Workshops and garages are fast-moving business operations which usually are overcrowded with clients and customers. Managing the operation and scheduled delivery of the finished vehicles has always been a nightmare for the owners. The usual case scenario is that the clients and customers bring in vehicles without appointments and ask the owner to repair them, in time as all the customers do that which would entirely interrupt in the operation of the garage.
As it's a fast-moving environment there is a need for effective planning and efficient management to run the garage operations smoothly. Like any other business operation, the Enterprise resource planning (ERP) software can perform the operation with ease. An automated workshop can be more productive than the ones operating with the conventional drive-in methodology. This would allow the customers to book the appointments to repair their vehicles and the owner of the garage can manage them effectively. In this new era of modernization with no time to be wasted by the people, the methodology of booking appointments has been much more effective. Let it be with the doctor, lawyer, or even a shop that has effectively managed the customers for the owner of the ERP based businesses.
Odoo is the best ERP for all the business needs that can help the owner to run their garage effectively. On installing the Odoo platform for managing the business it can interpret the operation of the garage at all the stages from appointments, repairs, delivery, etc. The platform is a reliable and effective management tool to run the garage business. The main advantage of using Odoo in your business is that it's a customizable management tool that can be developed and installed as per the business needs of the garage. The Owner can always allow full freedom to the Odoo platform to manage all aspects of the workshop or can be done partially. The other advantage of using Odoo is that it can be easily integrated with other platforms which are already available in the company such as payments, websites, barcode operations, etc
This blog will describe how to run an Odoo workshop garage effectively at various stages of operation in Odoo platform such as:
1. Human resource management,
2. Manufacturing and repairs,
3. Sales and purchase,
4. Field service,
5. Customer relationship management,
6. Company website
Odoo Car Workshop Management Module
1. Customer relationship management
The Odoo CRM module of the Odoo allows the grange owner or the manager to have a steady relationship with the customers. This module allows the manager to transform the potential clients into regular customers by planning activities and marketing methods to attract the customers to the garage for their vehicular repairs. A feedback survey on the aspects of the sales and the services conducted can also determine the satisfaction of the customers in the garage. The feedback surveys can be generated in the survey module of the platform which in turn will allow the user to generate promotion and marketing surveys on the expectations of the customers from the garage service.
The below image depicts the dashboard of the Odoo CRM module in Odoo platform.
2. Human resource management
The Odoo platform helps the garage owner to recruit em[loyees by posting job vacancies at social media platforms and the company website. The recruited employees can be categorized based on their skillset experience and qualifications. On assessing the skills they can be assigned to the various departments such as chasse welding, forging, eclectic shop, transmission department, etc of the garage. The owner can also install a biometric scanner to verify the in and out of the employees.
Additionally in the attendance module of the Odoo can Adobe integrated with these biometric scanners to verify the attendance and time off of the employees.
The employees can be assigned to a reporting manager who would plan their day-to-day activities and assign them to the work centers and teams of operation in the company via Odoo platform.
3. Sales, inventory, and purchase
The manager can initiate the purchase quotation for the spare parts of each vehicle from the various vendors available. The purchase quotations can be drafted by verifying the availability of the products in the inventory. The inventory can be managed by the inventory module of the platform on various spare parts and electronic components for the vehicles. The user can also avail the option to automate the inventory by setting up the reordering rules for the spares so that they would not be shot in number and over-stocked. The payment for the products can be done by the accounting module on verifying the delivery of the products at the inventory section of the platform.
The spares used while repairing can be allocated to the customer's invoice from the sales module. The service charge can be included in the sales quotation along with the discounts which can be availed by the customer. The service charges can be determined based on the works done on the vehicle and the time taken.
The below image depicts the dashboard of the Sales module in Odoo platform.
4. Manufacturing and repairs
The manufacturing of the minor spare parts can be done at the garage which does not need outsourcing. The manager can set up a manufacturing lane and allocate the employees to it based on the skill sets available to each of them. The garage can always outsource the manufacturing activities to another establishment which can be easily done by the subcontracting option available in Odoo. Since the major activity considering an Odoo workshop garage is to repair the vehicles the repairs module in Odoo plays a greater part in the operation. If the customer brings up the vehicle the manager can have an initial check-up of the problem and assign employees with the respective skill set to do the job. The manager can also set the delivery time under which the repairs will be completed and notify the customer via emails or text messages.
5. Field service
Field Service can be a useful method to attain more business. More garages prefer to offer roadside assistance service for their customers. The customers can call up the emergency toll-free number or straight to the garage to notify them about the issue. If the website of the garage is enabled with the roadside assistance feature the customer can book for the assistance appointment directly from the website by specifying the exact location. The Odoo platform also allows the employee or the field service technician allocated by the user to create and provide an invoice for the service performed and the spare parts which have been installed onto the vehicle upon repair.
The below image depicts the dashboard of the Field service module in Odoo platform.
6. Company website
Designing and maintaining an attractive website for the garage will always attract customers to the shop. Promoting this website at various social media platforms with the service specification details will be much helpful as a marketing strategy for the garage. The Odoo platform allows the users to design and customize a website for their garage with the help of photos and descriptions of the services. The user can also allocate the appointment window to specific pages allowing the customers to book for appointments and request for roadside assistance if required. The user can also specify feedback surveys on the website which can be sent to the customers via email to fill out on describing the experience at the garage and the details of the service being provided.
The Odoo platform is an apt management tool to run the various operations of the garage ranging from human resource management to repairs conducted. Since all the applications to manage the business are available in the single platform it makes the management operation for the user or the owner of the workshop much easier.
If you are interested in Odoo Implementation for your business, please contact us at info@cybrosys.com. We can guide your business better with Odoo support plans for executing your organization goals.