Quantcast
Jump to content









mikerisich

Free Member
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    171

  • Joined

  • Last visited

 Content Type 

Blog Entries posted by mikerisich

  1. mikerisich
    After using our Mobile Manager Pro automotive software solution for a year, Jon Miller of Pioneer Automotive in Denton, Texas shot a video explaining how BOLT ON TECHNOLOGY's mobile technology has helped his shop.
     

    , Miller said the digital multi-point inspection tool has increased his shop's sales by 30 percent, upped his car count by 25 percent a month and eliminated the need to re-enter information from handwritten inspection sheets back into his shop management system.  
    "It's definitely changed the way we do things in the shop," Miller said. "Everything works flawlessly. I couldn't imagine going back to the way things used to be, back to what seems to be the stone ages with papers and pens."
     
    Mobile Manager Pro, Bolt On's signature solution, in addition to going paperless with multi-point inspections and more, also enables repair shop techs to take and text vehicle photos to customers. The software - which fully integrates with leading shop management systems - comes fully equipped with the ability to create customized multi-point inspection forms and enter color-coded auto pre-canned technician notes right from the tablet.
     
    To learn more about Mobile Manager Pro, click here. To learn more about BOLT ON TECHNOLOGY and its other automotive software solutions, click here.
     
  2. 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.
     
  3. mikerisich
    The National Pronto Association today announced its endorsement of BOLT ON TECHNOLOGY, a leader in the development of innovative software solutions powering the independent automotive repair industry.
     
    BOLT ON TECHNOLOGY, since its founding in 2008, has created more than a dozen software modules which fully integrate with leading shop management systems, saving repair shop technicians and service advisors time through the use of automation.
    Pronto has 95 independent wholesale distributors with 251 regional warehouses throughout the U.S., Canada and Mexico. This network supports 59,000 service centers.
     
    David Wofford, National Pronto Association Director of Sales and National Accounts, said the Pronto network is the perfect complement to BOLT ON TECHNOLOGY’s products, which are part of the Pronto Smart Choice Advantage. The Pronto Smart Choice Advantage also features a 24-month parts and labor warranty, online training and ASE certification reimbursement, as well as roadside assistance for customers, among other items.
     
    Wofford lauded the partnership with BOLT ON TECHNOLOGY as a way to provide “cutting-edge technology to service centers to make them more productive.”
     
    “The shops are not unlike most companies where they’re always being asked to do more with less personnel,” Wofford said, adding that the company’s mobile technology enables shops to “communicate with the consumers under the consumers terms – which is email and text messaging.”
     
    Frank Dragoni, Director of National Sales & Corporate Partnerships for BOLT ON TECHNOLOGY, said that gaining Pronto’s “stamp of approval” would help increase awareness and ultimately reach of Bolt On’s automotive software solutions.
    “We’re excited about this incredible opportunity to partner with such a remarkable leader in the automotive aftermarket industry,” Dragoni said. “Together we can make Pronto and BOLT ON TECHNOLOGY household names in the auto repair industry.”
  4. mikerisich
    The #1 most-requested Report Pro feature is here!
    Report Pro customers have been asking for the ability to view multi-point inspections on a desktop and now that functionality is here!
    The Inspection Manager addition, which has been rolled out for Mitchell1 SE Mobile Manager Pro users - and will be forthcoming for other shop management systems - allows a service advisor to review/edit an inspection from the desktop, making it easier to share results in person with a customer.
     
    The new feature is an exact replication of what's seen on the tablet and allows service advisors the ability to see in-progress, waiting and completed inspections. From the desktop, shop staff can view and edit notes and recommendations, as well as vehicle and inspection images.
     
    As is the case with the tablet, shop personnel can share inspections via email, text message, and work order note.
    Getting started
    Follow these steps to load the latest Report Pro upgrades:
    Open Report Pro
    When you see the prompt for a new update click "get update."
    The Inspection Manager is accessible in the tools menu of Report Pro.
  5. mikerisich
    We’ve addressed several maintenance issues in the latest Report Pro release, which is now available.
     
