Aftermarket September 2022

Saving a few minutes on each stage of a job, such as estimate, ordering parts, invoicing etc, all adds up and can lead to hours being freed up every week to focus on revenue generating activity. In today’s market, technology is a necessity to keep up with the competition and deliver the best experience possible for the customer. Text reminders, online estimates and electronic health check forms are becoming an expectation and are all only possible with a garage management system like Autowork Online.” Ashley continued: “An intuitive software system can overcome many challenges. For example, finding the correct parts can be difficult. Autowork Online’s factor parts link will provide fitment information for each available part, so an informed decision can be made, an order placed without having to call a supplier and the ordered parts will be flagged in the diary against the relevant job. The job can also be colour coded to indicate whether or not parts have been ordered. There is a recorded trail for each part which makes returns easy should it be required. “Managing schedules and vehicle services can be time- consuming. The flow of vehicles through the workshop can also be enhanced using the Work in Progress board in Autowork Online. It gives a high-level overview of every open job at once, minimising blocked ramps and increasing technician efficiency. Customers not arriving for scheduled appointments can be costly and cause disruptions to daily planning. Autowork Online has an automated reminder system, allowing SMS or email reminders to be sent to ensure customers are aware of their appointment.” He added: “An efficient and streamlined garage management system can save garages and workshops thousands of pounds, while at the same time maximising potential profit. Switching to a new garage management software can be daunting but with a web-based solution such as Autowork Online which is available as a monthly subscription model, businesses can make the move quickly, easily and without the expense of on-site servers. Due to its simple but efficient systems, staff training times are drastically reduced, ensuring technicians are selling or completing jobs as soon as possible, fully equipped with all the information they need to maximise productivity and profitability.” Customer service There are a wide range of systems available. For example, T Cards is a traditional manual tool for displaying key information. Over the last 12 years, T Cards Direct have developed a digital version that has all the benefits of the manual T Cards while offering the advantage of being a digital system; T Cards Online. One garage that has taken it up recently is Barretts of Kent, which has been providing new vehicles and servicing to drivers in East Kent since 1902. Over the last 120 years, Barretts key focus has always been on customer service. T Cards Owner Phil Heine observed: “Customer service is not just a nice smile at the meet-and-greet but relies on processes and procedures that most clients will never see.” Over the years Barretts has invested in these processes to enable staff to deliver that high-quality service demanded in today’s competitive environment. Part of the latest investment has been T Cards Online. Phil continued: “When David Banfield, the Aftersales Manager for the group, found T Cards Online he immediately saw the benefit this could provide for the 52 AFTERMARKET SEPTEMBER 2022 ONLINE TOOLS AND MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS www.aftermarketonline.net workshop controllers. The system was quickly set up to reflect the requirements, but David wanted the information from their DMS to be automatically inputted into T Cards Online. The development team at T Cards Online worked with the IT department at Barretts to make this happen. Now, the DMS system provides a daily report of the bookings. Utilising the T Cards Online API (Application Program Interface) data is automatically inputted into the system far a seamless workflow.” Sasha Sinclair, group PA at Barratts of Kent was pivotal in organising the work. She observed: “T Cards Online quickly identified what our requirements were and put together a clear statement of works along with the quote. On time and within budget, we are really pleased with the system. Working seamlessly in the background our workshop controllers get the information they need and aiding our service advisor across several sites.” Phil Heine concluded: “Barretts of Kent are one of many companies in the motor trade using T Cards Online. More and more clients are seeing the benefits of our solution. The key for us is giving personal support to clients. Barratts needed something bespoke to make T Card Online work even more effectively for them. Our Development Team got it right first time with the help of Sasha and her colleagues. We’ve had a great experience working with Barretts and we’re looking forward to supporting them across the business” Efficiencies Digital tools of various types can help streamline a number of processes, as PACT Director Mark Rudge observed: “Businesses are looking more frequently at creating efficiencies in the products returns process. The traditional returns process has hampered the automotive industry’s progress for years. The web-based, mobile-enabled, automated TecCom Returns platform was developed to bring together all of the communications concerning a Above: Through Autowork Online, garages can send text reminders, online estimates, electronic health check forms and more