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mikerisich

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  1. mikerisich
    The automotive software solutions provider will demonstrate its Mobile Manager Pro tool during the show.


     
    Are you heading to the Automotive Aftermarket Products Expo (AAPEX) on Nov. 4-6 in Las Vegas, Nevada?
     
    In addition to expanding your knowledge base through various Webinars and educational offerings, be sure to stop by the BOLT ON TECHNOLOGY booth (#2983) to learn about the many proven benefits of our mobile technology. We would love to meet you and to demonstrate how our fully digital offerings can empower your shop to make more money, save more time and dramatically increase up-sell opportunities.
     
    But don’t take our word for it. Test drive and see for yourself how our fully digital Mobile Manager Pro automotive software solution will save 10 to 15 minutes per customer through the use of VIN and license plate decoding, canned tech notes and more.
     
    BOLT ON TECHNOLOGY’s one-of-a-kind tool, which is the only software solution add-on offering full shop management system integration, debuted during last year’s AAPEX show.
    Since then, shops using the paperless module to carry out digital multi-point inspections, estimates and more are seeing 45-75% higher average repair orders over traditional paper and pencil methods. The inclusion of vehicle condition photos, which are texted to customers along with digital multi-point inspections, strengthen customer confidence, which leads to quicker customer approvals of higher ticket services and repairs.
     
    Nick Nix, the owner of PJ’s Auto Repair in Yuba City, Calif., said his shop of 17 years has seen a “dramatic impact” since Mobile Manager Pro was implemented this summer. Nix said the shop made an extra $3,600 in profit the first week of use and the shop’s average repair order had increased by $30 from $130 to $160 within two weeks.
    For shop owner Jeff Rossetti of Ohio-based Automotive Techniques, mobile technology freed him from the constraints of working in a PC-only environment.
    “I don’t have a bunch of workstations anymore,” Rossetti said. “It’s the mobility of being able to walk around the shop and do a lot of the functions that you usually would have to do at a PC.”
    The software features color-coded auto pre-canned technician notes and recommendations as part of the fully customizable digital multi-point inspection process. Technicians can boost productivity by meeting customers at their vehicle to begin the vehicle inspection process.
    If you’re planning to attend AAPEX, be sure to look for us and let us know how we may help. We will be on hand demonstrating the software’s various features, sharing best practices and answering questions.
     
    To learn more or to register for AAPEX, which will be held from Nov. 4-6, click here.
     
    For more information on BOLT ON TECHNOLOGY, visit our Website, BoltOnTechnology.com, or call 610-400-1019. Stay tuned for a future blog highlighting Welcome Station, our touch screen check in kiosk, which will also be exhibited during AAPEX. Remember, you can find us at booth #2983.
  2. mikerisich
    Bolt On Technology, LLC has been selected for the 2014 Best of Downingtown Award in the Software Company category by the Downingtown Award Program.
     
    Each year, the Downingtown Award Program identifies companies that it determines have achieved exceptional marketing success in their local community and business category. According to the Downingtown Award Program, winners are local companies that enhance the positive image of small business through service to their customers and community.
     
    Various sources of information were gathered and analyzed to choose the winners in each category. The 2014 Downingtown Award Program focuses on quality, not quantity. Winners are determined based on the information gathered both internally and data provided by third parties, according to the Downingtown Award Program.
    The automotive software solutions provider, which is headquartered in Downingtown and operates a development center in Bucks County, Pa., is experiencing a more than 200 percent year-over-year growth. Bolt On Technology was recently named by the Philadelphia 100 as one of the top 100 fastest-growing, privately held entrepreneurial companies in the greater Philadelphia region.
     
    Mike Risich, the company’s founder and CEO, attributes Bolt On Technology’s recent accolades to the deployment of an impressive suite of software add-on solutions aimed at automating day-to-day routines and saving a cross-section of the nation’s 275,000 independent automotive repair shops time and money.
     
    “We pride ourselves on being at the forefront of software innovation as it pertains to the auto repair world,” Risich said. “We strive to systematize and revolutionize the way shops conduct business. In short, we provide our customers with the efficiency-building tools they can’t live without.”
     
    Earlier this year, Bolt On Technology released a dramatically updated version of its signature software tool, Mobile Manager Pro. The fully wireless module enables repair shops to take and text vehicle condition photos to customers; conduct paper-less digital multi-point inspections; and scan and decode vehicle identification numbers and license plates among other functions.
     
    The inclusion of photos illustrating needed repairs is helping to build customer confidence, as evidenced in quicker response times – from a national average of one hour and 17 minutes with traditional customer phone calls to a mere 37 minutes via text message communication.
     