    With the latest update, users can see a fuller model/sub-model vehicle description on Mitchell SE tech worksheets. Also in Mitchell SE, we fixed the problem users had experienced while printing a revision when a sub-estimate for the vehicle had previously been sold.
    We have also ensured that the All Sub Estimates report remembers users’ selections.
     
    For Report Pro customers in Canada, the newest release improves the readability of the Canadian tax section in repair orders and estimates.
     
    The correct invoice number is now displayed in the posted items section of the unassigned GL accounts online report.
    In addition some users were experiencing difficulty finding repair orders and invoices in Report Pro. That has been corrected.
     
    The tax calculations for miscellaneous lines have been fixed. Also, the correct business name and contact information for business accounts on repair orders and invoices has been corrected.
     
    Please share your suggestions for any other feature requests by commenting on the forum, or contacting us through our Website: http://boltontechnology.com/contact-us/
  6. mikerisich
    With the latest Report Pro requested feature addition, shops can more easily identify the status of vehicles being serviced.
     
     
    BOLT ON TECHNOLOGY’s latest auto repair software release – which is available for Mitchell 1 customers – uses color-coded easy-to-read blocks showing vehicles that are unassigned, complete, in progress, waiting for parts and orders involving customers who are waiting.
     
    Dubbed the WorkFlow Manager, the Report Pro upgrade takes Mitchell 1’s Work In Progress screen and presents it in a much more visual way to enable service advisors and technicians the ability to more efficiently manage their work flow.
     
    The WorkFlow Manager’s biggest feature is its ability to quickly and easily change a status by simply dragging and dropping the item to a new category.
     
    In addition, the tool features a Quick Actions function which allows for one-click tasks, including printing an estimate and sending a text message to a customer. Prior to
    Quick Actions, these tasks took three or more steps to complete. As future updates are carried out, more Quick Actions will be added.
     
    The WorkFlow Manager upgrade also includes the ability to filter by service writer and filter by technician.
     
    The tool also displays charged hours and features a quick change status drop-down menu, among other advancements.
     
    If the WorkFlow Manager added for Mitchell 1’s shop management systems continues operating smoothly, BOLT ON TECHNOLOGY’s software development team will look into adding similar functionality as part of Report Pro’s integration with other SMS platforms. A date for this possible feature addition has not yet been determined.
     
    Besides the WorkFlow Manager, shops are using Report Pro to help market their business with unique, easily customizable invoices with more than 100 options for customization, including a shop logo and color scheme, social media links and much more. The software solution, as its name suggests, also enables shops to create various reports, technician worksheets and more.
     
    For more information on Report Pro, click here: Report Pro.
  7. mikerisich
    BOLT ON TECHNOLOGY customer Martin Kruszelnicki has the “greenest” auto repair shop in all of Santa Monica, Calif.
     
    Kruszelnicki, the Chief Technology Officer of Santa Monica Hybrid – The Hybrid Shop, attributes his shop’s use of BOLT ON TECHNOLOGY’s shop management software as one of the reasons the city of Santa Monica selected his repair shop from a pool of 19 contenders to win the 20th annual Sustainable Quality Awards.
     
    Santa Monica Hybrid – The Hybrid Shop won the Excellence in Stewardship of the Environment award.
    “Using Bolt On Technology we are able to save thousands of pages of paper and printing every year,” he said. “Customers love the paperless check-in system and our team enjoys technician tablets and electronic inspections and being more productive at the same time.”
     
    Since May 2014 Kruszelnicki has been using Bolt On’s Mobile Manager Pro multi-point inspection tool, as well as Welcome Station, the first-ever customer check-in kiosk designed for the automotive repair industry. The fully wireless software solutions, which feature digital signature capture, text and emailing of customer vehicle inspections, photos and more, enabled the shop to go completely paperless almost a year ago.
     
