Toolbox: Find the Right Shop Management System

Every shop owner has areas in their business in which they excel, and others in which they have growing edges.

Those that excel know how to play to their strengths and how to compensate for their weaknesses. A good Shop Management System can turn those weaknesses into strengths and strengths into the calling card for your business.

There’s a wide variety of SMS platforms available to choose from. So how do you choose the right one?

Matthew Wagg is a shop owner in Bennington, Nebraska, and is also a training instructor and business coach for Auto Ignite Management. Starting out as a one-man crew in a home garage in 2015, he’s built his shop into a multi-million-dollar revenue generator and has eight full-time employees.

He says the choice of an SMS is an important one, especially with the sheer number of options available, but remembering a few key details can make the process a lot simpler.

Five Things to Remember

Wagg says there are five main factors he considers when looking for an SMS. The first is to determine where the platform needs to shine and which areas in your shop would benefit the most.

When he first started out, Wagg says he was the only one working the counter in addition to working on cars, so he needed something that would help make that part of his job as simple as possible.

“What are the bare requirements you need from an SMS? For me, I needed a way to do invoicing that was easy, that looked nice, and that was going to be efficient,” he says. “I know those are pretty basic, standard things, but back then, that’s what I really needed.”

Second is user interface. Wagg says having a system that can handle scheduling as well as a calendar that displays upcoming jobs and appointments helps the customer service experience run smoothly.

Jared McPike, co-owner of inMOTION Auto Care in Lincoln, Nebraska, agrees and says it’s essential that any external-facing part of your shop management system, such as a scheduler that customers interact with, be as seamless and user-friendly as possible. Finding a platform that has texting capabilities with customers is a bonus, but really anything that allows for hassle-free communication is a must.

“Every customer just wants to be communicated with. That's usually the number-one complaint I see in the business: ‘They didn't communicate with me properly’,” McPike says. “If you're not doing what the customer (wants), what the public wants, they're probably not going to stick with you very long because somebody else is doing it. There's another shop a mile down the road that is keeping up with technology and doing it. Nobody’s got time for any less.”

Third, look for an SMS that can handle part ordering. And not just the ordering process itself, but how an SMS integrates with suppliers.

“One of the biggest slowdowns I find in a shop is if we're having to call multiple vendors to figure out where parts are,” Wagg says. “It's just a huge waste of time, in my opinion, with the technology we've got. I wanted a shop management system that would integrate that parts company in to let me shop amongst the vendors that I utilize.”

Building on vendor integration, Wagg says it’s also important to ask SMS providers what other integrations they have available with outside technology companies. With how quickly technology has evolved in the last couple of years, it’s become much easier for tech companies to specialize in one specific area.

From digital vehicle inspection and scheduling companies to CRM systems and part inventory companies, Wagg says it’s difficult for SMS platforms to keep up with everything.  
“If you're good at shop management systems, stay good at them,” he says. “Don't try to get into everybody else's lane.”

And finally, Wagg says it’s crucial to see what an SMS platform’s backup plan is should there be an issue with their servers. A lot of SMS platforms are going to a cloud-based model, which requires internet access and is dependent on external servers; while that makes them more efficient to use, it also makes them more susceptible to outages.

“If that goes down for some reason because when it goes down, your world comes to a stop. I would want to know what things they have and what safeguards they have in place for when that happens and how do they communicate that to you when it happens rather than just finding out on your own,” Wagg says. “Because with technology, it's not if it goes down, it's when it goes down.”

Getting Started

McPike says it can be overwhelming to get started. With so many options available that all have their own strengths and drawbacks, it can be a tough decision. However, it’s not one that you need to make alone.

“Trade shows are essential. They have all the vendors there that can show you their product and everything that it does,” McPike says. “I would also highly recommend being in some kind of coaching group. You’ve got to do something where you're surrounding yourself with other professionals in your field. Because if you're just in an isolated box by yourself, getting no help and no ideas from anybody else, then you're really failing your team that you're in charge of.”

And though whichever SMS you go with may promise instant results, McPike says it’s important to remember that it may take a few months before you start truly seeing the benefits.

Once implemented, though, the right system can make a world of difference.

“Whenever you're talking about implementing new technology into your shop management system, it's always, always the goal to have happier customers,” he says. “If you have happier customers, better communication with the customers, everyone's going to be making more money, and everyone's going to be happier.”