    Following on the heels of the Mobile Manager Pro update was Bolt On Technology’s release of Welcome Station, which the company believes is the auto repair industry’s first-ever customer check-in kiosk. Similar to touch screen stations at airports, grocery and convenience stores, the tablet-powered software allows repair shop customers to quickly check in, update their information, add new vehicles and select repair services.
     
    For more information about Bolt On Technology visit www.boltontechnology.com, or call 610-400-1019.
  3. mikerisich
    BOLT ON TECHNOLOGY customers who use the Pro Pack suite of automotive software solutions, which includes Lube Sticker Pro, Report Pro and Message Manager software modules, can now take advantage of new features. The software add-on solutions have been upgraded for Mitchell1 and NAPA TRACS shop management systems.
     
    Lube Sticker Pro, which, in addition to printing lube stickers and key tags and advance scheduling maintenance appointments based on customers’ driving habits, mileage milestones and vehicle age now prints dates in the user's local date format. With the upgrades, new users can auto-populate holidays into black out dates to prevent services from being scheduled when the shop would be closed.
     
    Message Manager is used to send text message appointment reminders and receive appointment confirmations right from a shop’s repair order screen and features templates to inform customers when services are due and when vehicles are ready for pickup. The software now offers an opt-in text for quiet time, features a registration key lookup and displays dates in the user’s local date format. The new additions designate one terminal as the auto text computer.
    Report Pro, which features the ability to create by-the-job customer invoicing with coupons, social media links and more than 100 other options and customized reports, now provides for even more customization. With the latest update, Report Pro users can create new tech worksheet header additions, including gross vehicle weight and vehicle notes. Other new options include the addition of federal tires to the tire registration tool, which makes online tire registration even quicker and easier. The ability for shops to build search queries based on their customers' odometer readings lets shops market mileage-related services to applicable customers.
     
    The new features, as well as the existing components of the Pro Pack software suite fully integrate with shop management systems, eliminating the need for double-entry, saving time and increasing day-to-day efficiencies.
     
    For more information about Pro Pack, or other Bolt On Technology add-on software solutions, call 610-400-1019, or visit www.boltontechnology.com.
     
  4. mikerisich
    Following the massive recall of more than 6 million Firestone tires in 2000, federal law mandated that tire retailers take steps to notify customers of a tire recall.
     
    Until recently, that meant bookmarking each tire manufacturer’s Web site, navigating there and inputting the customer and tire information, according to Tom Gebbie of Lansdale, Pa.-based Gebbie’s AutoCare.
     
    A self-described “good typer,” Gebbie, who sells 1,000 to 1,200 tires a year, said he was able to carry out the registrations in about a minute.
     
    But, with help from a feature built into his shop management system’s add-on software, Gebbie said he’s been able to cut that time down to under half a minute.
     
    Gebbie began using the time-saving tire registration feature on Bolt On Technology’s Report Pro and with the push of a button, fields auto-populate, easing the entry of information and keeping him from having to remember which Web sites he needed to visit as part of the registration process.
     
    “It’s been very handy,” Gebbie said. “This is definitely an improvement.”
     
    The Firestone recall of 2000 was the only instance to date that Gebbie said impacted his customers. Back then customers were given postcards to register their new tires.
     
    But, as Gebbie found out, “not a single one of those had registered their tires,” meaning he had to call the 25 customers who had purchased tires that had been recalled.
     
    At Elsy Auto Repair in Newark, N.J., John Slater said the Report Pro tire registration function “makes it a thousand times easier.”
     
    Slater said the “one click deal” is much easier than the manual entry and switching back and forth between two open programs.
     
    “If the software takes 10 seconds, manually it’s going to take five minutes,” Slater said of the online tire registration process. “It’s like a night and day difference.”
     
  5. mikerisich
    Spring and summer months are historically busier times for auto repair shops. Of course it would be great to keep that steady traffic coming into your bays day in and day out, each and every day through fall and winter too. But, how do you do it?
     
    A stay-busy year-round solution is easier to attain than you may think.
     
    Dentists, doctors and hair salons all use advance scheduling to ensure their respective professionals do not confront empty appointment books. The auto repair industry should be no different. Repair shops can stockpile consistent business for various vehicle maintenance issues in the same way by employing help from automotive software solutions.
     
    Today’s cutting-edge shop management software programs incorporate features like customer driving history, vehicle age and recommended services based on specific mileage milestones to predict a service timetable for scheduling state inspections, emissions tests, tire rotations, lube oil and filter changes and other services, including coolant flushes.
     
    Scheduling these services in advance, while the customer is in the shop, can help businesses avoid the September and February slumps and ensure a consistent repair shop revenue stream.
     