    Click here to read more.
  8. mikerisich
    It was common for Holt Auto Service and Machine Shop Service Manager Mike Chase to leave a message for a customer and “wait, wait, wait” for a call back.
    In the hours that typically followed until Chase talked to customers, the technicians wasted time taking vehicles down from lifts only to begin the seemingly unending cycle again with another vehicle.
    Since the nine-bay shop began using BOLT ON TECHNOLOGY's Mobile Manager Pro, customer communication – and repair work authorizations – have moved into the fast lane. Plus, the response from customers after receiving color-coded digital inspections and detailed vehicle condition photos has been “phenomenal,” Chase said.
    “The response I get back from people is unbelievable. They can actually see what we’re seeing,” he said. “A picture is worth a thousand words. Even if they’re not buying everything, they can see it for themselves.”
    In the days of simply telling customers what was wrong with their vehicles, Chase said, “You always wonder, ‘do they believe you?’ This way, there’s no question.”
    To learn more about Mobile Manager Pro and how the digital multi-point inspection tool can improve day-to-day operations at your shop, click here: Mobile Manager Pro.
  9. mikerisich
    Determine what you want from exhibitors post-expo now.






    With so many booths, workshops and more at the AAPEX Show, it would be virtually impossible to leave Las Vegas with all of the information you need to effectively grow your business.
     
    That’s why receiving follow up from exhibitors that align with your goals is imperative.
    How do you do that? Follow these simple tips to gather all the post-show information you need.
     
    1.Set guidelines
    Communicate your preferred follow-up methods with the exhibitor. Would you like them to call you, send a pamphlet, or fax information to you? Share with exhibitors how and what information you need to make any potential follow up decisions after AAPEX.
     
    2.Carve out time
    Be sure to set aside time to speak to exhibitors, or review the information they send. Suggest that exhibitors reach out to you during less busy portions of your workday, or ensure that an employee can cover for you.
     
    3.Set goals
    Give yourself a realistic time frame to discuss, review and act on any follow up material. Don’t leave pamphlets, or other information lying around for months collecting dust.
     
    4.Hold exhibitors accountable
    Be sure exhibitors do what they said they would do – when they said they would do it. In other words, if the exhibitor agrees to touch base a week after AAPEX and then fails to do so, you may want to reconsider doing business with the company. Failure to follow up shows the exhibitor can’t be trusted.
     
    5.Don’t be afraid to ask questions
    Perhaps the exhibitor’s follow up raised more questions, or caused confusion. Be sure to ask for further explanations, or clarifications.
     
    6.Seek out proof
    When follow up regarding the exhibitor’s products or services is not enough ask for insight from others in the know: Shop owners who are also customers. The exhibitor should be able to provide contact information for a customer or two, or you could try to find answers on your own via sites like the International Automotive Technicians Network (http://www.iatn.net/) or www.autoshopowner.com.
     
    You can see other helpful AAPEX Show tips and hints in my blog by clicking here. If you’re going to AAPEX Show 2014, we’d love to meet you! Please be sure to stop by booth #2983 to meet the BOLT ON TECHNOLOGY team, learn more about our mobile technology and our automotive software solutions, Mobile Manager Pro and Welcome Station. For more information, visit www.boltontechnology.com, or call 610-400-1019.
  10. 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.
  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
    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.
  13. 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.
  14. 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:


  15. mikerisich
    The Vision Hi-Tech Training and Expo begins in about a month.
     
    But, don't worry, there's still time to register for this four-day event, which happens March 5-8 in Kansas City, Kansas.
     
    Featuring technical training, a tool expo, service advisor summit, management and technical training, and, of course the two-day Vision Expo, this annual trade show offers something for everyone.
     
    In addition, BOLT ON TECHNOLOGY's sales and support staff will be exhibiting March 6 and March 7 as part of the Expo. If you plan on attending, please be sure to stop by booth #535 and #537 and say hello.
    For more information on the Vision Hi-Tech Training and Expo, click here.
  16. mikerisich
    During a recent Philly New Tech meetup gathering, BOLT ON TECHNOLOGY founder and CEO Mike Risich demonstrated the digital multi-point inspection process made possible through the company's Mobile Manager Pro automotive software solution.
     
