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Business is booming and we need to become paperless, web-based, w/QB integration. Any ideas on programs? Would love any and all input!

  • Omnique: I hear a lot of good things about it but looks like you need to pay for their most expensive package $400/mo to get QB integration. 
  • Shop Boss: looks really affordable with the features that it comes with ($99/mo comes with QB int). This is my favorite one so far. Does anyone use this? 
  • Any others?
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meowpox,

 

From my experience none of the cloud based SMS are as complete as some of the bigger players such as RO Writer and Mitchell. Sad because both RO Writer and Mitchell have gaping holes as well. I believe Omnique seemed to be the most complete out of all the ones I have looked at. None have convinced me to convert and I desperately want a cloud based SMS. 

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On 3/10/2017 at 7:57 PM, meowpox said:

Business is booming and we need to become paperless, web-based, w/QB integration. Any ideas on programs? Would love any and all input!

  • Omnique: I hear a lot of good things about it but looks like you need to pay for their most expensive package $400/mo to get QB integration. 
  • Shop Boss: looks really affordable with the features that it comes with ($99/mo comes with QB int). This is my favorite one so far. Does anyone use this? 
  • Any others?

I've been using shopboss since 2014. Best decision ever. price has gone up but I dont mind. Seriously go with shopboss and dont look back

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On 3/11/2017 at 11:07 AM, mspecperformance said:

meowpox,

 

From my experience none of the cloud based SMS are as complete as some of the bigger players such as RO Writer and Mitchell. Sad because both RO Writer and Mitchell have gaping holes as well. I believe Omnique seemed to be the most complete out of all the ones I have looked at. None have convinced me to convert and I desperately want a cloud based SMS. 

Name a feature on Mitchell and RO Writer and I'll let you know if Shopboss has it or not. Here is what I do with Shopboss- I manage RO's from home, employees clock in and clock out, keep track of technician hours, VIN scan with iPad and uploads automatically, send email quotes, 5 day 60 day 90 day automatic followup email, keeps track of GP, cores, writer stats, etc, it sends text message to customers and they can approve work on their phone, integrated scheduler- my "schedule appointment" on my website is from shopboss and loads directly into shopboss, there is a chat feature where I can chat with any one of my 9 employees at 2 different locations, each employee has their own login, integrated parts ordering, QB integration. I mean it's just too much list out. Im not affiliated with them but I should be with all the referals I've given them lol

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On 3/12/2017 at 1:05 PM, Jay Huh said:

Name a feature on Mitchell and RO Writer and I'll let you know if Shopboss has it or not. Here is what I do with Shopboss- I manage RO's from home, employees clock in and clock out, keep track of technician hours, VIN scan with iPad and uploads automatically, send email quotes, 5 day 60 day 90 day automatic followup email, keeps track of GP, cores, writer stats, etc, it sends text message to customers and they can approve work on their phone, integrated scheduler- my "schedule appointment" on my website is from shopboss and loads directly into shopboss, there is a chat feature where I can chat with any one of my 9 employees at 2 different locations, each employee has their own login, integrated parts ordering, QB integration. I mean it's just too much list out. Im not affiliated with them but I should be with all the referals I've given them lol

Yeah I've been really digging Shop Boss' demo and the 99/mo is affordable, given that it comes with all those features. We only have 4 techs and it seems like it would meet our shop's needs. Couple questions for you since you've used it for a couple years now:

  1. What QB do you use with it? Is the QB integration pretty seamless? I currently use QB desktop version but want to switch to Online version. I'm guessing since Shop Boss is web-based, using the QB online should be pretty effortless, am I right? Does it sync automatically or do I have to do something to upload the data?
  2. Have you had to use their customer service? How is it?
  3. Did you switch from one program to Shop Boss? If so, what was it? We're currently using Winworks and I dont see anything about importing data? 

Thanks!

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2 hours ago, meowpox said:

Yeah I've been really digging Shop Boss' demo and the 99/mo is affordable, given that it comes with all those features. We only have 4 techs and it seems like it would meet our shop's needs. Couple questions for you since you've used it for a couple years now:

  1. What QB do you use with it? Is the QB integration pretty seamless? I currently use QB desktop version but want to switch to Online version. I'm guessing since Shop Boss is web-based, using the QB online should be pretty effortless, am I right? Does it sync automatically or do I have to do something to upload the data?
  2. Have you had to use their customer service? How is it?
  3. Did you switch from one program to Shop Boss? If so, what was it? We're currently using Winworks and I dont see anything about importing data? 

Thanks!

