Quantcast
Jump to content









Web-Based Shop Management

meowpox
 Share

Recommended Posts

meowpox Enthusiast

meowpox

Posted
Posted

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?
Link to comment
Share on other sites


mspecperformance Mentor

mspecperformance

Posted
Posted

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. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Jay Huh Rising Star

Jay Huh

Posted
Posted
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

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Jay Huh Rising Star

Jay Huh

Posted
Posted
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

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
meowpox Enthusiast

meowpox

Posted
  • Author
Posted
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!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Jay Huh Rising Star

Jay Huh

Posted
Posted
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

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
meowpox Enthusiast

meowpox

Posted
  • Author
Posted
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!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
juangb1085 Newbie

juangb1085

Posted
Posted

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

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
GobblesAuto Contributor

GobblesAuto

Posted
Posted

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.

 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites
mspecperformance Mentor

mspecperformance

Posted
Posted
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.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
GobblesAuto Contributor

GobblesAuto

Posted
Posted

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.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Trealubit Explorer

Trealubit

Posted
Posted

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

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • 1 year later...
Brett Corvino Newbie

Brett Corvino

Posted
Posted

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

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing

  • Have you checked out Joe's Latest Blog?

    • Joe Marconi
      Want to End Your Technician Shortage? Focus on Retention!
      By Joe Marconi in Joe's Blog
         5 comments
      I recently spoke with a friend of mine who owns a large general repair shop in the Midwest. His father founded the business in 1975. He was telling me that although he’s busy, he’s also very frustrated. When I probed him more about his frustrations, he said that it’s hard to find qualified technicians. My friend employs four technicians and is looking to hire two more. I then asked him, “How long does a technician last working for you.” He looked puzzled and replied, “I never really thought about that, but I can tell that except for one tech, most technicians don’t last working for me longer than a few years.”
      Judging from personal experience as a shop owner and from what I know about the auto repair industry, I can tell you that other than a few exceptions, the turnover rate for technicians in our industry is too high. This makes me think, do we have a technician shortage or a retention problem? Have we done the best we can over the decades to provide great pay plans, benefits packages, great work environments, and the right culture to ensure that the techs we have stay with us?
      Finding and hiring qualified automotive technicians is not a new phenomenon. This problem has been around for as long as I can remember. While we do need to attract people to our industry and provide the necessary training and mentorship, we also need to focus on retention. Having a revolving door and needing to hire techs every few years or so costs your company money. Big money! And that revolving door may be a sign of an even bigger issue: poor leadership, and poor employee management skills.
      Here’s one more thing to consider, for the most part, technicians don’t leave one job to start a new career, they leave one shop as a technician to become a technician at another shop. The reasons why they leave can be debated, but there is one fact that we cannot deny, people don’t quit the company they work for, they usually leave because of the boss or manager they work for.
      Put yourselves in the shoes of your employees. Do you have a workplace that communicates, “We appreciate you and want you to stay!”

  • Similar Topics

    • carmcapriotto
      Can Marketing "Even Out" The Workload? [E097] - The Auto Repair Marketing Podcast
      By carmcapriotto
      Can Marketing "Even Out" The Workload?
      Thank you to RepairPal for sponsoring The Auto Repair Marketing Podcast. Learn more about RepairPal at https://repairpal.com/shops
      Show Notes
      We often hear people say their marketing should “even out the workload,” but can it do that? There are peaks and valleys throughout the year. That’s just life. It’s hard to market to make a specific time busy Marketing lifts the peaks and the valleys, but it can easily lift the peaks higher and the valleys not quite as much SCHEDULING can even out the workload, or fill in the slow times Scheduling long-time clients for the slow times Scheduling the next visit like a dentist does Can you do time specific campaigns?  State fair campaign Back-to-school campaign Pre-trip inspections before summer and the holidays  
      How To Get In Touch
       
      Group - Auto Repair Marketing Mastermind
      Website - shopmarketingpros.com 
      Facebook - facebook.com/shopmarketingpros 
      Get the Book - shopmarketingpros.com/book
      Instagram - @shopmarketingpros 
      Questions/Ideas - [email protected]
      Lagniappe (Books, Links, Other Podcasts, etc)
      Canva - Mood Boards  
      Click to go to the Podcast on Remarkable Results Radio
       
    • nptrb
      Understanding Beneficial Ownership Information: A Guide for Businesses
      By nptrb

      Premium Member Content 

      This content is hidden to guests, one of the benefits of a paid membership. Please login or register to view this content.

