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About this blog

Tips and tricks to help increase shop profits and save time.

Entries in this blog

Grow Your Business with Jump Start

Thousands of Shops Can Be Wrong Over 100 of the most used service categories Hundreds of pre-built jobs, service descriptions & labor notes The most accurate reporting possible More effective appointment scheduling More accurate estimates Your shop needs a powerful management system to produce the level of efficiency and accuracy necessary for growth. To achieve this the old manual way, you need considerable time and patience when learnin
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How To Attract Millennials to Your Shop

How To Attract Millennials to Your Shop Making auto repair shops profitable can seem like squeezing water from a rock... Some shops resort to raising prices, instead of increasing their customer base. We've created a Free eBook that tells you how to tap into the fastest growing customer base in the country; Millennials. The stereotype of the lazy Millennial (born 1980-1995) has caused many people to disregard this generation when it comes to trying to get their money. Do they all live in th
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Mobile Manager Pro Wins 'Innovation Award'

BOLT ON TECHNOLOGY’s digital multi-point inspection software was selected as an innovator in the computers and software category of the Professional Tools & Equipment News (PTEN) magazine annual Innovation Awards. Mobile Manager Pro auto repair software was chosen from a pool of 117 product nominations. In all, the magazine chose 26 products from 21 companies as innovation award winners for 2015. Nominees were evaluated by a panel of judges comprised of technician and auto repair shop owne
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BOLT ON TECHNOLOGY Embarks on Busy Fall Tradeshow Schedule

With summer still very much in force, fall is already shaping up to be busy as our team prepares to meet you - and your repair shop staff - at five tradeshows in the coming weeks and months. Of those, four shows will be happening within the span of eight days. Here’s an overview of where we will be and what you can expect. Be on the lookout for more detailed information as events get closer:   1. From Sept. 24 through Sept. 26, Frank Dragoni, our Director of National Sales and Corporat
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Digital Inspections Drive Shop’s 225% Higher RO

Ian Hanson’s German auto repair shop Ingolstadt West has seen its average repair order increase so dramatically that he said it’s too “hard to measure.”   That was not the case with ClearMechanic, the software that the shop had used before switching to BOLT ON TECHNOLOGY in December 2014.   Based on 819 digital multi-point inspections in the seven months his California shop has been using BOLT ON TECHNOLOGY's Mobile Manager Pro, the shop’s ARO has jumped from $194.36 prior to inspections to
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Major Report Pro Update Available for Mitchell 1 Users

Our Mitchell 1 customers have been asking for years about the possibility of booking appointments by technician. Later this week, the long-awaited feature request will be available through Report Pro. This is a huge improvement to the Mitchell 1 stock calendar. With the update, shops can book appointments by technician. Service advisors will be able to easily manage a busy workday and ensure technician availability, which helps to improve productivity and leads to shops becoming more efficie
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Service Manager Shares how Mobile Technology Improves Customer Communication

It was common for Holt Auto Service and Machine Shop Service Manager Mike Chase to leave a message for a customer and “wait, wait, wait” for a call back. In the hours that typically followed until Chase talked to customers, the technicians wasted time taking vehicles down from lifts only to begin the seemingly unending cycle again with another vehicle. Since the nine-bay shop began using BOLT ON TECHNOLOGY's Mobile Manager Pro, customer communication – and repair work authorizations – have mov
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Mobile Manager Pro to be Highlighted at NACE | CARS

Our Mobile Manager Pro digital multi-point inspection tool will be discussed during the upcoming NACE/CARS Expo & Conference in Detroit, Michigan. The auto repair software will be referenced during our partner, Mitchell 1’s 90-minute training session, “Shop Management Unleashed.”   Tim McDonnell, Mitchell 1’s National Training Manager will lead the training on July 22 from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the COBO Center during the annual event, which runs from July 21 through July 25.   Focused o
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Auto Repair Software Helps Shops Build Customer Trust, Increase ARO

