Garage Management Systems

Garage Management: Take the reins and get ahead

The fallout from the six-month MOT extension has played havoc with many workshops’ workloads so it makes sense to get the garage, and customers, as organised as possible – to release the pressure during peak times and boost business in quieter months. Here, we look at garage management systems and the importance of online marketing.

TechMan highlights the importance of having a Garage Management System, especially during MOT peak times. The company launched in 2015 to help garages and technicians boost efficiency, improve customer service, increase productivity and grow profitability.

It offers garage owners, managers, technicians and front-ofhouse staff intuitive garage management tools and features to make life easier and remain competitive.

Key features of TechMan include job scheduling, reporting, service assist, a customer portal, purchase orders, Haynes Pro and Euro Car Parts catalogue integrations. A popular feature is the MOT expiry date refresh, which offers TechMan customers a return on investment, or their money back. This gives workshops an analysis of their entire customer vehicle data, producing a report and then updating the MOT dates in bulk, as necessary. This feature is in addition to the MOT expiry date lookup integration it already offers. The objective is to update any expired or ‘not recorded’ MOT expiry dates. The system will start to send text and/or email reminders to drivers when their MOT expiry date nears, encouraging them to book.

TechMan analyses the current state of MOT dates within its customer data for dates that are current, expired and not recorded. A comprehensive report is generated, detailing the findings, which includes a forecast of how many bookings they will need to make to get a return on the investment of carrying out the MOT dates refresh. If the MOT refresh has not resulted in additional MOT bookings to cover the original refresh cost, TechMan will give customers the value of the refresh back in credits.

For more information about the TechMan Garage Management System or to arrange a demonstration, call 01604 666 720 or visit www.techmangms.com.

Recent projects at Haynes Motor Museum

Integrate accounts and provide electronic vehicle health checks for customers

AT spoke to Chris Waterhouse, Workshop & Restoration Manager at Haynes Motor Museum, who has experience of various management systems, to find out what he is currently using to keep restoration projects on track

“I joined the New Zealand Army in 1976 and started an Apprenticeship as a Vehicle Mechanic. I completed my Advanced Trade Certificate qualification as an Automotive Engineer in 1982. After various promotions and postings around New Zealand and overseas, I left the Army in 2002 and moved to the UK. I was initially employed on the tools working for Mercedes-Benz and then moved into management and was a Service Manager for Mercedes-Benz for 12 years. I took up employment at Haynes Motor Museum five years ago and have been the Service Manager for the Workshop and Restoration Centre for the last year. I have worked with various Garage Management Systems from the basic T Card and handwritten diary in the Army to the very detailed and technical system Kerridge at Mercedes-Benz. I have worked with GDS (Garage Data Systems) at the Museum and found it very user friendly. We carry out repair, restoration, servicing and MOTs on veteran, vintage and Classic motorcars for a wide variety of clients. We also prepare cars for the Museum to attend various shows and events. Some of our recent restorations have included Maserati Sebring, Ferrari Dino, Mercedes 300SE, Rolls Royce 20/25, and Series 1 Land Rover.

“GDS is ideal for our use as we need to ensure all parts purchased are put on to the system and times are accurately recorded to ensure correct invoicing. GDS is also used by our Accounts Department to integrate with SAGE. As a charity, we are always conscious of costs and have found GDS to be great value for money. I have no hesitation in recommending this product.”

Workshop Manager, from GDS, features HMRC-recognised digital VAT Software and is designed to be simple to use for managing daily workshop activities, creating invoices, and maintaining accurate workshop service records. It enables users to book and manage jobs, manage supplier POs and returns, track staff hours, an Electronic Vehicle Health Check System enabling picture uploads on the go, sends customer texts for car collection & service and MOT reminders, supports postal, email & SMS marketing, connects to your account platform, has an integrated payments system, and imports data from most other management systems.

Would you like a demo? Register your interest at www.gds. co.uk/get-demo.

‘Garages need a predictable flow of online enquiries to convert into work’

Workshop owner and trainer Andy Crook, says that the majority of independent garages either don’t have an online presence, or don’t maximise the one they have. As creator of the Atomic Success Training Programme and founder of the fast-growing Facebook group, Garage Owners Network, Andy says he’s shocked by the lax attitude garage owners have towards being found online.

He said: “In my experience, garage owners don’t seem to think a website and other online platforms are that important. They also tend to have an inflated value of their business. The thing is, if the business only works when the owner works, it actually has very little value at all. Garages can add value and make more profit by attracting customers that are the right fit for their business. They need a predictable flow of enquiries to convert into work – and most of those enquiries start life with an online search.

“Traditional word-of-mouth has been largely replaced by social media but Facebook, for example, isn’t enough on its own. Garages won’t be found for their general services there. What’s needed is a presence across various platforms, with a website being the central core of where customers are driven to. It’s here that they’ll read about how you can help them, look at your reviews and find information at 9pm when you’re not there to answer the phone.”

Andy estimates that out of approximately 35,000 independent garages in the UK, the majority are leaving huge amounts of work on the table for main dealers and fast fits; simply because they haven’t got their head around how easy it is to intercept those enquires online. “Customers buy everything differently now and it’s inevitable that, at some point, they’ll go online. Garage services are no exception. You need to be found easily, provide helpful information and build trust –before they even drive into your workshop.”

Jim Lang, founder of website specialist, Garage Services Online concurs. He said: “Lots of garages come to us because they know they should have some form of online presence, even if they feel indifferent to it to start with. It’s not until the website is live that they truly appreciate and reap the value to their business, from an increase in quality enquiries to a healthier bottom line.”