    • tyrguy
      Anybody near Fort Myers Beach want to work on my 2002 Mini Cooper?
      By tyrguy
      Hey all,
      Retired 5+ years ago and spend half my time down here in Florida. Haven't been on the forum in a few years. When I am up home in Ohio the tire dealer that bought my business and  rents my building from me takes good care of all my vehicle service needs. My Mini needs a few things and I'd like to hook up with someone from this forum close to me down here.
      Belt is squealing so probably needs a new belt, tensioner and idler pulley. Also need a new right side window motor.
      Anybody close to Fort Myers Beach?
      Mark Defer 330-603-5127
    • carmcapriotto
      Get the Most Out of Vision High Tech Training and Expo - With Tanner Brandt - Diagnosing the Aftermarket A to Z
      By carmcapriotto
      Thanks to our Partner, NAPA Autotech napaautotech.com
      Matt Fanslow and Tanner Brandt discuss the nuances of automotive training and education. They emphasize the importance of selecting relevant classes that address specific areas of struggle within the industry, such as diagnosing parasitic battery drains. They highlight the complexities of troubleshooting and the limitations of current diagnostic tools, underscoring the need for better vehicle monitoring. The conversation also touches on the importance of networking and knowledge sharing, as well as the value of stepping out of one's comfort zone to explore new areas of learning at training events.
      Importance of selecting classes and getting the most out of training events in the automotive industry Choosing classes based on areas of struggle and seeking advice from experienced instructors Different phases of attending training events Value of soft skills and communication courses in the automotive industry Impact of quality training programs offered by NAPA Importance of ongoing training to keep up with evolving vehicle technology Importance of specialized training, particularly in the area of electric vehicles (EVs) Value of specialty classes focused on specific vehicle brands Importance of networking and staying engaged during training events Challenges faced in diagnosing automotive issues, particularly related to parasitic battery drains  
      Thanks to our Partner, NAPA Autotech napaautotech.com
       
      Email Matt: [email protected]
      Diagnosing the Aftermarket A - Z YouTube Channel HERE
      Aftermarket Radio Network: https://aftermarketradionetwork.com/
      Click to go to the Podcast on Remarkable Results Radio
    • carmcapriotto
      Getting The Most Out of Conferences [E088] - The Auto Repair Marketing Podcast
      By carmcapriotto
      Thank you to RepairPal for sponsoring The Auto Repair Marketing Podcast. Learn more about RepairPal at https://repairpal.com/shops
      Kim’s Tips:
      Go with a plan - know who you want to meet. Pre-schedule these meetings.  Promote that you are there!  Use the event/conference app!  Schedule your post-conference debriefing meeting. Create a post-conference action plan See our Conference Planning Checklist!  
      Brian’s Tips
       
      1 - Register early and be strategic about the classes you take - stay at the hotel 2 - Establish a bedtime with a no-excuses policy 3 - Choose your team’s classes and make them teach it when they get back 4 - Visit the vendors - know/like/trust them - they subsidize your attendance 5 - Come with Friends  
      How To Get In Touch
       
      Group - Auto Repair Marketing Mastermind
      Website - shopmarketingpros.com 
      Facebook - facebook.com/shopmarketingpros 
      Get the Book - shopmarketingpros.com/book
      Instagram - @shopmarketingpros 
      Questions/Ideas - [email protected]
      Click to go to the Podcast on Remarkable Results Radio


  • nptrb

    Understanding S-Corp Distributions and Draws | Are They Taxable?

    By nptrb, in Automotive Industry,

    0 comments 626 views
    nptrb

    Spring Clean Your Finances: 5 Steps Every Business Should Take

    By nptrb, in Automotive Industry,

    1 comment 395 views
    nptrb

    Tax Season Preparation: A Comprehensive Guide

    By nptrb, in Automotive Industry,

    1 comment 523 views

  • Our Sponsors



Main Sections

More Sections

Discussion Forums

×
×
  • Create New...