    In addition, scheduling routine services in advance helps shops maintain a more manageable work flow-particularly during busy seasons-and helps shops to determine how many walk-in customers can be added on any given day. It also gives customers a greater opportunity to keep up with recommended maintenance while making it easier for them to take action on important vehicle services.
     
    Software developed with advance scheduling functionality capabilities takes email, postcards and even phone call service reminders to a whole new level. Using software scheduling tools allows shop owners to be proactive instead of reactive. Think about it, when does boosting business come to mind? Typically shop owners reflect on attracting more customers, or bringing back regular customers when business is down. Waiting until then may be too late.
     
    By implementing software that enables a seamless advance scheduling process for customers’ regular 3 to 6 month and even annual vehicle maintenance needs, shops will see far fewer slow days and will be less likely to need last-minute incentives to drive business.
     
    Another benefit besides keeping steady momentum is that as the appointment date nears, reminders can be auto-texted to customers, further freeing up shop owners and technicians to focus on other priorities, including performing other customers’ vehicle maintenance.
     
    To learn more about implementing advance scheduling software at your automotive repair shop, visit http://www.BoltOnTechnology.com/, or call 610-400-1019.
  6. mikerisich
    What’s the one daily task that simplifies your shop life, increases upselling opportunities and dramatically boosts profits?
     
    For a growing number of shops, the most important task involves snapping customer vehicle condition photos and sharing them, along with digital multi-point inspections and repair orders, with customers.
     
    The sentiment that a picture is worth a thousand words has perhaps never been truer than for a customer literally staring down evidence of needed, and most times unexpected, vehicle repairs.
     
    Since spring, shops using Bolt On Technology’s Mobile Manager Pro automotive software suite have taken and shared 100,000 photos with their customers. On average, 7,500 photos are captured every week, which is a testament to the effectiveness of the “seeing is believing” notion.
     
    Now, instead of trying to explain why a customer may need to buy new tires, or brake pads, or replace a corroded battery, technicians, with the click of a handheld mobile device, can show them.
     
    In all, our data shows that nearly 90 percent of our Mobile Manager Pro users actively put into service the software’s photo-taking capabilities. The number of regular photo-takers continues to grow, as does the bottom lines for shops that have made this feature a part of their daily routine.
     
    Along with the photo capture feature, shops are also benefitting from VIN scanning (88 percent usage rate) and digital inspections (84 percent usage rate). The new recommendations capability, which goes hand-in-hand with image capture, continues to increase in popularity as more than 70 percent of shops regularly use it to make new repair recommendations as part of the vehicle inspection process.
     
    An add-on automotive software solution that automatically integrates with leading shop management systems, Mobile Manager Pro enables technicians to ditch scrawled handwriting in favor of digital, easy-to-complete forms, including customizable multi-point vehicle inspections, VIN and license plate scanning/decoding and more.
     
    Since its release in the fall of 2013, Mobile Manager Pro has been proven to increase efficiency and productivity in the bays. But, for many shop owners and technicians, the real proof of the application’s usefulness is in its ability to take photos.
     
    Our research has shown that the uptick in photo-taking is paying off. Techs that take three or more photos, or make three or more service recommendations have seen repair orders increase by $60 to $85. In all, shops are more than doubling their repair order profits simply by showing, not telling.
     
    How does your shop communicate customer service recommendations?
     
    To learn more about Mobile Manager Pro and the power of using photos to drive higher sales, call Bolt On Technology at 610-400-1019.
  7. mikerisich
    Competition in the marketplace is the biggest challenge Eric Russo has faced in his 22 years of owning four greater Philadelphia area auto repair shops.
     
    The biggest contender of all in his quest for higher profits and a larger customer base has been dealerships, Russo said.
     
    But, Russo said he finally found a tool to not only even the playing field, but to make his shops “better than the
    dealerships.”
     
    In short, Russo and his employees are setting themselves apart from the competition through the use of mobile technology.
     


    to see Eric Russo's video.

     
    The software’s ability to create itemized reports and take pictures of items in need of repairs – all of which can be delivered to the customer by email or text message – gives the shops a more professional look and feel, he said.
     
    “We’ve been able to increase our RO by 20 percent and increase confidence,” Russo said.
     
    Mobile Manager Pro, BOLT ON TECHNOLOGY’s most popular automotive software solution, has also helped Russo’s shops become more efficient, he said.
     
    “Efficiency is key to making money,” he said. “We’re able to turn over bays more quickly.”
     
    One of Russo’s shops had its best month to date and Russo credited Mobile Manager Pro for that success.
     
    “It’s such a great tool that I don’t really want any other shops owning it,” he said, adding that competing with dealerships has gotten a whole lot easier. “I don’t even think we’re on the same ball field anymore.”
  8. mikerisich
    Upping the daily car count has been an ongoing goal for Tim Steigerwalt since he became owner of six Philadelphia-area independent auto repair shops in 1996.
     