    To see the automatic transmission of data from the tablet device to the shop management system and hear more about the best practices of advance appointment scheduling, click here to watch the video:
  17. mikerisich
    I never set out to develop software add-on solutions that would revolutionize the auto repair industry.
    All of that happened by accident.
     
    Prior to founding BOLT ON TECHNOLOGY, I worked as a Microsoft developer and taught evening classes at a school district near my suburban Philadelphia home. It was in the classes that I met an auto repair shop owner and his wife, who asked me to help with their shop’s software programs.
     
    When I saw how out-of-date the system was, a light went off in my head. It was kismet.
     
    From then on, my life’s goal was in view. I knew I had the passion and know-how to create add-on solutions that would help to automate tedious day-to-day functions at some of the nation’s 275,000 independent auto repair shops.
     
    My end goal, while always in sight, was not something that came easy, or right away. A father of three young children, I continued to work my full-time job while spending sleepless nights on what would become BOLT ON TECHNOLOGY.
     
    My wife, Christina, who often saw me hunched over our laptop computer in the wee hours, used to joke that I was having an affair – and her name was Dell.
     
    I hustled hard, because, more than the lack of sleep and time away from my family, I wanted to build this company. I knew that my time was an investment toward a larger achievement: Helping shops to increase efficiency, boost productivity and drive up profits through automation.
     
    In 2009, BOLT ON TECHNOLOGY LLC was formed. Two years later, I hired my first employee.
     
    About that same time, I moved my company’s operations to a space adjacent to an auto repair shop. The move was strategic – what better place to test my company’s add-on software solutions than a repair shop that would put the software to use each and every day?
     
    Fast forward a few years and BOLT ON TECHNOLOGY has developed and sold thousands of licenses for our suite of automotive software solutions throughout the U.S., South America, Canada and Guam. My team of software developers is constantly working to improve upon our existing solutions and create even more modules aimed at making shop owners’ lives easier.
    We want to over-deliver every single time.
     
    We do that by listening to shop owners, understanding their pain points and developing solutions that help. We also do that by staying ahead of technology’s cutting edge.
     
    Before Bolt On’s Mobile Manager Pro tablet-powered software module hit the market mechanics didn’t realize they needed digital functionality, or the ability to meet customers at their vehicle to begin paper-free multi-point inspections. But, now that they have it, shop owners tell me it’s hard to imagine living without it. For them, returning to pencil-and-paper inspections would be like buying a VCR instead of a Blu-ray player.
     
    Our mobile product revolutionized how data is collected. And that is only the beginning. We want to continue pushing the technological envelope, introducing new software that saves shops time, boosts efficiency and profits and continues to improve upon the customer experience.
     
    In the throes of the economic recession shop owners I regularly met with were seeking ways to overcome deep revenue losses and tight profit margins. None that I talked to asked for the ability to conduct digital multi-point inspections, or scan and decode a license plate. But, their struggles were synonymous with many of the time-saving functions inherent in our mobile software. Saving time (and increasing productivity) translates to higher profits because we all know that time is money. If you have the tools to receive customer approval for work authorization in 2 minutes – instead of an hour plus – techs no longer have to remove vehicles from lifts … only to add them later when the customer calls back.
     
    Developing software solutions that encompass auto repair best practices is a big component in my company’s future endeavors. In order to create solutions which improve shop operations, I need to stay ingrained in the shop atmosphere.
     
    My initial entrance into the automotive software solutions world may have been by accident, but my sleepless nights laying the groundwork for BOLT ON TECHNOLOGY and my continued passion and drive ensure that I’m in it for the long haul.
    I look forward to sharing my story (and demonstrating our mobile technology) at a Philly New Technology group meetup on Wednesday and hopefully many more speaking engagements in the future.
     
    To learn more about BOLT ON TECHNOLOGY visit us at www.boltontechnology.com or call 610-400-1019.

Main Sections

More Sections

Discussion Forums

×
×
  • Create New...