No matter what business you run, having the right tools and software can truly elevate your business and turn it into being more successful and profitable. This is true for your auto shop business as well! Running an auto shop is not easy with its multitude of tasks of having all the repairing information organized, maintaining accurate records, inventory management, staff management, and more. People rarely like to leave their cars in repair shops for long, which means that as an auto repair shop owner, you need to quickly repair and service the vehicles. Hence, along with having the right manual skill set, you also require the right software to keep things running smoothly and efficiently.
In this post, we will explore auto repair software – what it does, why it is useful, its key features, and which are the top six auto repair software to use in 2022.
Table of Contents
What is Auto Repair Software?
Auto Repair Software is a suite of tools that helps auto shops in automating their various tasks and make their auto business more organized and efficient. An auto repair software includes various features that help businesses to automate and streamline their various processes, such as sales, invoicing, inventory, records, etc. Though an auto repair shop relies majorly on manual skills, using the software will enable them to get rid of redundant and laborious tasks like keeping a paper trail of all their inventory purchases, records of customers, invoices, etc. Investing in auto repair software will not only help businesses to keep track of everything in a systematic manner but also make it easier to retrieve any information within a couple of minutes.
With the automobile industry on the rise, the need for auto repair software will only continue to increase. Hence, it is vital that you invest in the right software to stay ahead of your competitors.
Why is Auto Repair Software Useful?
An auto repair software offers several benefits, such as:
- Improves productivity
- Offers paperless and flexible shop management system
- Mobile accessibility
- Improved customer experience
- Automatic notifications
- Access to in-depth reports and analytics of KPIs
- Customer retention
Key Features
Different auto repair software will offer different features; however, there are some key features that you need to look out for before investing in the software. These key features include:
- Maintenance records
- Automatic updates
- Inventory ordering and management
- General ledger
- Appointment booking
- Service reminders
- Electronic signature capture
- Mobile compatibility
- Integrations
- Technician alerts
Top 6 Auto Repair Software
The boom in the automobile industry has directly or indirectly led to a boom in the auto repair software as well. We have curated and created this list of the top six auto repair software to use in 2022 to make it easier for you to invest in the best out of the lot.
1. Alldata
Alldata is an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) which enables auto businesses to carry out vehicle inspections with the help of OEM diagrams/interactive color wiring. This cloud-based tool is one of the best auto repair software that offers a wide range of features to make your automotive business more efficient and productive. It provides various solutions related to service and repair management, customer relations, and shop management. This top-notch platform enables business owners to easily find any information within minutes. From providing diagnostics to listing the materials/inventory required to providing OEM information, there is a lot that you can do with Alldata. This cloud-based solution also helps business owners to create invoices, repair orders, estimates, schedule jobs, track technician’s costs and time, etc.
Features
Some of the key features of Alldata include:
- Accounting
- Billing & Invoicing
- Quote/Estimates
- Service history
- Scheduling
- Inventory management
- CRM
- Customer database
- Work order management
- Mobile responsive
- Vehicle information
- Customer tracking
- Third-party integration
- Labor rates
- Maintenance scheduling
Pros
- It is a very easy-to-use tool with simple navigation that allows you to access information within minutes.
- Compared to some of the other top auto repair software, the color wiring diagrams offered by Alldata are much better.
Cons
- Some of the features, such as the keyword search do not work at times.
- Switching from one page to another takes a lot of time.
Pricing Plan
Alldata offers quotation-based custom pricing. Contact the vendor directly to find out more about their pricing details.
2. Fullbay
Fullbay is a cloud-based platform that offers end-to-end auto repair solutions. Ideal for businesses ranging from small to medium to large, this tool comes fully equipped with all the features expected out of an auto repair software. The tool was primarily designed to enable commercial repair shops in becoming more streamlined and productive. It can also be integrated with various third-party apps like QuickBooks. Whether you are in the shop or outside, Fullbay enables business owners, managers, technicians, customers, etc., to easily stay on top of all the repair processes. You can perform various functionalities with the tool, such as track the vehicle’s maintenance history, create real-time reports about the shop’s performance, settle invoices, view repair progress, etc. You can use the tool to automate your bookkeeping process and even sync it with external accounting programs.
Features
Some of the key features offered by Fullbay are:
- Accounting
- Alerts/Notifications
- Customer database
- Inventory management
- Invoice management
- Labor rates
- Billing & Invoicing
- Equipment tracking
- Inspection management
- VIN Lookup
- Mobile responsive
- Third-party integration
- Report generation
- Vehicle information
- Service history tracking
Pros
- It is a user-friendly tool which has helped many businesses in cutting their paperwork in half by automating various key processes.
- Fullbay has one of the best customer support teams who are extremely helpful.
Cons
- Several features offered by Fullbay cannot be edited or customized, such as while reviewing estimates you cannot simply type in a rate.
- The reporting system offered by Fullbay should be more robust.
Pricing Plan
Fullbay offers quotation-based custom pricing. To know more details about their pricing plan, you can contact the vendor.
3. GaragePlug
Used by several top automotive businesses, GaragePlug is considered as one of the pioneers in auto repair software. This cloud-based solution offers auto business owners a single platform to manage each of their service outlets. It offers world-class digital experience in the form of a robust and intuitive dashboard that displays all the required information. One of the key USPs of GaragePlug is that it offers search engine optimization tools. From tracking repair progress to enabling two-way communication with customers to creating professional-looking branded job cards and invoices to digitizing your shop floor workflow, there is a lot that you can do with GaragePlug! The features and functionalities offered by the tool will help you to improve your efficiency and productivity and stay ahead of your competitors.