    The challenge of “not enough cars” is a problem common among fellow shop owners.
     
    And while Steigerwalt has not yet found the magic bullet to bring more customers through his shops’ doors, he has been able to make a difference in another way.
     
    This spring, Steigerwalt’s shops incorporated BOLT ON TECHNOLOGY’s mobile automotive software solutions into their daily routine.
     
    The result?
     
    “Doubled revenue.”
     
    In particular, Steigerwalt said his team continues to find success with Mobile Manager Pro’s photo-taking and texting capabilities. Adding vehicle condition photos to a digital multi-point inspection, repair order or estimate has helped “gain the trust of the customer,” he said.
     
    In turn, customers who can visually see the need for repairs or maintenance are more likely to authorize work as evidenced in the $60 increase in his shops’ average repair order.
     
    “It has really enhanced our communication with our customers,” Steigerwalt said. “We’re able to communicate with our customers in a different way.”
     
    Steigerwalt, who worked for two decades fixing cars before becoming a shop owner, said the technology is something he had “never heard of” during his wrenching days.
     
    As such, he “wasn’t really sure what to expect” from it.
     
    His customers, who now receive vehicle condition photos, along with repair orders and inspections via text and email message, have responded positively, in most cases approving repairs in minutes instead of hours.
     
    “It gives them the ‘wow’ factor,” Steigerwalt said.
     

    See Tim's video here:


  9. mikerisich
    Nick Nix, the owner of PJ’s Auto Repair in Yuba City, Calif., is seeing a “dramatic impact” in his techs’ ability to “point and click” their way to completing digital multi-point inspections of customer vehicles.
     
    So dramatic, in fact, that after using BOLT ON TECHNOLOGY’s™ Mobile Manager Pro for only a week, Nix said his shop of 17 years made $3,600 in additional profit.
     
    He attributes the uptick in revenue to his shop’s use of digital inspections, which include technician-recommended services, tech notes, along with vehicle condition photos, all of which can be texted via tablet or mobile device, to a customer in real time.
     
    To track the revenue-generating results, Nix said he used BOLT ON TECHNOLOGY’s Report Pro software solution. Users can create customizable invoices which include everything from a shop’s logo, color scheme and service coupons, to a breakdown of checks to be carried out during vehicle inspections.
     
    In addition to seeing a major profit boost the first week, Nix said his average repair order had increased by $30 from $130 to $160 within two weeks.
     
    Making the commitment to invest in the suite of automotive software solutions stemmed from his lackluster average RO, which he said was “half of the industry standard.”
     
    “I was looking for you guys,” Nix said, noting that he had envisioned smoother shop operations through mobile technology for some time. “I actually found your competitor.”
     
    Nix said he decided to license Bolt On Technology’s software platform instead of another company because, “you guys are just developing this so quickly.”
     
    The Mobile Manager Pro feature that works best in driving efficiency is the application’s team chat function, according to Nix.
     
    “It’s cut down on shop miscommunication dramatically,” he said. “(Before) we had paper repair orders for the guys. They would have to write on the work order and send it to the service advisor. Now we have real time documented chat. It hits all the techs at the same time.”
     
    For more information on Mobile Manager Pro, Report Pro, or any of Bolt On Technology’s other automotive software solutions visit www.boltontechnology.com or call 610-400-1019.
  10. mikerisich
    In the 17 years since Bill Hill and his significant other, Leigh Anne Best, have owned Ohio-based Mighty Auto Pro, the couple has “seen it all” in terms of shop management systems and add-on software programs.
     
    “There are so many programs,” said Leigh Anne. “One program will do this and another will do that.”
     
    But, the couple had not found a software solution for everything at their 17-bay repair shop until recently: BOLT ON TECHNOLOGY’s™ suite of automotive software solutions.
     
    “Nothing has really been as all-encompassing as this,” she said. “They’ve got some great stuff going on.”
     
    Deemed by the business owners as a one-stop software shop for the automotive repair industry, Leigh Anne said Bill favors the VIN scanning functionality and digital multi-point inspections made possible with Mobile Manager Pro.
     
    “We have always done a 51-point safety inspection. Prior to this we hand wrote them,” she said, adding that digital inspections and VIN decoding saves 10 to 15 minutes per vehicle on average. “We toyed around with putting them on the computer for some time.”
     
    Now, instead of trying to figure out how to digitize repair orders and inspection reports, Mighty Auto Pro-which Ratchet and Wrench magazine named a 2013 All-Star-use tablets to carry out these functions using Bolt On’s popular signature software solution.
     