1. Sorry I actually don't use QB so I dont know but I see the button at the top so I know the have the integration

2. Their customer service is excellent. I had an emergency on a Sunday where site was not allowing me to look up tech hours. They fixed it within an hour. Contacted them multiple times through the years and they always answer back. I needed custom hours for appointments and they coded that too

3. Luckily I started with Shop Boss so I am not sure how you would get all your customer data- I know it worked the other way around. Mitchell was trying to get me to switch and they said they can import all data from Shopboss for $500 so it should be possible

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14 hours ago, Jay Huh said:

1. Sorry I actually don't use QB so I dont know but I see the button at the top so I know the have the integration

2. Their customer service is excellent. I had an emergency on a Sunday where site was not allowing me to look up tech hours. They fixed it within an hour. Contacted them multiple times through the years and they always answer back. I needed custom hours for appointments and they coded that too

3. Luckily I started with Shop Boss so I am not sure how you would get all your customer data- I know it worked the other way around. Mitchell was trying to get me to switch and they said they can import all data from Shopboss for $500 so it should be possible

Thanks for the info!

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I have been using shopboss for a month now and I am very happy with it. The prices is affordable for all the features it has. The Qb integrator is very easy to use. I use online qb but you can also use a desktop one. Customer service is excellent, there is a chat option where they respond right away. They are currently changing their appearance and still needs some work finished, but I'm sure within time they will tweak all the little details and it will be a great program

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I use Mitchell Manager Enterprise Pro which is the same as Protractor. Mitchell buys it from Protractor and rebrands it under their name as their multi -shop software. It is different from Mitchell SE software. Protractor is a good system. Definitely worth looking at.

 

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21 minutes ago, GobblesAuto said:

I use Mitchell Manager Enterprise Pro which is the same as Protractor. Mitchell buys it from Protractor and rebrands it under their name as their multi -shop software. It is different from Mitchell SE software. Protractor is a good system. Definitely worth looking at.

 

Thanks. I am going to demo the system next week. I do know that mitchell enterprise is protractor, I am told the price points are the same.

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Xrac business is a little soft but overall Cleveland is booming. I expect business to rebound stronger than ever soon. Recently we had a Discount Tire open and this week an NTB and now they are building a new Tire Discounters so Cleveland is growing and were having to cope with the big guys coming to town. I think its splitting up some of the work. Were doing ok but running slightly behind last years numbers.

I think I pay close to $400 a month for Mitchell Enterprise Pro. I don't know the exact amount without looking it up.

Hope all is well with you.

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I have been using omnique for 3 years now. Before omnique i had alldata manage. By far omnique is the most capable and almost complete cloud based system i found at that time and they continue to update. Its updating to version 5 somtime this year and have great support. I am using the highest plan since i import to quickbooks. In my coaching group all of them are using protractor. looks really in depth and full of features and cloud based. I have not seen what shopboss does yet.

I would suggest that you demo all three and see what fits you and your business. Also check it Carolyn's (luscious garage) system called shopware. Its also cloud based. Good luck and let us know what you decide on!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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  • 1 year later...

I just took over a shop which was totally in the stone ages and running on an 11 yo laptop using QB only

 

Looking at Shop Boss and shop ware as well as Omnique it would be nice if there was a feature comp list anyone see one out there ??

 

Any other comments welcome please need to decide soon

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  • Have you checked out Joe's Latest Blog?

         3 comments
      Got your attention? Good. The truth is, there is no such thing as the perfect technician pay plan. There are countless ways to create any pay plan. I’ve heard all the claims and opinions, and to be honest, it’s getting a little frustrating. Claims that an hourly paid pay plan cannot motivate. That flat rate is the only way to truly get the most production from your technicians. And then there’s the hybrid performance-based pay plan that many claim is the best.
      At a recent industry event, a shop owner from the Midwest boasted about his flat-rate techs and insisted that this pay plan should be adopted by all shops across the country. When I informed him that in states like New York, you cannot pay flat-rate, he was shocked. “Then how do you motivate your techs” he asked me.
      I remember the day in 1986 when I hired the best technician who ever worked for me in my 41 years as an automotive shop owner. We’ll call him Hal. When Hal reviewed my pay plan for him, and the incentive bonus document, he stared at it for a minute, looked up, and said, “Joe, this looks good, but here’s what I want.” He then wrote on top of the document the weekly salary he wanted. It was a BIG number. He went on to say, “Joe, I need to take home a certain amount of money. I have a home, a wife, two kids, and my Harly Davidson. I will work hard and produce for you. I don’t need an incentive bonus to do my work.” And he did, for the next 30 years, until the day he retired.
      Everyone is entitled to their opinion. So, here’s mine. Money is a motivator, but not the only motivator, and not the best motivator either. We have all heard this scenario, “She quit ABC Auto Center, to get a job at XYZ Auto Repair, and she’s making less money now at XYZ!” We all know that people don’t leave companies, they leave the people they work for or work with.
      With all this said, I do believe that an incentive-based pay plan can work. However, I also believe that a technician must be paid a very good base wage that is commensurate with their ability, experience, and certifications. I also believe that in addition to money, there needs to be a great benefits package. But the icing on the cake in any pay plan is the culture, mission, and vision of the company, which takes strong leadership. And let’s not forget that motivation also comes from praise, recognition, respect, and when technicians know that their work matters.
      Rather than looking for that elusive perfect pay plan, sit down with your technician. Find out what motivates them. What their goals are. Why do they get out of bed in the morning? When you tie their goals with your goals, you will have one powerful pay plan.
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