Features
Some of the key features offered by GaragePlug include:
- Accounting
- Billing & Invoicing
- CRM
- Work order management
- VIN Lookup
- Labor rates
- Maintenance scheduling
- Service history
- Quotes/Estimates
- Inventory management
- Multi-location
- Mobile responsive
- Website integration
- Third-party integration
- Live chat
- Customer tracking
Pros
- With GaragePlug, business owners can easily track and manage their technicians.
- This auto repair software allows business owners to send real-time updates about the vehicle to their customers which helps in building trust and goodwill.
Cons
- Compared to some of the other top auto repair software, the pricing plans offered by GaragePlug are more expensive.
- The accounting feature offered by GaragePlug needs to be more robust.
Pricing Plan
GaragePlug offers a free trial post which, it offers quotation-based pricing based on your requirements. You can contact the vendor to find out more about their pricing plans.
4. Shop-Ware
Shop-Ware is a cloud-based, all-in-one auto shop management solution offering a wide range of features that can successfully boost the efficiency and productivity of your auto shops. You can use this tool to eliminate manual efforts, automate key processes, and guide your business to be more successful. With Shop-Ware, you can track open jobs, assign jobs to employees, use real-time notifications, have better communication with your customers using the centralized communication gateway, track repair orders, share repair order details, use the time clock for better employee management, and various other tasks. Shop-Ware ensures that as auto business owners, you are able to provide better customer experience, more accurate quotes, and ultimately have happy customers on board.
Features
Some of the key features provided by Shop-Ware include:
- CRM
- Billing & Invoicing
- Inventory management
- Quotes/Estimates
- Maintenance scheduling
- VIN Lookup
- Service history
- Work order management
- Labor rates
- Report generation
- Third-party integrations
- Mobile responsive
- Website integration
- Vehicle information
- Live chat
- Customer tracking
- Contact management
Pros
- Shop-Ware’s user interface is extremely easy to use and navigate for shop owners as well as customers.
- Since Shop-Ware is browser-based, it can be easily accessed from anywhere and at any time.
Cons
- The digital inspection feature offered by Shop-Ware is not as comprehensive as those offered by some of the other top auto repair software.
- The analytics feature offered needs to be more robust.
Pricing Plan
- Mobile/Diag – $117 per month
- Startup – $207 per month
- Journey – $317 per month
- Master – $427 per month
5. AutoFluent
AutoFluent is a powerful auto repair software that helps your automotive business to run more smoothly, efficiently, and profitably. This software offers a suite of tools that will ensure maximum output from your business with minimal efforts. Similar to the other top auto repair software listed in this article, AutoFluent is also fully featured with all the key features. It offers a highly intuitive dashboard through which business owners can easily track and manage their employees, customers, inventory, sales, suppliers, repair progress, and more. All of its features have been designed in such a way to ensure that you can find any information with just a few clicks. With AutoFluent, you do not have to ever worry about any missed work orders, inventory, sales reports, etc. The tool also focuses on helping you to save your time and spend it on more useful activities by automating various steps and tasks. You can also use the tool to display your products on wholesale e-commerce websites.
Features
Some of the key features offered by AutoFluent include:
- Inventory management
- CRM
- Billing & Invoicing
- Quotes/Estimates
- Labor rates
- Maintenance scheduling
- VIN Lookup
- Service history
- Work order management
- Sales tracking
- Website integration
- Third-party integration
- Live chat
- Multi-Location
- Customer tracking
- Vehicle information
- Report generation
- Contact management
Pros
- It is very easy to install and set up AutoFluent and it can be accessed from multiple locations with great ease.
- It is a user-friendly tool allowing users to easily find various reports, invoices, work orders, etc. Also, they have one of the best customer support teams.
Cons
- The sales tax report does not show a clear breakdown of the taxable and non-taxable categories.
- Sometimes the tool automatically logs you off while you are in the middle of using the tool.
Pricing Plan
AutoFluent offers quotation-based custom pricing. You can find out more details about their pricing plans by directly contacting the vendor.
6. Tekmetric
The final auto repair software in our list is Tekmetric – a cloud-based solution that can successfully help you modernize your auto shops, making them more efficient and profitable. This all-in-one solution is a combination of cutting-edge features and industry-leading integrations which help business owners to achieve 100% customer satisfaction. You can use the platform to perform various functionalities, such as conduct digital vehicle inspections, build repair orders, track your technician’s work hours, measure job profitability, monitor job workflows, etc. Tekmetric is a scalable solution and is ideal for use by small and medium businesses as well as large enterprises.
Features
Some of the key features offered by Tekmetric include:
- Inventory management
- CRM
- Labor rates
- Billing & Invoicing
- Quotes/Estimates
- Third-party integrations
- VIN Lookup
- Sales tracking
- Report generation
- Contact management
- Multi-Location
- Service history
Pros
- With Tekmetric, you will have all the required information about any vehicle at your fingertips.
- With Tekmetric, it is quite easy to send inspection reports and estimates to the customers – just through an easy button.
Cons
- Compared to some of the other top auto repair software, Tekmetric’s mobile app is not very responsive and user friendly.
- The reporting feature offered needs to be more robust.
Pricing Plan
- Start – $99 per month
- Grow – $299 per month
- Scale – $399 per month
Conclusion
So, there you have it – our list of the top six auto repair software to use in 2022! We are sure that these software can definitely help you in making your business more efficient, productive, and profitable. We recommend that you thoroughly compare these software and choose the one that best matches your business requirements and budget.
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