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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 and in the shop. Try bringing in fans to circulate air if need be. 2. Hydrate On days too hot for fans to make much of a difference, consider offering bottles of ice cold water or sports drinks. Not only will it help prevent dehydration, it also doubles as a morale booster. 3. Take breaks It may seem counter-productive to offer technicians more breaks, but on super steamy days giving an extra few minutes for a break will help employees recharge their batteries. 4. Show appreciation Acknowledge your team for a job well done. Letting your staff know you appreciate their hard work will go a long way in keeping them motivated and productive. 5. Communicate effectively Communication cuts down on misunderstandings, duplicated efforts and in the end saves valuable time. An easy way to instantly let everyone in the shop know the status of customers’ vehicles is to share it on the team chat feature of Mobile Manager Pro. Doing so eliminates the need for techs to walk to the front of the shop to update the service advisor, which in turn increases efficiency. 6. Embrace digital Implementing fully wireless multi-point inspections, for instance, dramatically cuts down on a technician’s time writing out recommended services through the software’s canned recommendations and canned jobs feature. Making technicians’ work life easier plays a major role in their ability and willingness to be productive. For more information on boosting efficiency and productivity, visit www.boltontechnology.com or call 610-400-1019.

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 and presents it in a much more visual way to enable service advisors and technicians the ability to more efficiently manage their work flow. The WorkFlow Manager’s biggest feature is its ability to quickly and easily change a status by simply dragging and dropping the item to a new category. In addition, the tool features a Quick Actions function which allows for one-click tasks, including printing an estimate and sending a text message to a customer. Prior to Quick Actions, these tasks took three or more steps to complete. As future updates are carried out, more Quick Actions will be added. The WorkFlow Manager upgrade also includes the ability to filter by service writer and filter by technician. The tool also displays charged hours and features a quick change status drop-down menu, among other advancements. If the WorkFlow Manager added for Mitchell 1’s shop management systems continues operating smoothly, BOLT ON TECHNOLOGY’s software development team will look into adding similar functionality as part of Report Pro’s integration with other SMS platforms. A date for this possible feature addition has not yet been determined. Besides the WorkFlow Manager, shops are using Report Pro to help market their business with unique, easily customizable invoices with more than 100 options for customization, including a shop logo and color scheme, social media links and much more. The software solution, as its name suggests, also enables shops to create various reports, technician worksheets and more. For more information on Report Pro, click here: Report Pro.

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 troubleshoot any problems that they may be experiencing. Our Support Technician Warner Saxton will be conducting individual training sessions following software installation. Beyond that, customers can schedule training for as many of our products and as frequently as they like. Shops can also arrange one-on-one refresher courses for any of our software solutions to learn about best practices for using our software tips that other shops have found to be successful and more. Training is available for all of our products: Pro Pack (which includes Lube Sticker Pro, Message Manager and Report Pro); Mobile Manager Pro, Welcome Station and Pro Call. To learn more about our training or to schedule your training, call us at 610-400-1019 or email [email protected].

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. Technology advancements have paid off for 405 Auto. In 2014, the shop generated $1.4 million in revenue and a more than $1,400 average repair order, according to the Ratchet+Wrench article. A cornerstone to improved customer confidence – and simplified shop processes – is the use of our tablet-powered customer check in kiosk. 405 Auto Owner Martin Kruszelnicki told us that our technology helped the shop become completely paper-free, in large part due to the interactive kiosk, which greets customers, asks them to update their contact and vehicle information and suggests both recommended and weather-related services. Instead of long lines of customers waiting for front desk staff to check them in, Kruszelnicki said customers now spend 30 seconds checking in for appointments and drop-in service calls. “Using Bolt On Technology we are able to save thousands of pages of paper and printing every year,” he said. “Customers love the paperless check-in system and our team enjoys technician tablets and electronic inspections and being more productive at the same time.” Going green also earned 405 Auto recognition in Santa Monica, California’s Sustainable Quality Awards. To simplify technicians’ workflow, 405 Auto uses our Mobile Manager Pro digital multi-point inspection tool. Techs use the tool to carry out inspections on every vehicle and to take vehicle condition photos. Inspection reports and photos are sent via email or text message to customers. A time-saving plus of all of our auto repair software solutions is that it transmits automatically into the shop management system, eliminating the need for re-entry of information. To read more about how 405 Auto became a ‘Shop of Tomorrow,’ click here to read the Ratchet+Wrench article.

