The Software's Workflow

The service desk in an auto repair shop can be an intensely busy place. At the same time as they interact with customers, technicians, and suppliers, the service advisors must also document new work and then track every job through to completion. the software provides tools that automate every step of this process.

The table below shows the steps in the work flow process, many steps being indicated by a change in the job's status. Few jobs are complex enough to warrant tracking every step, and for typical straightforward jobs, any number of these steps may be skipped.

	The customer phones or visits the shop to discuss the vehicle's requirements. The service advisor uses the New Work Wizard to record the requirements. The job is New Work.
	The service advisor reviews the software's Schedule to check the shop's upcoming workload.
	An appointment time is set for the work to be done.
	An estimated work completion time called the promised time is established. The job becomes Future Work.
--	The interval between the appointment time and the promised time is the job's duration, which may be any period from 15 minutes to several months.
	On the day of the appointment, the job automatically becomes part of Today's Work, under the Scheduled Work category and in either the This Morning or This Afternoon folder, depending on the time of the appointment.
	At the scheduled time, the customer drops off the vehicle and signs an initial printed Work Authorization form. The job becomes Unassigned Work.
	If the customer does not show up for the appointment, the job becomes a No Show. The appointment must be rescheduled.
	The service advisor assigns a technician to perform any necessary initial inspections, and produces a printed Technician Inspection form.
	When the inspection begins, the job becomes an Inspection in Progress.
	When the initial inspection is complete, the technician reports his findings to the service advisor using the printed Technician Inspection form. Now the job's status is Inspection Complete.
	The service advisor prepares cost estimates for each individual repair or service, using the software's work order editing tools. The job's status becomes Estimate Complete.
	The service advisor contacts the customer to discuss the inspection results and the estimate for each repair or service. The customer accepts or declines each repair or service, then authorizes work to begin. The work is assigned to a technician using a printed Technician Instructions form. The job's status becomes Work Authorized.
	If work is delayed for any reason (such as unavailable parts), the job becomes Work on Hold. The customer must be advised of the amended promised time.
	When service and repairs are complete, the technician reports parts used and actual labor times on the printed Technician Instructions form he received earlier. The service advisor prepares and prints an Invoice, then advises the customer that the vehicle is ready for pickup.
	The customer arrives to pick up the vehicle and pays for the work. The service advisor records the payment and posts the invoice, and the invoice is archived. The customer leaves with the vehicle.
	If a work order is deleted for any reason, it is placed in the Deleted Work Orders folder, available for review by the manager.

Note:

As work is performed on a vehicle, The software automatically updates the vehicle's maintenance history records. You can view the maintenance history using the on the History tab of the Vehicle File Card.

When a production employee has logged off of a work order and indicated that the entire work order is complete, the work order in work in progress will be bolded, indicating to the service advisor that the employee has finished with the work order. From the Work Order tab, a labor line can also be indicated as completed by Updating Labor and clicking the Completed box.