Are you running a small engine repair business and struggling to manage daily operations like inventory, repair tickets, and employees? Don’t worry, you are not alone.
Several repair business owners find it challenging to keep an eye on their workflow and manage operations. The reason? Most of the time, they rely on using manual methods, resulting in missed entries and inefficiencies.
Due to that, they search for software that can automate everything going, and grow with their business. But the question is; how to choose one.
This post will brief you on how you can find the right small engine repair software for your business. These are the features to look for.
- Robust Inventory Management
Inventory management has been a challenging task for most lawn mower and generator repair businesses since very long. One of the major reasons is that shops rely heavily on paperwork and spreadsheets to write down inventory, sales records, etc. However, as these methods are prone to errors, one has to deal with missing parts, and accessories. These include pistons, piston rings, crankshafts, plugs, filters, oils, nuts and bolts, adhesives, mufflers, knobs, oil caps, etc.
As a result, you are unable to entertain customers who visit you to get a quick fix, due to shortage of stock. And as they can’t wait any longer, they visit another shop nearby. This way, you lose several sales opportunities due to not having the right parts or accessories in your inventory.
So, while picking a software for your business, ensure it offers robust inventory management features. Using such a system, you will never run out of stock. The software will always notify you whenever your parts fall below the set threshold. In addition, it auto calculates taxes, and gives a clear view of your sales, cost, and top-selling items.
As a business owner, if you want to grow your revenue, and expand business, you should also start selling aftermarket small engine parts. Customers always look for a one stop shop to purchase plugs, filters, oils, and performance carburetors. When they find every quality part at your outlet, they will visit you over and over again.
- Repair Ticketing that Stands Out
Repair ticket management is something that every repair shop owner looks for. However, they don’t know what features they want and why they need them.
Managing multiple repair jobs simultaneously can be hectic. Specifically, when you have to respond to customers in a timely manner.
Imagine this. A customer steps into your store and wants you to fix the crankshaft of their generator. You look at the machine, give them an estimate and start working on it. In the meantime, you get a call from a customer asking for the repair status. Then suddenly, you get 2 SMS from different customers asking for the status of their machine.
However, as you are busy dealing with your visitors, you are unable to get back to the customers on call. As a result, they may lose interest in your business due to lack of communication.
To cope with this issue, you need a small engine shop management software with repair ticketing feature. Using this, you can easily create repair tickets for every job that comes in. You can include the following things in the ticket:
- Issue with the small engine (generator, lawn mower, snow blower)
- Upload pre repair images
- Name of the assigned technician
After this, you can assign the job to any of your available technicians. When the repair is complete, the software will automatically notify the customer. In addition, it also updates the customer when there is any change in the repair status. This way, customers always stay updated and know exactly when they should visit for pickup.
- Employee Management
Managing employees and keeping an eye on their performance is crucial. Otherwise, how would you learn about their performance?
Therefore, your small engine repair shop software must have an employment management feature. Using this, you can view their check-in and check-out timings, and number of repairs they complete in a shift, whenever you want.
Based on that, you can also calculate their commissions and process payroll using the software. This will help you save time and ensure everyone gets fairly paid, right on time.
Furthermore, to have a better grip on your business, you must learn basic small engine repair. For that, you can learn how to become a small engine mechanic and build hands-on experience along the way. So that none of your employees or technicians can dodge you in any way possible.
What Else Should You Look For?
Other than the features mentioned above, you should also look for the following before picking the software.
- Ease of Use: The software should be easy to use and learn for your team members.
- Pricing: It should not be very expensive. If it has the best features, a few hundred bucks would be enough.
- Customer Support: The platform should offer great customer support.
- Marketing Automation: It would be a plus if the software can help you with marketing.
- Payment Integrations: Pick the one that offers integration with famous payment platforms.
Final Words
If you are struggling to manage your repair shop operations, this is the right time to start using reliable software. It will help you simplify all the processes, and boost efficiency. Thus, you can save time, and grow more.
Meta Description
Get a small engine shop management software for your business that has all the vital features to manage your workflow and has a solid reputation.