I launched a web based shop management web site earlier this year. It is call SMOTGO or Shop Manager On The Go. Since it is web based, it is very simple to set up and start using. It is a free service and you can access the site anywhere you can get connected to the internet. It has estimating, invoicing, inventory management, vin decoding, CRM and marketing tools. Being web based, it offers a lot of features the traditional programs do not. Currently is short comings are lack of integration. My desire is to add integration in time, but there are no immediate plans. The site is at https://www.smotgo.com and the site about SMOTGO is at http://www.smotgoinfo.com
The next phase of the project is the SMOTGOAUTO site. This will be for the consumers/customers to go to view their vehicle history, documents, make appointments etc.
If you have any questions, you can email me at info@smotgo.com.
Scott