[rayrippey]

If I might add.. the files that are usually easily transferred are customers, vehicles, and inventory.

Invoices/work orders are a different story, as in most cases they consist of several files, and there is and probably never will be a standard.

Most transfers happen via CSV or Comma Separated Value files. They can be read by all spreadsheet programs and many SMS programs for import. If your program only exports to xml or a spreadsheet file, you can then export to a CSV file from your spreadsheet.

As Tom said, check with your new software company to make sure you can export your data, and run it ‘read only’.

It is your data, and you should have access to it.

[rayrippey]

Our software works with any kind of repair shops, but we’re mostly known for cars, motorcycles, diesel trucks, and marine. The latest version allows you to have a ‘type’ of vehicle, so you can modify how the vehicle form works. If you do cars and bikes, you can select that type. This is nice because then you see right away when modifying the RO what type of vehicle it is (icon’s are different too).

While we do not interface with Mitchell, we do have stored labor items, so you can store the different labor items so you can reuse them. We’re currently working on a project to go back and look at all old invoices and create a labor guide from them.

Also, we have a lot of shops that repair Harley’s using our software. Some have told us it works like Harley’s own dealer repair software, although I’ve never seen it.

You can download a demo copy at https://motorcyclerepairshopsoftware.com/

Ray

[rayrippey]

Being the programmer for an SMS program, I can say software can’t really do too much, but the ‘much’ can get in the way if you’re not careful. When developing software, the first thing you do is create a simple program that is easy to use. Of course as time goes by, and you get dozens of requests for this feature and that, it is easy to clutter up the program and make these new ‘features’ get in the way of the program itself.

So, what I do is make many features optional that you can turn on or off, so if you don’t need them, they’re not in the way. There are other ways of keeping the software simple yet allowing for complexity when you need it. It’s a bit of an art really. It makes it harder to write the software, but much easier on the end user.

[rayrippey]

Just a few notes if you’re switching to a new program… in many cases you can probably export your customers and inventory then import them into your new software. This is something you should ask your new and old software vendors first.

Usually repair orders / Invoices cannot be transferred because every software vendor makes them a little different. And because they are multiple related files, it is pretty tough to do, even if your old vendor does an export.

I don’t know about other software, but if a customer requests it we can turn our program back into a demo so they can view and print anything, just not modify or add new invoices or inventory.

[rayrippey]

That is a nice form. My question is, do you think a form like this should be something the customer or tech fills out at the computer, or on paper?

[rayrippey]

If invoice printouts are customizable, this makes it easy. Then you have unlimited choices as to what your customer can see.

[rayrippey]

Our Labor Logger program integrates with our RO program directly, so a tech can select a labor item on a ticket, and log in and out multiple times during the job. So if they take a break, they logout, then log back in with just one click (or press if it’s a touch screen).  And it’s also important for one man shops. This way you can track your hours easily when the phone rings and you have to stop.

The nice thing about the Labor Logger, is many techs can log into a job at the same time. In the end, the shop owner can see exactly how much money it costs per labor item on a ticket.

The daily clock in and clock out can be separate too. This makes it convenient for the techs, and because they are separate programs, the shop owner can put just this program on the computers for security. Of course everything can also be accessed from the main program.

[rayrippey]

In our Digital Wrench program we have a ‘Labor Logger’ that makes it easy to log work hours per job with one click. They would need to use the RO part of the program to add parts. It is networkable so you could have it at many stations.

[rayrippey]

Yes, we do custom invoices all the time. We have a report writer for our invoices so either us or the customer can modify the invoice. Usually they will go through our invoices and find the closest one they like, then have us modify it or the customer can modify. I know without this feature we would not sell as many programs as we do.

Perhaps we should put that in bigger print on our website 🙂

[rayrippey]

I guess we’ll have to add another invoice printout if this catches on. I think we probably have about 50 invoice printouts now. So far, no shops have requested this kind of an invoice… we’ll see.

