A car comes back a month after its service. What was done? What did it cost? Did the owner pay all of it? In a workshop that runs on paper, the answers sit in three different books or in the fundi's head. A garage management system Kenya garages can use keeps each customer, each car and each job on file, so these questions take seconds to answer.
Here is what it does for a garage in Industrial Area Nairobi, a workshop in Nakuru or a one-bay mechanic.
What a garage management system does
It records customers and their vehicles, the services done with price and payment, and who did the work. As auto garage software and auto repair management software it is built around the customer's car. See the garage industry page.
Every vehicle on file
Add a customer with their car: plate, make and model, and mileage. Record services straight from the customer's page. The next time the car arrives, you search the number plate and everything is there.
Job cards and billing
For each job you open a garage job card: the customer's car, the mileage in, their complaint and the mechanic. Add the parts used and the labour, with a price for each. When the job is done it is billed: enter what was paid now by M-Pesa, cash or card, and the rest goes on the customer's account until they clear it, and appears on their statement. This is your garage billing and your record of the work.
Service history per car
Every service per plate: date, mileage, work done, mechanic, cost and what is still owed. This is the heart of any auto workshop management setup. It also helps when a customer claims a repair was not done: the record shows it.
Mechanic management and commission
A mechanic management system should answer "what did each mechanic earn?" Set each mechanic's rate as a percentage or a flat amount; earnings and payouts are worked out by month from the services they did.
Service reminders by SMS
Set the next service by mileage or date and send the owner an SMS reminder when it is due. This brings customers back without you calling each one. It requires SMS to be set up.
Spare parts and stock
Spare parts are products with a part number and a price, so you can find a filter or a pad by its number. Parts used on a job card are sold from stock when the job is billed, so the count goes down. Record deliveries from your suppliers, set a reorder level and count the shelf with a stock take. This is spare parts management and garage stock management for a workshop; see inventory. It does not track a fleet by GPS.
Getting started
Add your first customer and car, record a service and see the balance appear. It runs in the browser on a phone or computer. It is a monthly subscription; see the prices.
A day in the workshop
A customer brings a car for a service. The receptionist searches the plate or adds the customer and vehicle. When the work is done, the service is recorded with its price, mileage and mechanic. The customer pays KES 3,000 by M-Pesa of a KES 5,000 bill, and the balance stays on their account. At the end of the month the owner opens the mechanics' commission and sees who did what, and the list of customers who still owe money.
Over time the history builds a picture. You see which customers come back, which services are most common and who owes the most. With service reminders, owners hear from you before their car fails, which builds trust. For a garage owner who is on the floor all day, being able to check balances and history from a phone, instead of a stack of paper, saves time and avoids disputes. See customer credit and reports.
Tips for a smooth start
Start small. Add your best-selling items or main services first and sell for a week before loading everything. Ask each staff member to use their own login so records show who did what. Check the dashboard every evening for a few minutes: sales, cash and anything that looks odd. Keep your records honest from day one and the reports become more useful every month. If you get stuck, support is available on WhatsApp. You can see the prices and sign up free to try it with your own business before you commit.
Frequently asked questions
Can customers pay part now? Yes, the balance stays on their account.
Can I search by number plate? Yes.
Do mechanics get commission? Yes.
Does it send reminders? Yes, by SMS.
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