When it comes to getting a fleet vehicle back on the road, efficiency is crucial. The longer a fleet vehicle spends in a shop, the less time it has on the road—and without time in service, the vehicle can’t generate revenue. When it comes to increased efficiency, it’s important to inquire about whether your repair shop partner uses an efficient shop management system. Here’s why: The repair shops that leverage strong shop management systems are at an enormous advantage—and so are the fleet managers that use their services.
With the right system, auto repair shops can track repairs, communicate with drivers and fleet managers, and provide real-time data on the vehicle’s repairs. As a result, the timeline for repairs is shortened, putting the vehicle back in service—and money in your pocket—without missing a beat. Let’s delve into some of the key benefits that could effectively guide your considerations.
Streamlined communications
A shop that uses a strong shop management system has the tools to easily streamline communications between your company and the service advisors and technicians completing repairs. Normally, when a fleet vehicle needs repairs or maintenance, one of the biggest challenges is communication between the shop, driver, and fleet manager who approves repairs. In a standard repair process, the shop completes a vehicle inspection, submits the repair request to the fleet manager, and waits until approvals are returned. If the shop is busy with other personal and business customers, the service advisors and fleet managers may end up exchanging multiple voicemails and emails before all repairs are approved. This dwindles precious time and adds confusion when one vehicle has multiple touch points of back-and-forth communication.
When the shop uses a shop management system, however, this confusing exchange can be simplified with web-based fleet maintenance integrations and digital messaging. Fleet maintenance integrations, such as AutoIntegrate, provide automatic approvals, thereby reducing the “phone tag” between fleet managers and the service advisors from the shop. Digital messaging also simplifies communication between the shop team, drivers, and fleet managers. With a simple click of a button, a service advisor can converse with fleet managers to easily answer questions and share documents in a one-on-one conversation. Then, the service advisor can alert the company driver to pick up the vehicle when the repairs are complete.
Tracking repairs through real-time data
The last thing your company needs is confusion over which fleet vehicle has been repaired or received maintenance. A shop management system reduces this confusion with real-time data tracking, allowing fleet managers to view vehicles by unit number and repair type at any time. Technicians from your partner shop can upload images and videos to track their progress in repairing the vehicle. Even after the repairs are complete, the shop can still share every repair with the fleet manager to track each vehicle throughout its lifetime.
Even better, when the shop management system has a fleet maintenance integration, it can create a proactive schedule reflecting when vehicles will be in need of future maintenance and repairs. This allows fleet managers to plan accordingly, thereby reducing surprise breakdowns and unexpected delays in your company’s operations.
Increase efficiency in the shop to generate profit on the road
Time is money—and when a fleet vehicle is in a shop for repairs, it can’t generate money for your company. But with a strong partner shop that uses tools benefitting your goals, you can rest assured that your fleet is in good hands. A shop management system can heavily reduce the amount of time a fleet vehicle spends in a shop to the advantage of everyone involved. Instead of service advisors and fleet managers going back and forth to approve repairs, a shop management system can streamline communications, resulting in less time talking about the repairs and more time working on the vehicle. Fleet managers can also track data in real-time and view photos of repairs as they happen, as well as refer to previous repairs tracked by unit number.
Bottom-line, with a quicker turnaround time the shop can complete more vehicle repairs. From there, your company can then get its vehicles back on the road and generate profit. By partnering with a shop that leverages a shop management system, you can rest assured that not only are your vehicles receiving reliable maintenance, but they are also back on the road and generating profit faster.
Sunil Patel is the CEO and co-founder of Tekmetric Shop Management System. Patel provides the vision for Tekmetric’s impact on the auto repair industry, relying on his own experience as an auto repair shop owner to offer efficient and effective shop management solutions for the industry. At Motorwërks Autogroup, a luxury auto repair shop that Patel owned for 11 years, Patel began experimenting with technology to run his shop more efficiently and grow his business. After talking to other shop owners, he discovered many of his peers found his methods and practices helpful for their shops. Inspired, he assembled a team, and in 2016, he launched the first version of Tekmetric Shop Management System, a shop management software designed to better support auto repair shop owners in sustaining and expanding their shops.
