Future Proof Your Auto Repair Shop

July 1, 2022

When we look back at how shops operated 10 years ago, we are amazed at how far operators have come.

Joe Richards, President of Caliber Auto Care, celebrates joining the Shop-Ware family with Ryan D’Souza, Shop-Ware’s Chief Revenue Officer.


When we look back at how shops operated 10 years ago, we are amazed at how far operators have come. Congratulations to those who have adapted by adopting an auto repair shop management software to better serve your customers.

More and more, shops are learning how they must evolve from focusing primarily on repairs. Instead, they get more in return when they invest in the best automotive shop software they can get to future-proof their businesses. 

Let’s take a moment to look at how we have adapted so far:

  • Even five years ago, 30 percent of shop owners were reluctant to order auto parts online. At that time, they worried about paying too much for shipping or asking for the wrong type of flange . Now, our shops cannot imagine going through a day without using auto shop software to order via our Native Parts Catalog.
  • Before, we used to start every RO from scratch. These days, you can tap into canned jobs and past services in car repair software. That instantly saves you minutes on every estimate using your previous intel. Even better, those quotes ending up being FAR more accurate!
  • When it came to doing the books, each shop had its own set of car counts and AROs. Rather than track them through separate accounts, get to all your data with one login. Now, you can blend it with your automotive repair software to measure whatever KPI you want. That level of analytics gives you more time to strategize – or get out and play for a change of pace.

Shop-Ware’s analytics provide key performance indicators that auto shop owners can set to suit how they wish to slice and dice their metrics.

Those are just three items that have changed repair shop software so much for the better. However, Shop-Ware is always looking to the future to make life in shops even easier and more profitable. Here are a few of our latest innovations:

  • Remember when the parts matrix was seen as a brilliant way to price items to your best advantage? It has since evolved into the Parts GP Optimizer that makes more money for shops on every transaction. According to our top-performing shops, this feature more than pays for Shop-Ware within a year.
  • Digital vehicle inspections are great, but what if you could add live chat capability as part of your platform? With our Digital Vehicle Experience (DVX™), you get that as part of its immersive, interactive eCommerce experience that blows customers minds with its ease of use. You have to truly see it to believe how much better it is than the traditional digital vehicle inspection.
  • And finally, we’ve found a way to replace walking into the bays to see how busy people are and when they can take on another client. With our auto shop capacity program, you can gauge how many hours each tech has worked. Even better, you can see how many hours they have left to squeeze in one more repair. 

Many shop owners find themselves at a crossroads where they can adapt or die. We have seen people who feel they have learned all they want to in their careers so they may want to hang up their wrenches. That creates great opportunities for those who want to buy up those shops and carry on their legacies.

With the right shop management system, you can shoot and send photos to customers via live chats but track all conversations in one thread.

However, as successful shop owners tell us, you have to get the right car repair software processes in place. That means investing in a smart shop management system that creates great workflows with the right digital tools. Those are the things that they can only get from Shop-Ware.

As a result, these shop owners make more money so they can hire more people to serve their customers. They have more time to enjoy life and, when they retire, to sell their businesses for the value they expect. 

Find out what you can do so your shop thrives like the top shops in the industry. Get Shop-Ware shop management software and run a better shop.

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