Shop management software add tools for better customer communications, profits

There is an old saying in the technology business: there is never a final product release. Companies are always improving their software products, adding new features, tweaking existing ones and releasing new versions with small fixes and improvements. Big or small, all software companies do it, whether it is a behemoth such as Microsoft, or a software maker working in a particular vertical market such as service shops. The technology can always be improved.

In the competitive shop management market for independent service shops all of the major players have been making improvements to their core set of products, adding new features, improved customer communications and online ordering capabilities in an effort to help shops improve the bottom line. Many of the improvements came from feedback from shop owners, managers and technicians who are always looking for ways to get a better handle on their business and to understand their customers.

Forget about multiple programs. It’s all about all-in-one

Take a typical scenario in a service shop. A customer comes in with a car that needs an oil and air filter change, but the driver also mentions that there has been some squealing noises each time the brakes are applied. The service writer makes a note of this and when the car is taken to the technician, he or she has to look up in a book somewhere what are the right filters and oils, and the parts and fluids needed to do a brake job. The process, normally done on paper, takes a while and is not, in the end, a very efficient way of doing things. Now suppose all of this was automated so that as the service writer or technician is noting the squealing brakes the information about the brake parts and fluids needed are right away brought up and is specific to that make and model of vehicle?

That is what Danny Lankar, president of Autogence Inc. in Concord Ont., producers of the Lankar shop management software, says is now unique to the company’s Lankar shop management system with the addition of InfoTraxx. InfoTraxx, according to Lankar, displays on-the-fly repair and parts information which eliminates the need for someone to go searching through multiple parts catalogues and resources to find the information. In addition, parts and repair information is specific to the make and model of car being worked on and the InfoTraxx information can also be coupled with the maintenance schedule for that customer’s vehicle.

“So if I wanted to do a quick search for the last time the shop did work on that vehicle’s radiator hose, with one click of a button that information is now instantly available to the service writer or technician and we can use that information to sell the customer on replacing that hose if it has to be replaced or checked,” Lankar says. “InfoTraxx will also let us know right away what the right part is for the service.”

Lankar adds InfoTraxx pulls up the latest TSBs and recall information as well, giving the service writer and technicians added information which can facilitate improving customer service and bottom-line profits by identifying more quickly possible maintenance or repair work.

But the real advantage of InfoTraxx is that information can be used to more accurately and quickly order the parts online.

“I believe the future of running a profitable shop will have to be having all the information at your finger tips in a shop management application so you don’t have to navigate in and out of your work order,” says Bill Colman, president and founder of Costar Computer Systems in Sherwood Park, Alta.

Recently, Costar announced it has strategically partnered with NAPA Auto Parts and Mitchell 1 to give service shops even more flexibility with online ordering of parts and to much more quickly get part and repair information that can help them discover what parts they need to repair or maintain a vehicle.

“From inside Costar’s automotive repair order you can access a variety of parts suppliers to get pricing, but also have access to labour guides and service intervals,” Colman adds.

Another updated feature in Costar is an improved interface for ordering tires allowing service shops to add tires sales to their profit stream.

“We have a lot of online connections to a lot of tire wholesaler customers … so anyone that is using our tire distribution package has connectivity to Costar’s (shop management product),” says Colman. “So if you are a shop running Costar, you can now browse the tire wholesaler’s inventory, do tire searches and look at (tire) equipment options and loot up your tire order.”

Bob Worts, director of sales for Carrus Technologies Inc. in Longueuil, Que. adds his company’s product also offers a tire search and ordering system.

“Now you can search and track tire orders by such items as new, used, winter, all-season, retread and you can produce a purchase order and fax it right away from the system to the tire supplier and we are looking to link directly to a couple of major tire suppliers,” Worts says.

Jim Ball, national sales manger with the Calgary-based Protractor Software Inc. adds his company’s shop management software also has an online ordering component that links directly to tire sellers allowing shop owners to query the seller’s database to see what tires are in stock, pricing and to track online orders.

Lankar of Autogence says that having all this information at one’s fingertips is one thing. Getting the information into a form to control costs and manage profit is another. That is why Lankar will now offer a built-in accounting system, taking the best of such popular programs as QuickBooks and Simply Accounting. A shop now does not have to go out and buy a separate accounting system and import their sales, cost and other financial information into the accounting programs. It is now done automatically within Lankar.

“We are trying to make it supper easy for the shop owner to have all the accounting done,” Lankar says. “It is not just a regular accounting system, but one that is easy and conforms to GAAP standards. You don’t need to use any other software and you don’t need to have multiple software packages.”

Communicating with other technicians, joining forces with Microsoft

Often the best kind of support comes from one’s fellow technicians. Poway, Calif.-based Mitchell 1 recently added to is OnDemand5 product OnDemand Live, a system that allows technicians to share technical and repair information, even within a technical article.

John Dwulet, senior product manager for management systems with Mitchell 1, says OnDemand Live has proven to be quite a success with technicians, with some 20,000 already sharing and exchanging information about a variety of repair and technical topics.

“We have technicians who will go into a particular remove and replace article and they will ask a question on say a heater coil problem on a particular vehicle, one with a part that is very hard to find,” he continues. “They will ask if it might be possible to another part to use and within six hours there are replies to that technician’s query and even further suggestions for how to tackle the problem.”

Further enhancements to the OnDemand Live solution are numerous and updated tips on products and technical information from many aftermarket training groups. As well, Mitchell 1’s OnDemand Manager and MangerPlus now have an embedded interface that goes directly to NAPA’s Web services so technicians can have instant access to not only NAPA parts but manufacturer’s safety data sheets, images and wiring diagrams. OnDemand Manager and MangerPlus also connect to nine online parts suppliers and are free to use.

Over the years, several other software companies have been releasing small business productivity software and systems, and several have started to target the independent service provider marketplace. Microsoft Canada has a range of small business software and server technology that can be integrated into a successful independent ser
vice shop. For instance, Gorts Tuck Wash in Red Deer, Alta. uses Microsoft’s Small Business Server in order to not only manage its operating costs, but also to improve communications between its customers and the company. It allows Jeremy Jablonski, general manager of Gorts to access his shop’s management systems and remotely check the daily accounts and even to make personnel scheduling changes.

As well, Microsoft Canada entered into strategic development agreement with Costar in order to develop solutions for the aftermarket, and to better integrate is management and productivity tools with existing shop management systems for service shops.

Reference List

Autogence Inc. www.lankar.com

Carrus Technologies Inc. www.carrustechnologies.com

Costar Computer Systems www.costar.ca

Microsoft Canada www.microsoft.ca

Mitchell 1 www.mitchell1.com

Protractor Software Inc. www.protractor.com