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NEED AUTO REPAIR SHOP MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE

MIKE M

By MIKE M
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MIKE M Newbie

MIKE M

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HI I 'M NEW HERE BEEN A TECH FOR 30 YEARS .WORKED FOR SOME SUPERB INDEPENDENT GARAGES OVER THE YEARS HAVE ALL THE ASE CERTS. PLUS FIRE TRUCK. AMBULANCE AND LAW ENFORCEMENT CERTS., BUILDING A NEW FACILITY TO GO ON MY OWN, WOULD LIKE SOME INPUT ON SOFTWARE FOR MANAGEMENT OF INVOICES,PAYROLL INVENTORY AND CUSTOMER RECORDS, NEED A REASONABLY PRICED FOR START UP , WOULD CONSIDER STEPPING UP TO A BETTER VERSION WHEN THINGS GET ESTABLISHED AND CASH FLOW WARRANTS ,ALSO ANY RECOMMENDATION ON FLOOR PAINTS OR EPOXIES FOR NEW CONCRETE. WILL BE SERVICING CARS TO MED HEAVY TRUCKS ABUSE IS A MUST!!!!!THANKS FOR THE INFO!!! LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS FORUM

 

 

MIKE MURPHY

MIKE'S AUTO AND TRUCK SERVICE

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Alex

Alex

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LOUISBURG N.C. 8 BAYS 5500 SQ FT THANKS FOR THE INFO!!!

 

My opinion on this is that your management software is the key to your business, and a tool that can help you grow your business.

 

Your customer base is invaluable and what establishes your business. If you plan on being in business for a long time, make sure you partner with a management system that is widely used, supported, and updated.

 

Thee's nothing like establishing your business and growing attached to a peace of software to run it, to find out that it is no longer supported or updated.

 

You also should make sure that you have other than invoicing ability, to gauge, market, and control your business.

 

My suggestions, though more expensive are:

 

Mitchell Manager or R.O.Writer

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kellyurl13 Rookie

kellyurl13

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Mike,

 

I've spent the last 16 years as a service/parts manager at a large independent in Georgia. I finally made the move in August and opened my own shop. Software was one of my biggest concerns. I had experience with a few and finally decided to go simple. Quickbooks premier can do most anything you want, but there is a learning curve and set-up involved. An established shop would not want to go this way, but for a start-up, it will handle everything you need including an accuonting package that will keep you financials straight. If you wanted, you can even accept/process credit cards with their software and the rates are pretty competitive. Good luck with the new shop. Glad to see I'm not the only one who believes this is a good time to make a go of it if you have some capital and a good reputation.

 

Kelly Wilson

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  • Have you checked out Joe's Latest Blog?

    • Joe Marconi
      Want to End Your Technician Shortage? Focus on Retention!
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      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!”

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