    In terms of expanding the shop’s 450-car-per-month bottom line, Leigh Anne said the application’s ability to take and text photos of customer vehicles has helped up repair orders by 30 percent. Prior to Mobile Manager Pro, she said the shop took its own photos. As part of a week-long test, she said some techs were tasked with taking photos of vehicle conditions to share with customers, while the rest were told not to take photos.
     
    “They were up about 30 percent, the people with pictures versus without,” she said. “Resoundingly the results were so much better with sales.”
     
    Besides boosting sales and saving time, Bill said he likes the fact that technicians are able to zero in on their customers.
     
    “Bill likes that the only thing they’re seeing is their vehicles, not the entire shop’s vehicles,” Leigh Anne said. “Instead of looking at the entire work in progress screen it’s individualized.”
     
    For Leigh Anne, text message customer reminders via Message Manager Pro, as well as the easy compilation of marketing data using the report-generating software wizard that is Report Pro “has been a huge thing.”
     
    For more information on BOLT ON TECHNOLOGY’s suite of automotive software solutions visit www.boltontechnology.com or call 610-400-1019.
  11. mikerisich
    Since his 16-bay repair shop began using wireless automotive software solutions last fall, Dave Murray, VP of Operations at Florida-based Murray Motive, said his family-owned business has been able to save an hour each day “by not doing a whole lot.”
     
    Incorporating BOLT ON TECHNOLOGY’s™ Mobile Manager Pro, Murray said processes that had previously taken 10 to 20 minutes to complete now take “five minutes or less.”
     
    “It improves our efficiency dramatically when building ROs,” he said. “It saves at least 10 steps on the desktop.”
     
    Specifically, the mobile device or tablet-powered application is equipped with the functionality to carry out digital multi-point inspections, digital repair orders, VIN scanning and more. The paperless system syncs with shop management systems, making it unnecessary to enter data back into the computer, which, in turn, dramatically cuts down on time.
     
    On average, Murray said the speed and precision of the Mobile Manager Pro application adds a minimum of one extra car to his 15-cars-per-day service schedule.
     
    That added convenience has contributed to his shop’s bottom line, according Murray, who said the cutting-edge technology has boosted his shop’s $646 average repair order by 5 to 10 percent. Mobile Manager Pro also features the capability to take and text or email vehicle conditions, which oftentimes accompany inspection reports or repair orders.
     
    “It definitely helps up-sell the small things,” Murray said. “When communicating with the customer, to be able to show them saves time on sales calls and trying to educate the customer.”
     
    For Murray, Mobile Manager Pro also helps to strengthen the shop’s internal communication.
     
    “Since we've ditched our clipboards and gone full tablet, we use the big board to keep track of statuses and job distribution,” he said. “The most recent update including team chat with broadcast helps the shop foreman know when jobs are completed. We are spread across 3 buildings and 10,000 square feet, so the broadcast has been really helpful.”
     
    While its efficiency is a clear benefit, creating a better, more predictable scheduling system is what drew Murray to the time-saving software solution. Murray, in trying to have “more control” of the shop’s oil change stickers, began using BOLT ON TECHNOLOGY’s Lube Sticker Pro, which is part of the Mobile Manager Pro suite of solutions. The tool breaks away from the three months or 3,000 mile benchmark for lube, oil and filter services and instead uses a vehicle’s driving history and mileage milestones to determine with precise accuracy, when vehicles should receive lube, oil and filter service, as well as tire rotations, coolant flushes and myriad other services.
     
    For Murray and his four techs that use the automotive software solution, being able to circumvent the Mitchell1 application to add multiple canned jobs at once is most beneficial. The notes and descriptions section is a bonus for adding further description, or clarifying service recommendations, he said.
     
    And everybody loves no longer having to hand-write reports, he said.
     
    “It’s kind of just like your phone,” Murray said.
     
    For more information on Mobile Manager Pro visit www.boltontechnology.com or call 610-400-1019.
  12. mikerisich
    Mychael Althouse had a record-breaking month of sales at his auto repair shop, United Tire & Service in Feasterville, Pa., in April 2014. [see the video here]
     
    The Philadelphia suburban eight-bay shop serviced 12 to 15 cars per day as it has since Althouse took over the 30-year business three years ago.
     
    “We gained probably about $20,000 in total sales that month,” Althouse said. “That month was the best month in my company’s history of owning the shop.”
     
    Not coincidentally, April was the first full month the repair shop had put in place BOLT ON TECHNOLOGY’s wireless automotive software solution aimed at increasing shop efficiency and boosting profits.
     
    Before his shop began using mobile technology, Althouse, as part of the vehicle check-in process, said he spent about five minutes or more per customer going outside of the shop to jot down the customer’s VIN, license plate number and mileage. Then, he’d come back inside and re-enter the information, hoping he didn’t write the wrong numbers.
     