[rayrippey]

One question I have… if you were to NOT give the customer a breakdown of parts and labor, wouldn’t you want to do it for yourself? That way you have much more information if the vehicle comes back.

[rayrippey]

As a software company, I can tell you I’ve had NO requests to eliminate parts or labor from the invoice detail. We have dozens of invoice printouts to choose from because everyone has their own idea of what they want printed out. Many do not like to print out the part# because they do not want their customers comparing the part prices. Some don’t even want the labor hours or rate to be printed, just the total of the labor.

I think if a generic type of invoice was ok, more would just use QB’s instead of going to a special program for repair.

For me personally, I like having a detail of what parts are replaced in my car.

[rayrippey]

I am the programmer for VMT Software. We make Digital Wrench. Sorry but my signature on the forum didn’t work yesterday. You can download a demo and try it out.

Of course we can’t make your technicians enter the information, but perhaps make it easier, so maybe then they will keep track better. For tracking time it doesn’t get much easier than pushing a button.

 

[rayrippey]

With our software there are 2 parts. Each labor item (multiple labor items per RO), would have the billing time, and the actual time. The actual time can be derived from the labor logger that logs each techs hours that works on that item. A tech can login and out multiple times by clicking on a button, so if he takes a break or goes to work on something else it is tracking the time exactly. He does have to push the button.

On the RO screen there are ‘lights’ that show how close the billed time is to the actual time spent on the job. This lets you warn the techs that they are out of time or running out of time.

[rayrippey]

I completely agree that software should export various sets of data. For instance RO totals, customer, inventory, transaction data. The standard for export might not be directly to a spreadsheet. It might be a CSV file (comma delimited), XML, or excel formatted XML. These kinds of data exports can normally be imported into a spreadsheet. Excel and Open Office will import them automatically when they are opened.

As far as importing, it is more complex for a program to import because it has to ‘merge’ the new data with the programs current data. You will probably not see many programs that import transaction data or RO’s, as each software vendor tends to store their data differently. However, it is beneficial to be able to import customer records and inventory records. Importing inventory has to be able to merge with the current inventory in the system. If done right, it can update cost and prices or give you the option to do so.

 

[rayrippey]

In our software we added status ‘lights’. This way you can see at a glance what status a particular work order is in. We have Blue, Red, Gold, and Green. We defaulted them to Waiting, Parts on Order, Started, and Finished.

But, you can rename the statuses for your own use. 

[rayrippey]

We take it a step further by allowing the job kit price to be fixed from the job kit item, or to get the price from the part itself. Also, don’t forget about package pricing… this is where you set one price for the entire job (like an oil change for instance). The cost always comes from the inventory part.

The other thing we did was allow the job kit to determine if a vehicle has components, then it will replace the generic part with the actual part for that vehicle. That way you can create a job kit (we call it a package), that is generic in nature, and you only have to create one that can work with all vehicles (that have attached components/parts).

[rayrippey]

Don’t forget Bing. All the new PC’s default to Bing as a search engine and many people are just using it. 

If the ads are setup correctly, and it sounds like Stephens are, they can make money… but you really have to pay attention to them. Also, make a youtube video with a testimonial for those that like to watch video’s.

Of course if you can get into the natural listings then that’s even better… you’ll get even more clicks.

[rayrippey]

Also…. new videos that are available online so people can access them 24/7. And help files updated on a regular basis, along with a list of new features as they become available.

[rayrippey]

“Wear, where, ware and all spelled correctly, but they are certainly not interchangeable. “

A good example of why a spell checker doesn’t cover all the bases. A grammar checker would have insisted the “and” is “are”. 🙂

However, a spell checker is certainly better than nothing.. but like any tool, it’s getting folks to use it. 

Now, off to find a good grammar checker. Thanks for the tip.

Ray

[rayrippey]

We just signed on with Charge-It Pro a credit card processor.. and it had signature capture so we interfaced to that… that way it stores the signature in the payment record. Right now though you would have to have our CC processor to use it. As we find out how many people actually want it, we may add it as an independent feature.. but so far no real demand from our clients.