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 fully integrate with leading shop management systems, including Mitchell1, ShopKey, NAPA TRACS, R.O. Writer and ALLDATA. Here’s an overview of what we’ll be showing: Mobile Manager Pro helps shops save 10 to 15 minute per customer transaction with this fully digital multi-point inspection tool, which features VIN scanning and decoding, license plate decoding and full shop management system integration. Vehicle inspections and accompanying vehicle condition photos can be texted to customers for instant review and approval. Welcome Station is the first-ever customer check-in designed specifically for the auto repair industry. It works like the kiosks used at airports, convenience stores, grocery stores and in restaurant chains. Within a matter of seconds customers check in, update their personal and vehicle information, choose vehicle services, review pre-programmed weather-related upsells and digitally sign to authorize work. Pro Pack, a bundled package, consists of 3 automotive software solutions: Lube Sticker Pro prints customer key tags and windshield lube stickers and helps build customer retention with advanced. The software uses a vehicle’s average miles driven to accurately predict when customers should return for routine services, including lube, oil and filter, coolant flushes, tire rotations and even annual state inspections. Message Manager sends text message appointment reminders to customers who can reply to confirm or call the shop to reschedule. The text messaging tool also dramatically cuts down on waiting for customers to return phone calls authorizing service. Report Pro lets your shop stand out from the competition with invoices customized to include a shop’s logo, color scheme, credit cards accepted, coupons, social media links and more than 100 other customization options. Shops can also create customized reports to evaluate specific areas, identify selected customer groups and more. What can you learn? In addition to learning how our auto repair software could help your shop become more efficient, ASA is offering nine hours of training classes geared for shop management, service advisors and technicians. Topics include online marketing, selling diagnostics and mastering electrical troubleshooting, among other discussions. The training portion of the tradeshow is geared to offering insight on the challenges impacting ASA Arizona members – and beyond. For more information on the classes and training available, click here: http://www.asaaz.org/members/automotive-training.php. More information The Automotive Service Association of Arizona Automotive Training & Expo will be held from June 19-21 at Wild Horse Pass Hotel & Casino, 5040 Wild Horse Pass Blvd, Chandler, Arizona. To register or to learn more, click here: http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event?oeidk=a07eam0xdul18bf4045&llr=t9katicab

SmartAutomotive, I am not sure if this would be a help to you or not, but shops that use text messaging software to send appointment reminders are seeing a higher number of people show up for appointments. My company sells software that can help. If you would like to learn more, please don't hesitate to send me a message. Best of luck to you!

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 with 251 regional warehouses throughout the U.S., Canada and Mexico. This network supports 59,000 service centers. David Wofford, National Pronto Association Director of Sales and National Accounts, said the Pronto network is the perfect complement to BOLT ON TECHNOLOGY’s products, which are part of the Pronto Smart Choice Advantage. The Pronto Smart Choice Advantage also features a 24-month parts and labor warranty, online training and ASE certification reimbursement, as well as roadside assistance for customers, among other items. Wofford lauded the partnership with BOLT ON TECHNOLOGY as a way to provide “cutting-edge technology to service centers to make them more productive.” “The shops are not unlike most companies where they’re always being asked to do more with less personnel,” Wofford said, adding that the company’s mobile technology enables shops to “communicate with the consumers under the consumers terms – which is email and text messaging.” Frank Dragoni, Director of National Sales & Corporate Partnerships for BOLT ON TECHNOLOGY, said that gaining Pronto’s “stamp of approval” would help increase awareness and ultimately reach of Bolt On’s automotive software solutions. “We’re excited about this incredible opportunity to partner with such a remarkable leader in the automotive aftermarket industry,” Dragoni said. “Together we can make Pronto and BOLT ON TECHNOLOGY household names in the auto repair industry.”