At Bud Wildman’s Germantown, Md., shop, Precision Auto and Tire Center, digital multi-point inspections have replaced the previous paper and pencil versions. The paperless vehicle inspections are much more thorough, consisting of 10 vehicle condition photos, an in-depth color-coded report and a $525 average repair order.   “Would you rather slip through 20 cars and sell an ARO of $150 or go through five cars and sell an ARO of $600 each?” Wildman asked. “It takes more time to present the repor
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BOLT ON TECHNOLOGY Backs Home Run Derby

When he’s not helping auto repair shops learn tasks to automate their business and become more efficient, BOLT ON TECHNOLOGY™ Director of National Sales and Corporate Sponsorships Frank Dragoni, of Yardley, eats, breathes and sleeps baseball.   A Pennsbury Athletic Association baseball coach, Dragoni has been gearing up for the Philadelphia Friends of the V Foundation’s annual Jimmy V Home Run Derby, set for June 28 at Trenton Thunder Arm and Hammer Park following the Thunder’s 1 p.m. game.
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7 Tips to Turn Your Customer Invoice into a Marketing Tool

Facebook and Google are constantly changing its algorithms making it more difficult for auto repair shops to gain traction online. Direct mail can be expensive and traditional advertising nets little returns.   So, what’s a shop owner to do?   Use your shop’s customer invoice to market your business.   Compared to other ways of promoting your business, creating a unique, customized invoice is by far the least expensive, quickest and easiest method of sharing information about your repair s
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10 Tips to Boost Auto Repair Shop Productivity

Follow these tips to become more efficient this summer and every day   Even the most hardworking technicians and service advisors can sometimes find it difficult to stay productive – particularly during the dog days of summer.   These productivity boosting tips can help your team make the most of their work day, which means extra time to service more vehicles and increase profit margins.   1. Keep cool As much as possible, try to maintain a comfortable temperature in the bays
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Report Pro Update Offers Visual View of WIP Screen

With the latest Report Pro requested feature addition, shops can more easily identify the status of vehicles being serviced.     BOLT ON TECHNOLOGY’s latest auto repair software release – which is available for Mitchell 1 customers – uses color-coded easy-to-read blocks showing vehicles that are unassigned, complete, in progress, waiting for parts and orders involving customers who are waiting.   Dubbed the WorkFlow Manager, the Report Pro upgrade takes Mitchell 1’s Work In Progress screen
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BOLT ON TECHNOLOGY Kicks Off 1-on-1 Training

In an effort to provide a better overall customer experience, BOLT ON TECHNOLOGY has decided to suspend its weekly live training sessions in favor of one-on-one training.   Offering individualized training allows auto repair shops to tailor sessions to focus on the product features of highest importance. In addition, this new one-on-one format provides shops with as much time as necessary to ask questions, see live demonstrations of their new auto repair software solutions at work and troubles
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‘The Shop of Tomorrow’ and its ‘Staggering’ $1,400 Average RO

Ratchet+Wrench featured our customer, 405 Auto, in its June 2015 issue.   A BOLT ON TECHNOLOGY customer since January 2013, 405 Auto is a power user of our Mobile Manager Pro auto repair software and our Welcome Station kiosk. In the article, the magazine dubbed 405 Auto a ‘Shop of Tomorrow’ for its heavy use of technology, both for tablet-toting technicians working in the bays; and at the front counter where customers are encouraged to use our automotive kiosk to check in for service.   Tec
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BOLT ON TECHNOLOGY to join ASA’s Automotive Training & Expo

We’re excited to join the Automotive Service Association of Arizona at its Automotive Training & Expo in Arizona Father’s Day weekend. Mike and Frank will be on hand demonstrating to ASA Arizona members our auto repair software during the expo, which will be held at the Wild Horse Pass Hotel and Casino in Chandler, Arizona.     What’s in it for you? Our team will offer an interactive presentation of all of our software solutions. Shops will be able to test drive our products, which ful
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Pronto Announces Support of BOLT ON TECHNOLOGY

The National Pronto Association today announced its endorsement of BOLT ON TECHNOLOGY, a leader in the development of innovative software solutions powering the independent automotive repair industry.   BOLT ON TECHNOLOGY, since its founding in 2008, has created more than a dozen software modules which fully integrate with leading shop management systems, saving repair shop technicians and service advisors time through the use of automation. Pronto has 95 independent wholesale distributors wi
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Pioneer Automotive Shares Benefits of Mobile Technology

