Workflow Management Software

[f575gtc]

Hello everyone, couldn't find the best section to ask this but I figured this one covers organizing and is the closest.

I have a somewhat new shop that was opened about 6 months ago, we work on importing Japanese vehicles but we are also trying to move into the realm of repairing them now that we are getting settled in.

I do have some concerns and was hoping I could get some help here, I would like to have some sort of workflow management software that would help with new service intake, creating work orders, scheduling work, assigning said work to technicians and service reminders, and integrate with Quickbooks etc, inventory tracking would be great as would time clock but it isn't necessary.

Right now we are doing it manually and I feel like this will become overwhelming and fall apart once we start getting more work in.

I know of software like shop monkey, auto leap, auto vitals, etc but I don't know if those are industry standards or more of a "as seen on tv" type of software for auto repair.

Any of you run software not listed above and can you maybe point me in some direction on this?

Thanks

 

[RPH]

Not sure on the integration with Quickbooks but I use this primarily to track projects on the farm. It works well for labor input, materials, and timelines. It’s cheap enough and very powerful in its use.

TurboProject

IMSI Design is a leader in high performance, general-purpose 3D CAD (Computer Aided Design) and home design desktop software, and a pioneer in mobile solutions for the AEC (Architectural, Engineering, and Construction) industry.

www.imsidesign.com

 

[smackey05]

First, I'm not in your industry so I don't know what others are using.

For projects tracking, assigning work, and status updates I've used Notion. (www.notion.so). It can be customized to do whatever you need it to do but it may take some time to get where you want it. I do this for small teams that I am working with. (I mainly use this with engineering teams)

 

[FredWanaker]

We used a software for tracking tickets, assigning work, inventory etc., and replaced that with another on the cloud. There are several catches no matter what you use (1) nothing will work out of the box unless you hire a very expensive specialist to configure it for you. (2) nothing will work 100% for you so eventually you'll have to make change requests with the software company to add those missing features (3) there will be a learning curve for each person who uses it (4) don't assume that everyone will input their results. Some people will simply turn the part or repair over to the next person, and not complete the steps in the software that you assign to them. You'll end up hiring someone to manage the software, and fix the errors (5) when the software is down you'll go back to writing on pieces of paper. (6) hackers are out there, computers fail, so you'll end up having to carefully arrange daily backups of your work or you'll be SOL if something like that happens.

I did this type stuff for a living for 25 years, and only a percentage of people will diligently input the data. If you try to take it to the next step, e.g., rfid tracking etc., you'll find than another nightmare with literally every part having a tag on it that has to be scanned.

 

[rabail_mushtaq]

AutoLeap integrates seamlessly with QuickBooks, and has automated workflow management, estimates, and scheduling. It basically covers all the features you listed in your question. You can take their free demo to see if the software works for you!

 

[jeffg]

My recommendation would be to find software specific to your industry. Talk to other shops and see what they use.

 

[Plombob]

We used a software for tracking tickets, assigning work, inventory etc., and replaced that with another on the cloud. There are several catches no matter what you use (1) nothing will work out of the box unless you hire a very expensive specialist to configure it for you. (2) nothing will work 100% for you so eventually you'll have to make change requests with the software company to add those missing features (3) there will be a learning curve for each person who uses it (4) don't assume that everyone will input their results. Some people will simply turn the part or repair over to the next person, and not complete the steps in the software that you assign to them. You'll end up hiring someone to manage the software, and fix the errors (5) when the software is down you'll go back to writing on pieces of paper. (6) hackers are out there, computers fail, so you'll end up having to carefully arrange daily backups of your work or you'll be SOL if something like that happens.

I did this type stuff for a living for 25 years, and only a percentage of people will diligently input the data. If you try to take it to the next step, e.g., rfid tracking etc., you'll find than another nightmare with literally every part having a tag on it that has to be scanned.

Really good advice Fred! I have one more to add, although this applies to larger software systems - If their are "users groups" it usually means the software is difficult to use and the company is not responsive to user's issues. Go to the user group meeting to learn what problems the users can't resolve.