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 definitely changed the way we do things in the shop," Miller said. "Everything works flawlessly. I couldn't imagine going back to the way things used to be, back to what seems to be the stone ages with papers and pens." Mobile Manager Pro, Bolt On's signature solution, in addition to going paperless with multi-point inspections and more, also enables repair shop techs to take and text vehicle photos to customers. The software - which fully integrates with leading shop management systems - comes fully equipped with the ability to create customized multi-point inspection forms and enter color-coded auto pre-canned technician notes right from the tablet. To learn more about Mobile Manager Pro, click here. To learn more about BOLT ON TECHNOLOGY and its other automotive software solutions, click here.

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 products and share best practices for any of our vehicle maintenance software solutions. Mike and Frank will be available to meet and speak with shop owners in between Mitchell1 workshop sessions. Shops can also test drive our Pro Pack, Mobile Manager Pro and Welcome Station auto repair software solutions. Then from May 5 to May 8 we'll share a booth with NAPA at the NAPA Expo in Las Vegas. The annual expo is expected to bring out 14,000 people all with affiliations to NAPA, either through the NAPA TRACS shop management system or through NAPA parts stores. At the BOLT ON TECHNOLOGY/NAPA booth, staff will demonstrate Bolt On’s automotive software solutions and show how it fully integrates with the NAPA TRACS shop management system for effortless transmission of data. For more information on our auto repair software products or either of the upcoming workshops visit our Website.

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 work order is something that service advisors must do anyway, it made sense to enable this functionality from within Mobile Manager Pro. In addition to saving time through the elimination of unnecessary steps, the labor technician management feature helps to improve accuracy. The new update helps to prepare for the release of a new time clock addition, which is in the works and will be released at a future date. To read more on this latest Mobile Manager Pro update click here or call us at 610-400-1019.

Hi, The CARFAX Quick VIN feature is part of our Mobile Manager Pro, our digital multi-point inspection software, which fully integrates with Mitchell1, RO Writer, NAPA TRACS, ALLDATA and Tasco.

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. To effectively respond to a customer's objections, your service advisor needs 4 things: 1. Photo recommendations 2. Clear recommendations 3. Exceptional customer service 4. Empowering customers to choose vehicle services To read more about how to sell services to a skeptic, read our blog: http://boltontechnology.com/how-to-sell-auto-repairs-to-a-skeptic/

Hi, I think some form of scripting can be beneficial, especially until service advisors feel comfortable selling service and explaining the "why" behind recommendations. Our Pro Call software (think caller ID with built-in, color-coded customer spending history, previously recommended services, etc). can script service advisors when they're answering the phone. That could be a good start to getting SAs comfortable selling services without a customer standing in front of them. Scripts could be adapted to in-person interactions as well. Hope that helps.

Hi Marksas, We are not exhibiting at the automechanika show. However, our team could do a live demo of our products on a date and time that works for you. That would give you a good overview of the software's features and capabilities. Plus, our products fully integrate with RO Writer. Please let us know if you have any questions or would like to set up a demo. Thanks!

Hi Marksas, Bolt On Technology's mobile technology features digital signature capture as you describe above.

Hi Nick, M-Spec Performance is right. Digital multi-point inspections with photos are effective in showing and telling why repairs are needed. When customers can see the extent of damage - metal to metal brakes, for example - they are more likely to authorize repairs. We've found that shops that regularly do multi-point inspections with photos have seen their ARO increase by 45 percent on average and in some cases by much more. Please let me know if I can answer any questions or provide more information about our software.

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 decoding, license plate decoding, canned jobs, canned recommendations, auto-populated inspection forms, text messaging and customer signature capture, among other efficiency-boosting features. With this latest update and SureTrack integration, shops will be able to quickly search for the current vehicle’s commonly replaced components, common symptoms and diagnostic trouble code search. In addition, the SureTrack article, which is displayed in the concern, cause, correction format, can be viewed and optionally added as a note on the repair order. Click here to read more about this major update: http://boltontechnology.com/mobile-manager-pro-now-integrates-with-suretrack/

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 milestone in August 2014 when technicians took a total of 100,000 pictures while inspecting customers’ vehicles. On average, shops take 3 photos per multi-point inspection. That number is a bit low. As a best practice, we suggest including 3 to 5 recommendations and 7 to 10 photos per inspection. Recommendations + photos = higher repair orders For auto repair shops, photos create a greater level of transparency, which helps to improve customer confidence. In addition, since vehicle condition photos are texted or emailed instantly, customers can see vehicle-related issues from their home, office or wherever they may be. It’s like visiting the shop remotely. Seeing what needs to be done is powerful for selling services. Customers are able to view the photos and inspection when convenient for them and are empowered to take action. Click here to read more on the importance of photo-taking in auto repair.