    “Nine out of 10 customers don’t know what year the vehicle is,” he said. “Nobody knows their 16-digit VIN.”
    With mobile technology, it’s not necessary to know either of those things. With a seconds-long scan of a car’s VIN, the wireless device populates form fields for make, model, year and more, opening the door for technicians to begin the repair order or digital multi-point inspection process as they greet the customer at their vehicle. The data automatically syncs with repair shop management systems, meaning service advisors, owners and technicians no longer have to enter information twice.
     
    Learn the tips that helped Althouse make more profits by joining our free webinar on July 18 from 1-2 p.m. EST.
     
    “It saves time at the front desk,” added Althouse.
    Beyond its ability to quickly and effortlessly scan and decode VINs and conduct digital multi-point inspections either from a mobile device or a tablet, Althouse said the biggest benefit involves photo-taking and texting functionality for easily sharing vehicle conditions with customers.
     
    Photographs that illustrate technicians’ recommended service makes the upsell process easier, even at times when customers can’t physically come to the shop and review pending services, according to Althouse.
     
    “People are able to see their vehicles while they’re at work,” he said. “It helps people make judgments easier.”
     
    In addition, being able to text or email repair orders, along with accompanying photos speeds up the customer approval process, which, in turn, boosts productivity and overall shop efficiency, he said.
     
    Mobile technology, which comes equipped with customizable digital multi-point inspection forms, has helped to keep Althouse’s techs “on point as far as looking the vehicle over a little more,” he said.
     
    “It’s a good tool for your tech to follow so they can get the proper inspection out,” Althouse said of the line-by-line checkout sheets his shop uses.
     
    Learn the tips that have helped shop owners make more profits by joining our free webinar on July 18 from 1-2 p.m. EST. To learn more visit BoltOnTechnology.com or call 610-400-1019.
  13. mikerisich
    Would you like help building fully customizable multi-point inspection reports? Or how about insight on harnessing the power of mobile technology to digitize your vehicle inspection process, all while saving time, increasing upsell opportunities and boosting your average repair order by 60 percent or more?
     
    BOLT ON TECHNOLOGY™ can help with all of those things and more during the Mitchell 1 Shop Management Super Workshop in San Diego, Calif. at the Hotel Solamar July 17-19.
     
    Representatives from Bolt On Technology will offer training sessions on its Report Pro and Mobile Manager Pro software programs, which are fully integrated add-ons for Mitchell 1 and other shop management systems.
     
    Report Pro, one of the automotive software solutions included in the Pro Pack bundle, offers the ability to create by-the-job customer invoicing, customized reports and shop-specific detailed or general multi-point inspections.
     
    Mobile Manager Pro, Bolt on Technology’s signature software solution, features color-coded auto pre-canned technician notes and recommendations as part of the fully customizable digital multi-point inspection process. Technicians can boost productivity by scanning and decoding VINs and license plates, taking and texting vehicle condition photos to customers along with repair orders, estimates and more.
    If you’re planning to attend the workshop, be sure to look for us and let us know how we may help. We will be on hand demonstrating the software’s various features, sharing best practices and answering questions.
     
    The training workshop is designed for those seeking more advanced capabilities, better methods and shortcuts for Mitchell 1’s shop management solutions – Manager 5.9 and Manager SE™ (version 6.5).
     
    Instructors will cover program setup values, inventory, reporting, best practices and advanced transactions, as well as integration with aftermarket cataloging. The curriculum for the two-day training session guides users through all levels of functionality in the Mitchell 1 Manager and ManagerPlus systems. The expanded agenda includes breakout sessions, a practice lab and an expo featuring products and services offered by industry partners.
     
    The Super Workshop will be led by John Dwulet, senior product manager for Mitchell 1’s management software solutions, and Tim McDonnell, national training manager, who together have more than 35 years of combined Manager and ManagerPlus training experience. Workshop sessions run from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on July 18 and July 19, with breakout sessions slated for the afternoon of July 19.
     
    For more information or to register for Mitchell 1’s Shop Management Super Workshop, visit the Management Workshop website by clicking here.
     
    In the event you are not attending the Shop Management Super Workshop and are interested in learning more about Bolt On Technology, consider dialing in for our hour-long July 18 webinar, which will be held at 1 p.m. EST and will cover general tips to increase efficiency and profits. Click here to register: https://www.anymeeting.com/AccountManager/RegEv.aspx?PIID=EA57D98583463D You can also direct your questions to us by calling 610-400-1019 or visiting www.boltontechnology.com.
  14. mikerisich
    Say good-bye to tedious customer check-ins with our latest automotive software solution, Welcome Station™, the first-ever self-check kiosk designed specifically for the automotive repair industry. With our tablet-powered tool, your shop can join airports, grocery and convenience stores, as well as restaurant chains in simplifying the customer experience.
    Our touch screen kiosk delivers faster business results, better accuracy and increased up-selling and profit generation opportunities with each customer check-in.
     
