Features to Look for When Choosing Automotive Shop Scheduling Software

For many collision repair facilities, it can be challenging to keep up with all the moving parts of your daily operations, from the never-ending influx of customers to the large quantity of appointment-related tasks that need to be completed. Luckily, auto repair shop scheduling software solutions are available to help your auto body shop achieve a more balanced, efficient workflow.

Important Automotive Scheduling Software Features

When choosing an auto scheduling software for your collision repair center, it is essential to choose a solution that offers multiple, quality features. Based on our personal experience in both creating body shop management software and supporting customers over the years, the following are some of the most important features to look for when selecting auto repair scheduling software:

Customer Communication Tools

One of the most important features of any auto shop scheduling software is a flexible customer communication tool. To provide customers with timely updates, build trust, and help your shop save time, it is essential that the auto repair shop scheduling software you choose allows your facility the ability to reach your customers how they want to be reached. As such, your tool should allow for fully integrated SMS/texting, email notifications, customer-initiated chat, phone calls, and combinations of the above.

Work Order Management with Integrated Calendaring

Another feature of quality automotive scheduling software is work order management. Your auto repair scheduling software should allow you to quickly and easily create jobs, assign work orders, attach pictures for internal records, and more. Once assigned, it’s crucial that the appointments (whether for estimating or production) get automatically added to the staff members’ centralized calendars.

Trackable Collision Repair Notes

Every customer and repair job is unique. While one customer may prefer dropping off/picking up their car in the morning, another might want to wait until they get off work. A quality automotive shop scheduling software will provide your collision repair center with the ability to track customer preferences and update notes as needed to ensure you provide excellent customer service and stay on top of repairs.

Streamline Estimate Scheduling

The first step in any collision repair process is scheduling an estimate appointment. If the estimate scheduling process is painful for a potential customer, do you think they will want to actually spend money with your body shop?

With a superior auto scheduling software, you’ll be able to coordinate your estimators and front office staff schedules and allow customers to easily schedule estimate appointments for a more organized, efficient workflow.

The best estimate scheduling software will typically allow your customers to self-serve and select appointment dates directly from your website.

Integrations

With a successful collision repair facility, you likely use other software and tools to help with your daily operations. A great auto shop scheduling software will have the ability to integrate with other business software so you can manage everything from one place and streamline your operations. This avoids costly re-keying of data.

Customer Support

When selecting an auto repair shop scheduling software, one crucial feature to look for is customer support. Realistically, issues can arise with even the most intuitive and easy-to-use system, so it is critical to choose a solution with a responsive, reliable customer support team to help you maintain efficiency. Before signing on the dotted line, get a feel for the customer support team availability and responsiveness.

Algorithm Powered

Human error is unavoidable. By choosing an automotive scheduling software that uses AI algorithms to learn as you use it, you’ll be able to achieve a balanced schedule that works best for your collision repair center.

Our Auto Scheduling Software Solutions

At Collision Resources, we offer superior auto shop scheduling software solutions with quality features to help your collision repair facility streamline scheduling and improve efficiency. For more information about our body shop scheduling software, visit our CR Auto Scheduler^® – Production page and CR Auto Scheduler^® – Estimate page, or contact us today!

You can also schedule a personalized demo to see how the software works firsthand!