After using our Mobile Manager Pro automotive software solution for a year, Jon Miller of Pioneer Automotive in Denton, Texas shot a video explaining how BOLT ON TECHNOLOGY's mobile technology has helped his shop.   , Miller said the digital multi-point inspection tool has increased his shop's sales by 30 percent, upped his car count by 25 percent a month and eliminated the need to re-enter information from handwritten inspection sheets back into his shop management system.   "It's definit
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BOLT ON TECHNOLOGY to Exhibit at Mitchell1, NAPA Events

The BOLT ON TECHNOLOGY team will travel to Arizona and Las Vegas in the coming weeks to exhibit alongside partners, Mitchell1 and NAPA.   First up is the Mitchell 1 Shop Management Workshop, which is set for April 30-May 2 in Scottsdale, Ariz.   Whether you’re already a customer or contemplating expanding the capabilities of your Mitchell 1 shop management system, the Bolt On Technology team of Mike and Frank would be happy to answer any and all of your questions, hear your feedback on our
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Mobile Manager Pro Adds Highly Sought-After Feature

With the most recent time-saving feature added to Mobile Manager Pro, technicians can be assigned to a labor item, either per work order or an individual line item – right from the tablet and into your shop management system. The latest update works with Mitchell1 shop management systems only. Now with the addition of the most-requested feature, service advisors no longer need to be at the desktop workstation to add or remove technicians from a work order. And since assigning technicians to a
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4 Tips on Selling Repair Services to a Skeptic

All shops encounter customers who are hesitant to make vehicle repairs or keep up with scheduled maintenance beyond the lube, oil and filter service. For skeptics, phrases like “do I really need that,” or “why can’t this wait” tend to follow the service advisor’s suggestions. Ultimately, selling auto repair service – particularly to skeptics – is an art form. And just like any other profession, the seller, i.e. your service advisor, must have the best shop management system tools to succeed.
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Mobile Manager Pro Update Enables SureTrack Integration

Diagnosing and fixing vehicles has gotten even easier for auto repair shops using BOLT ON TECHNOLOGY’s Mobile Manager Pro digital multi-point inspection tool and Mitchell 1 SureTrack.   Our software developers today finished a new major feature enhancement, making Mobile Manager Pro the first and only application to fully integrate with the SureTrack vehicle diagnostic tool.   Shops using BOLT ON’s mobile technology have already been able to take advantage of time-saving VIN scanning and de
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Mobile Manager Pro Vehicle Inspection Photos Double

Photos aren’t just important for capturing memories. At auto repair shops, vehicle conditions photos show – in addition to tell – customers what repairs or maintenance is needed. The number of shops taking photos and sharing them with customers is growing exponentially. Photos taken with BOLT ON TECHNOLOGY's Mobile Manager Pro digital multi-point inspection tool have surpassed 400,000 – that’s double the number of pictures in our database in December 2014. We reached our first six-figure milest
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Santa Monica Hybrid Goes Paperless, Wins 'Green' Award

BOLT ON TECHNOLOGY customer Martin Kruszelnicki has the “greenest” auto repair shop in all of Santa Monica, Calif.   Kruszelnicki, the Chief Technology Officer of Santa Monica Hybrid – The Hybrid Shop, attributes his shop’s use of BOLT ON TECHNOLOGY’s shop management software as one of the reasons the city of Santa Monica selected his repair shop from a pool of 19 contenders to win the 20th annual Sustainable Quality Awards.   Santa Monica Hybrid – The Hybrid Shop won the Excellence in Stewa
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4 Questions to Ask About Auto Repair Software Before Buying

Do you have a shop management system in place at your auto repair shop? Are you contemplating adding or updating one? If so, what do you want from your auto repair shop's software system? Not sure? We can help. When it comes to shop management systems, so many options are available it can be mind-boggling. Knowing what you need your auto repair software to do, what features you need and how it benefits your auto repair shop are just a few of the things that should be considered. To help bette
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