Repair Solutions is a comprehensive platform that arms your service department with all the information and tools needed to diagnose and repair vehicles more efficiently. Think of it as the ultimate digital assistant for your technicians and service team—combining repair procedure databases, technical service bulletins, wiring diagrams, labor time guides, and more into one convenient system. By simplifying how techs access repair info and manage their workflow, this solution helps accelerate repair times, reduce errors, and ultimately maximize the profitability and throughput of your fixed ops.
Built specifically for automotive service, Repair Solutions pulls in VIN-specific repair data whenever a vehicle is in your shop. The technician can enter the VIN (or it’s already populated via integration) and instantly see that vehicle’s details: engine, trim, any open recalls, any common issues for that model, etc. With a few clicks, the tech can pull up step-by-step OEM repair procedures for the jobs at hand, complete with diagrams and even animations or photos if provided. No more thumbing through paper manuals or logging into separate OEM sites for each car line—the information is aggregated and at their fingertips.
The platform also includes quick estimating and job management features. Need to give a customer a quote on a repair? The system has up-to-date labor times for every standard job and can generate parts lists. This ties into both customer estimates and internal time tracking. Techs can clock in and out of jobs within the system, so you get accurate labor time tracking, and you can monitor job status (in progress, waiting on parts, completed) electronically rather than via a clipboard on the shop floor.
Technician workflow tools are integrated—if a tech is working on a job and wants to add recommended repairs (maybe they notice a worn belt while doing an alternator), they can easily add that recommendation, and it flows to the advisor’s screen for approval/selling, complete with part numbers and labor. The system inherently helps capture upsell opportunities by linking inspection results to known repair operations.
Parts integration means techs can see if the parts they need are in stock or if they need to order without leaving the bay. They can send a parts request from their tablet to the parts counter through the system, eliminating paper requests or walking back and forth. If a part number is superseded or an alternative is available, the system flags it.
Customer communication is also enhanced. With Repair Solutions feeding data to the advisor, the advisor can more confidently and quickly explain to the customer what’s needed and why. They can even share visual aids—if a tech attaches a photo of a torn brake boot or uses the system’s diagram to illustrate a repair, the advisor can send that to the customer or show it in the write-up, making the recommendation more tangible.
On the management side, Repair Solutions gives service managers and foremen oversight through performance reporting. They can view how long jobs are taking vs. standard (to identify if certain techs need training or certain operations are consistently going over time), see how effectively techs are using the system (like are they clocking all steps, using recommended procedures), and measure things like first-time fix rate.
All these features lead to fewer mistakes (because techs have the right info and follow proper steps), faster repair approvals (because advisors get info quickly and can communicate it well), and fewer re-dos or comebacks (because procedures were followed correctly). Ultimately, simplifying and connecting the repair workflow leads to higher throughput—more cars fixed right the first time, in less time—and therefore higher profitability.
Modern vehicles are complex, and each make and model has its nuances. Technicians often need to reference multiple sources to get the job done: OEM repair manuals, third-party databases, past experience, maybe even YouTube for odd cases. Flipping between all these can waste time and lead to errors if a tech misses a step or uses outdated info. If your shop handles multiple brands, it’s even more challenging to keep all the info straight and accessible.
Manual processes for things like time tracking, parts requests, and recommendations can create inefficiencies. A tech might spend extra minutes walking to the parts counter to find out a part ETA or to ask for a diagram printout. Handwritten notes on ROs can be misinterpreted. Lack of consistency in repair approach means some techs might skip steps to save time, leading to comebacks, while others might overdo work, leading to inefficiency.
Training new technicians is also a hurdle. Without a solid system, they might not know where to find info and lean too heavily on veteran techs for help, slowing both down. Ensuring everyone follows the best practice procedures can be tough when the info is scattered or when people rely on memory.
Additionally, without integrated workflow tools, communication between techs, advisors, and parts often suffers. How often does a car sit waiting because a part wasn’t pulled in time or an advisor wasn’t aware the tech finished hours ago? Lack of visibility and connection in the process can hide bottlenecks.
Repair Solutions addresses these issues by creating a unified environment where information is centralized and workflow steps are tracked. It’s like having a smart hub that the whole service team uses, making the repair process more predictable, efficient, and transparent.
VIN-Specific Repair Data Access
Automatically fetch the precise repair and maintenance information for the vehicle at hand, including OEM service manuals, technical service bulletins (TSBs), recall info, and common fixes, all filtered for that VIN’s configuration.
Integrated Labor Guides & Estimating
Provide labor time guides for all standard operations (mechanical and collision if needed), and allow quick building of estimates/ROs by selecting operations which auto-populate labor and parts.
Real-Time Job Clocking
Technicians can clock in/out of each operation on a RO via a simple interface (touch a button on their tablet or workstation). This tracks actual time spent versus standard, and gives management live status of each RO’s progress.
Digital RO Management
Techs see all their assigned jobs in one place with status (e.g., waiting for parts, in progress, completed). They can update status flags (like if a car is waiting on customer approval for additional work). Service managers can reassign or shuffle tasks if needed using this overview.
Guided Workflows
Provide checklists for complex jobs (for example, an engine replacement might have a 20-step checklist to ensure all connections are done). Techs can tick off as they go, ensuring thoroughness and creating a record of work done.
Parts Catalog & Ordering Integration
Within a repair procedure, the system can list the part numbers needed (with diagrams). Techs can check inventory or send electronic parts requests to the parts department without leaving the app. If a part is not in stock, it can tie into the Parts On Demand system to request it externally.
TSB & Common Issue Alerts
If the vehicle’s symptoms match known issues (e.g., the VIN falls in a range for a TSB about a faulty sensor), the system can alert the tech or advisor to that effect when the RO is being created or when the tech pulls up the job, so they don’t miss simple fixes or warranty-covered items.
Technician Knowledge Base
Beyond manuals, allow techs to quickly search a knowledge base (could include prior cases, community tips from other techs, or archived fixes your dealership has encountered). This is valuable for weird, one-off problems—possibly integrating a service like Identifix or in-house notes.
Collaboration Tools
Tech can send a message or question to a foreman or another tech through the system if they need a second opinion, possibly attaching data (like scope readings, or “I see this error code, have you encountered it?”). Keeps the discussion documented and accessible later for others.
Customer Communication Support
If a tech finds additional work or needs approval, they can push that recommendation to the advisor complete with photos and explanation from within Repair Solutions. The advisor gets all info packaged and can share with the customer via the Customer Communication system.
Reporting & Analytics
Provide dashboards on key metrics: average actual vs. book time per job (by tech, by job type), most frequently performed operations, parts usage and profitability, technician productivity and efficiency rates, fix it right the first time (could be measured by comeback ROs), etc.
Training Mode
Possibly include training resources or simulations for new techs. For example, interactive guides for common maintenance tasks to ensure new hires get up to speed on the system and processes.
Inspection Platform: Connect multipoint inspection results to Repair Solutions so that recommended repairs flow seamlessly into estimates and ROs (e.g., if Inspection flags a leaky hose, Repair Solutions is ready with the labor op and part number to fix it).
Check-In: Use data gathered at check-in (symptoms, customer concerns) to automatically surface relevant repair procedures or TSBs to the tech when they start diagnosis in Repair Solutions.
Service Suite: Repair Solutions serves as the engine within the broader Service Suite, ensuring that once the car is in the bay, everything moves efficiently. It complements scheduling, check-in, and communication tools to form a complete fixed ops ecosystem.