    This easy-to-use self-check system frees up service advisors and enables both new and returning customers to quickly and electronically notify shop staff of their arrival, select the vehicle and which services they’d like to have performed and whether they are dropping off, or will be waiting.
     
    Customers can also:
     
    · Update all contact and vehicle information
    · Add new vehicles
    · Receive geo-location weather alerts and related service suggestions
    · Add pending service recommendations
    · Add other services/canned jobs
     
    Increase Shop Efficiency
    With our Welcome Station™ kiosk, shops can cut the glut of long lines during the morning and afternoon rushes, all while saving precious minutes per customer and aligning the shop for more revenue-generating business.
    With a few taps, customers can check themselves in and speed up the shop’s daily process. Based on a modest 2 minutes-per-customer savings, shops with an average daily car count of 15 could save 2.5 hours per week – just in customer check-in time!
     
    Those extra hours are possible without adding staff, or increasing workloads. In fact, our kiosk will make your front staff’s work life easier.
     
    Boost Up-selling Opportunities
    Upon check-in, a customer is reminded of, and has the ability to select past pending service recommendations and even new services/canned jobs.
     
    The addition of area-specific weather alerts further simplify the up-selling process by suggesting services based on the vehicle care needed to maintain safety in different climates.
     
    The alerts suggest services specific to the current weather and seasons:
    · It’s raining – Would you like us to check your wipers?
    · It’s been over 90 degrees lately – Would you like us to check your air-conditioning?
    · It’s been less than 32 degrees lately – Would you like us to check your battery?
    · Winter is coming soon. Would you like us check your tires?
    · As well as other customizable service suggestions
     
    Secured Identity Protection
    To help prevent identity theft, customers are required to enter the phone number attached to the account and select their name.
     
    If the phone number and/or name are not unique to the account being accessed, Welcome Station™ will not continue, and the customer will need to see the service advisor.
     
    Shop Management System Integration
    Like all of BOLT ON TECHNOLOGY’s™ automotive solutions, Welcome Station™ is fully integrated into your shop management system. Our automotive software solutions offer real-time two-way communication without the need to re-enter information.
     
    For more information, or for a live demonstration, call us at 610-400-1019.
  15. mikerisich
    It’s been said that one of the most difficult things for an auto repair shop to do is to increase car count.
    With that being the case for many businesses, shop owners are left with pretty much one option to boost revenue: Generate additional income from the existing pool of customers. While some shops may view this as a challenge, in reality it’s an opportunity to maximize spending from a shop’s existing customer base.
    Since your customers aren’t coming in more frequently, you have to make every visit count toward boosting your bottom line.
    How do you do that?
    If your shop isn’t already conducting multi-point inspections on all vehicles, it should be.
    In analyzing data from about 100 businesses using our Mobile Manager Pro automotive software solution to do digital multi-point inspections, we found that shops regularly carrying out inspections boost their average repair orders by a combined average of 256 percent!
    One of the shops has boosted its average repair order from $183.46 to $428.38, for an additional $244.91 more per invoice on average since starting its nearly 500 digital multi-point inspections. Prior to introducing Mobile Manager Pro, the shop had always done a 51-point safety inspection.
    The key to dramatically increasing average repair orders among the shop’s 450-cars-per-month car count revolved around taking vehicle condition photos and texting them to customers along with digital multi-point inspections.
    Why it works
    Customers speculate that automotive repair shops suggest services that are not needed solely to get more money out of unsuspecting vehicle owners.
    For many who are slow to trust repair shops, the issue is more about the common person’s inability to understand an otherwise technical situation. Texting photos and inspection reports to customers puts the tools for making an informed decision literally at their fingertips.
    Being able to quickly thumb through inspections and see why work is suggested empowers customers to determine for themselves what is best instead of feeling they have been coerced into authorizing expensive repairs that may not be necessary.
    Can you triple your average RO?
    Based on 490 digital multi-point inspections carried out, another shop upped its average repair order by 344 percent. Prior to beginning digital multi-point inspections, the shop had an average repair order of $112.23, which has since jumped to $498.65, an average increase of $386.42.
    In addition to photos helping to upsell services, Mobile Manager Pro’s ability to incorporate written recommendations assists service advisors in keeping a customer’s vehicle needs front of mind. The software solution, which is powered either on an Android or tablet device, incorporates safeguards to ensure that recommended services are addressed. If the service writer overlooks something, a note pops up on the screen.
    Imagine spending a portion of what you could reap from 1 repair order and having the potential to gain an additional $110,000 or more in higher revenues each month. For more information, call BOLT ON TECHNOLOGY at 610-400-1019, or visit www.boltontechnology.com.
  16. mikerisich
    BOLT ON TECHNOLOGY™ is committed to passing the ‘V’ – are you?
     
