewing various credit card processing companies before selecting 360 Payments to be our partner. It is one of the top credit card processing companies in the country and one of the leaders in using technology to make receiving payments easier.
Another benefit of 360 Payments is that the company offers competitive credit card processing rates. Though this doesn't affect your customers directly, it affects your company's bottom line. Even a slight increase in credit card processing fees can cause your profits to take a hit. With 360 Payments, the rates are as low as possible without sacrificing the quality of service the company provides.
Auto Shop Software - Communcation with Customer
We communicate differently now than we did 10 or 20-plus years ago. In the past, service writers had to record a customer’s home and work phone numbers on a large invoice in a duplicate book. Then, when the estimate was ready, you would have to call, and often, leave a message for them to call you back. If you hadn't heard from the customer after a reasonable amount of time, you would have to try again (and again, and again) later in the hopes of catching them.
Once they approved the work and it was done, the same process took place. Playing phone tag with customers could have been an Olympic sport 20 years ago.
Nowadays, most of your customers don’t even have landline phones, relying instead on cell phones for communication. Those that do have landlines don’t answer them very often as the calls typically come from telemarketers. The vast majority of the people who walk in your shop will have a phone in their pocket or purse. Many of them have smartphones, enabling them to view web pages, check their emails, receive text messages and look at photos while waiting at your shop.
The Problem with Smartphones
However, simply having easily accessible phones doesn't necessarily make your customers any more likely to answer a call. If anything, the advent of smartphones has made people talk to each other even less. If the phone rings and the person doesn’t recognize the number, they'll typically ignore it, waiting for the ensuing voicemail or text message.
This happens all the time when you call a customer to tell them that their vehicle is ready. If they don’t have your number saved, they'll likely ignore the call. As great as smartphones are at keeping us connected while on the go, they still have not made it easier to get people to answer the phone.
How to Solve the Customer Communication Problem
To ensure that your customers receive your messaging, it is crucial that you clearly explain to them how you will communicate with them. For example, when a customer drops off their car with you, you could tell them that you'll email a copy of the estimate for their approval. This way, they'll know to expect an email from you. It is a good idea to give them an estimated time frame as well so they aren't constantly checking their email for the estimate when you haven't even started it yet.
Similarly, you could tell a customer that you'll text them when their car is ready for pickup. Although many customers prefer text and email messages to actual phone calls, there are still those who prefer to speak to someone. Ask your customers about their preferred communication methods so that you can accommodate their communication styles. The goal is to deliver your messages to your customers in their preferred manner to maximize the likelihood that they will receive the message promptly.
ProfitBoost Makes Communication a Cinch
With the ProfitBoost system, you can easily send text messages to your clients within the platform, telling them when the estimate is ready and when the car is ready for pick-up. You can also send images taken with an iPad or tablet. This built-in messaging system helps you keep car owners in the loop without having to play phone tag. Fast, efficient and secure.
This capability is included in all our packages. You can also email vehicle inspection reports, repair orders and price estimates. The ability to communicate quickly and effectively is essential in today's business climate, and your customers will expect this from you. ProfitBoost makes it easy to stay in touch with your clients while also keeping accurate records of all communications in case there is ever an issue.
We welcome you to get in touch with us today to learn more about the communication capabilities of ProfitBoost and how they can help your auto shop. Call now at (888) 274-3776 to get started.
Auto Shop Software -Digital Vehicle Inspection
One of the most important components of your auto repair shop's process is the DVI or "Digital Vehicle Inspection" - also known as the "Vehicle Inspection." Once the vehicle is in your system and has been checked in, a more in-depth and focused inspection process can begin - one more detailed than the initial check-in process.
DVIs are generally used to determine any necessary scheduled maintenance needs that are marked on digital vehicle inspection sheets. The recommended "service check at 60K" is a good example. DVIs verify any needed repairs based on the car's mileage and year and anticipate any future repairs that may be required.
Now, the initial check-in procedure is helpful here because you will be inspecting anything that was discovered, like wobbly steering or loud brakes, during the test drive in addition to any reported customer concerns.
DVIs are not "one-size-fits-all" answers. Cars, 4x4s, FWDs, RWD, and foreign or domestic imports can each come with their own set of issues and requirements. An in-depth inspection process can be modified to fit the customers' needs or these specific types of vehicles. Most importantly, information entered into the digital vehicle inspection sheet gives auto shop owners and technicians a baseline, if you will, as to the overall health of the vehicle. This information can be retrieved easily at any time.
A New Way to Inspect
Using a digital vehicle inspection on a ipad or any other tablet, a service writer can provide informative and knowledgeable customer service, telling the car owner what this visit will focus on and alerting them as to what may be needed in the future. It's a gesture of good will and concern for a customer's vehicle, and it gives the shop an opportunity to offer high-quality work, sell more billable hours, increase ARO, and enhance business profitability by putting the customer experience first.
Besides the photo and note-taking capabilities of the ProfitBoost digital vehicle inspection sheet, a particularly useful feature is the talk-to-text function. This allows technicians to do more than take rough notes, that no one else can read, on the fly. They can communicate, to the service writer, the specifics of a job. A service writer who is trying to convince an indecisive customer to make a positive decision and opt for a repair now (rather than pushing it off) has much more context and a better chance of closing the sale.
Superior Communication
The beauty of digital vehicle inspection sheets is that they are accessible for service writers, technicians and customers. DVIs enhance the customer relationship because it's all about incorporating an element of transparency and authenticity in the experience. DVIs, once inputted and saved, can be texted or emailed to the car owner. These messages provide information about the inspection, images, notes, and pictures.
An experience like this can sometimes make the sale itself. A customer is much more likely to authorize a repair if they are educated about what's wrong in the first place, if they see a photo of the broken or worn out part and why it matters.
Today’s customers expect transparency -- but they may be pleasantly surprised to receive it at their auto repair shop of choice. Use ProfitBoost to enhance your internal and client-facing communications for a more positive overall impression and a boost in sales. Contact us for more information today!
Contact Us
ProfitBoost Software
8841 Florentine Rd suite e
Prescott Valley, AZ 86314
Phone: 888-274-3776
Google+: https://plus.google.com/+Profitboost
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ProfitBoost-Software-265939784254/
Official Site: https://www.profitboost.com/