[rayrippey]

Our software has that built in messaging that uses the cell phone carriers email to text features. Just select the carrier for the customer (you’ll need to ask the customer.. this is as good as an opt-in), put in a cell phone# and send them messages anytime from the RO screen. EZ and Free.

[rayrippey]

Not only does it make it easier on the techs and other employees, it creates a level of security.  

[rayrippey]

So my understanding is the total $ billed divided by the Actual Hours worked  (or paid to the technicians).

$50,000 / 600 = $83.33 ELR

Thanks… I’ll be adding it to our new labor logger which I happen to be working on now. This way you can track it per job so you can see right away what’s going on.

Ray

[rayrippey]

Honestly, using QB’s for your repair shop is like using a pipe wrench to remove a nut. Wrong tool for the job.

There is a reason there are so many repair shop programs out there.. because the majority of repair shops have found that they need the right tool for the job.

And of course since repair shops are varied, there are going to be many programs to fit different needs.

It doesn’t cost anything but time to download and try out software. And trying to use QB’s for your auto repair is going to cost you more time than just finding the correct tool (software program).

There are folks that are total QB’s fans, and they have managed to get it to work for them, but it is much easier to use something that you feel comfortable with right from the start.

If you have to fight the software to get what you want, it is not the right program. 

And don’t forget about support. Did you contact QB’s for support? How did they respond? Did they get you setup to your satisfaction?

A software company dedicated to making repair shop software will get you setup before you even purchase the software so they know, and you know, that the software is going to work for you.

After all, your job is not to mess around fixing or changing a tool to make it work for you, but to get the correct tool so you can do your real job well.

[rayrippey]

Rick. Did you find someone to help with your data conversion? Contact me and I’ll be happy to take a look at your data to see what is possible.

Ray

800-457-7818

[rayrippey]

That is quite a list… and thank you for displaying it. It gives our programming team some more ideas. However, we’ve always built our software using our customer requests (priority 1).. it gives us a true picture of what our customers want. However, we of course add features that we ‘assume’ they will want in the future (priority 2).

The trick is building software that anyone can use, and making sure the advanced items don’t get in the way, but are there when you need them. 

Thanks again for the list.

Ray

[rayrippey]

While creating a website is secondary to our main business, and we do it as a convenience for our customers, we make sure the customer can ‘take over’ anytime they want or need to. 

First, we do resell websites so we make a little money. If we’re not making some money, you’re right, we wouldn’t care as much. However the client pays a normal fee for the hosting, domain, and business registration (optional).. we get it wholesale.

Then, we have the client sign up themselves. We walk them through the process, but this way they create their own account, and they have all the passwords. They then send us the passwords so we can publish web pages to their website. We can also walk clients through setting up an admin account so they still have more control, all we do is publish.

If the client feels confident, they can purchase the web editor (about $50), and we give them the files so they can make modifications themselves. We have no problem with that, we’re a software development company so websites are an add-on.

If we go out of business or get hit by a truck and quit paying for our reseller account, nothing happens. The account is owned and can be operated by the client. They are free to have someone else modify it or transfer it, like they are anytime anyway. The website will not go away if the reseller account goes away. We made sure of that in the beginning. 

Some website developers shortcut the process and try and resell using an account they have (not a reseller account created by the company (Godaddy, hostgator, etc.) and put other domains on their account. This is a real problem for the clients because the developer has too much control, and if he/she quits, your website is gone, and you might lose the domain name (as you stated above).

But there are so called developers that are short sighted, only think about themselves. Just because a developer dies or quits shouldn’t mean that the clients get burned.

Great article.

Ray Rippey

Digital Wrench Software

[rayrippey]

With our software we put everything in a Work in Progress (WIP), then there are 5 simple status fields which are just colors, for instance Red means waiting on parts, green means it’s good to go, .

Ray

[rayrippey]

Our demo comes with an appointment scheduler, and it’s free to use if it works for you.

http://www.workordersoft.com

Ray