    The greater Philadelphia area developer of more than a dozen wireless solutions to simplify automotive repair shop operations is supporting the V Foundation.
     
    Spurred by support from Bolt on Technology Director of National Sales and Corporate Sponsorships Frank Dragoni, a local youth baseball coach, the company is backing the altruistic efforts of the 21-year-old foundation.
     
    Dragoni, who’s been fundraising for the V Foundation for the last four years, is organizing the Jimmy V Home Run Derby for high school students on July 13 at the Trenton Thunder stadium in Trenton, N.J. Dragoni hopes to raise $50,000 through the fundraiser, which will feature several former Major League Baseball greats, including Jeff Manto, who played for the Colorado Rockies and most recently was the third base coach for the White Sox. David Amaro, a 24th round Chicago Cubs draft pick in the 1984 amateur draft, will also be on hand, Dragoni said.
     
    Get involved!
    Dragoni’s V Foundation fundraising work is through the Philly Friends of V, a regional branch of the nationwide V Foundation. Bolt On Technology is donating Philadelphia Phillies tickets to the silent auction, which will feature other sports-related memorabilia. The greater Philadelphia area company is asking its supporters to get involved by visiting the V Foundation Web site and creating a local event, making a tax-deductible donation, or championing Dragoni’s efforts. Check out this video to learn more about the Home Run Derby.
     
    About the V Foundation
    The V Foundation was established in 1993 by Jim Valvano, who, a few months after its establishment, succumbed to his battle with cancer. Valvano had worked as an ABC/ESPN basketball commentator and analyst following a successful 15-year career as a college basketball coach in which he took his team to several NCAA appearances. The Foundation continues in his name with contributions funding cancer research and related programs.
  17. mikerisich
    Overwhelmingly, auto repair shops are removing the guesswork from handwritten vehicle inspections, repair orders and service recommendations through the use of automotive software designed to simplify processes, save time and boost productivity.
    Below are seven fool-proof tips for using vehicle maintenance software to improve overall shop operations.
     
    1. Scan VINs
    Jotting down a vehicle identification number (VIN) is easy, right?
    Sure. Getting each and every letter and number correct­ – and making sure it’s readable – is something entirely different. Scanning a VIN eliminates the need to decipher messy handwriting, lessens the likelihood of mistakes and saves precious time.
     
    2. Quickly review pending service recommendations
    Our research has shown that nearly 75 percent of vehicles being serviced are having an oil change performed. More than likely, additional services or regular maintenance is also needed.
    Shop management software alerts service advisers and techs to all pending services when a customer arrives. This technology maintains a vehicle service history and offers suggestions that are either pending since a past appointment or are due for regular maintenance.
     
    3. Start repair orders and estimates on a tablet or mobile device
    With wireless automotive software solutions, techs can meet customers at their vehicle and begin the digital inspection, repair order, or estimate process using a handheld device. Best of all, the process can conclude the same way it began – with a tablet or mobile device.
     
    4. Build orders, create digital multi-point inspections with press of a buttonWireless software technology eliminates hard-to-read handwriting and speeds up the multi-point inspection and repair order process, allowing for more time to service additional vehicles. Without hiring more staff or adjusting work schedules, productivity, and, in turn profits, can be increased simply by incorporating innovative automotive software solutions.
     
    5. Add photographs to each vehicle service recommendation
    What better way to prove that a customer needs new brakes then to show it? Techs do this every day by taking multiple photos of vehicle conditions, underlining the need for recommended services.
    Without the benefit of pictures, customers all too often believe that shops exaggerate the severity of service suggestions strictly to make more money. Showing a customer pictures can increase repair order revenue from 15 percent to 90 percent on average. It’s much harder to refuse brake work after seeing the extent of the issue.
     
    6. Text or email customers a vehicle diagnosis with images
    Wireless automotive software with built-in text and email functionality enables techs to seamlessly send estimates, multi-point inspections, photos and more directly to customers. This speeds up customer approval times from the national average of one hour and 17 minutes to 37 minutes.
     
    7.Use mobile technology that’s fully integrated with your shop management system
    Boosting productivity is possible simply by using wireless automotive software that automatically syncs data compiled from a handheld device into the shop management system effortlessly. This eliminates the need for double entries as is commonly the case with paper repair orders and handwritten inspection reports.
     
    For more information on BOLT ON TECHNOLOGY's Mobile Manager Pro software solution, visit www.boltontechnology.com, or call 610-400-1019.

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