Hi Junior, We attended the Vision Hi-Tech Training and Expo and ATI's SuperConference earlier this month. Last weekend some of my staff attended the Automotive Training Expo in Washington. We'll be attending the NAPA expo in Las Vegas May 5-8 and AAPEX (highly recommended) in November. We'll also be attending the Automotive Service Association expo in Arizona in June. For smaller shows in the Northeast, you may want to look into what the Automotive Service Association has to offer. We're located in the Philadelphia area and we occasionally attend chapter meetings in Pennsylvania. There may be similar offerings in New York. Good luck!

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 Stewardship of the Environment award. “Using Bolt On Technology we are able to save thousands of pages of paper and printing every year,” he said. “Customers love the paperless check-in system and our team enjoys technician tablets and electronic inspections and being more productive at the same time.” Since May 2014 Kruszelnicki has been using Bolt On’s Mobile Manager Pro multi-point inspection tool, as well as Welcome Station, the first-ever customer check-in kiosk designed for the automotive repair industry. The fully wireless software solutions, which feature digital signature capture, text and emailing of customer vehicle inspections, photos and more, enabled the shop to go completely paperless almost a year ago. Click here to read more.

Hi Flacvabeach, Just out of curiosity, what are the other ongoing efforts to increase ARO, sales and gross profits?

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 better understand this process we have compiled a list of four questions to consider. To read more, click here.

A common thread among shop management systems (SMS) is that the software simplifies automotive repair shop processes. That’s pretty much where the similarities end. Some shops use their SMS for customer invoicing while others use it to order parts and track inventory. Still others use the software to carry out digital multi-point inspections and scan and decode vehicle identification numbers. The user options and software features are practically endless. To learn just how vast the array of choices can be in the spectrum of auto repair software, read our list of 13 things you may not have known by clicking here: http://boltontechnology.com/13-things-about-auto-repair-software-you-may-not-have-known/

Hi Jimbob, It sounds like key tags might help with better organization. Our Lube Sticker Pro software prints personalized tags for customer keys which includes customer name, vehicle, VIN, license plate and other details such as when the customer needs to have the vehicle work completed. Please reach out if I can help answer any questions or provide more information.

The BOLT ON TECHNOLOGY team will be spending much of March on the road, traveling to several trade shows and hopefully meeting lots of independent auto repair shops and demonstrating our shop management software. Following a trip to Kansas City for the Vision Hi-Tech Training and Expo, the BOLT ON TECHNOLOGY team will showcase its mobile technology software solutions at the ATI SuperConference, which is set for March 11-14 in Palm Springs, Calif. If you're attending, please be sure to stop by our table during the March 12 trade show to see live demonstrations of our shop management software and learn how to implement best practices into your shop's daily routines. The following week, from March 20-21, we'll be exhibiting at the Automotive Training Expo at booths 59 and 60. Why you should make time to see us Hundreds of shops are saving 10 to 15 minutes per customer through the use of VIN and license plate decoding, canned tech notes and more as part of Mobile Manager Pro, a fully wireless digital inspection tool and auto maintenance software add-on. Incorporating mobile technology with text messaging capabilities, among various other functions, has helped shops boost average repair orders by 45 to 75% – and higher in many instances. Our other leading mobile shop management solution, Welcome Station, is the first-ever service upgrading kiosk developed specifically for the auto repair industry. It is similar in functionality to kiosks in use at airports, grocery and convenience stores and cropping up in restaurant chains. The tablet-powered tool is helping shops save time at the front counter and makes up-selling easier by empowering customers to check themselves in, update their contact and vehicle information and choose services they wish to have performed.