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Notes for a working shop day

Repair orders, appointments, getting paid, stock, and the first week on a program. Written for the person at the front desk or running the shop.

• The digital repair order in an auto shopOne order per car, with a status and a technician, so the front desk and the bay read the same sheet.Read
• How to cut no-shows on the shop calendarConfirm the booking, keep the gap honest, and decide what to do when a bay is empty in the morning.Read
• Inspection and MOT reminders that bring cars backReminders for the annual inspection or MOT, tied to the vehicle, with enough notice and without nagging.Read
• From an accepted estimate to the invoiceHow a shop moves from an accepted estimate to an invoice without rewriting the job, and keeps a clear payment status.Read
• A customer portal so the phone stays freeWhat a customer should see about their car, what stays internal, and why their login is not the shop's.Read
• Parts inventory: the minimum that keeps a job movingStock per location, goods in and goods out, and a notice when a part drops under the minimum.Read
• What changes when a shop opens a second locationSeparate calendars, stock, and invoices per location, and what can still be shared without mixing the day.Read
• How to choose shop management softwareWhat to ask in a demo, and what to try with a real car, before you decide on shop software.Read
• WhatsApp in the shop: bookings, updates, and the limitWhere messaging helps a shop, and why the chat cannot be the job sheet for the car.Read
• How to get paid for a repair without chasing itAn accepted estimate, a deposit on long jobs, a clear invoice status, and a check before the car leaves.Read
• Maintenance work that fills next week's calendarUse time and mileage intervals to fill quiet gaps with service the car is already due for.Read
• Customer data in the shop: what to keep, and whyWhich contact, vehicle, and consent details are worth keeping, and why a loose note is not the record.Read
• Closing the day at the front deskWhat to check before you lock up: open jobs, parts on order, tomorrow's first bookings, and invoices still open.Read
• The missing part, and how not to promise it twiceWrite down the part, the date you gave, and the bay, so the shop does not promise a day the shelf cannot meet.Read
• The first week on shop softwareWhat to enter on day one, what to leave for later, and how to run a week of real jobs without stopping the shop.Read