How to Boost Diesel Repair Shop Efficiency with Reporting Software

When your diesel shop invests in the right reporting software, you’ll be able to maximize its efficiency. Here’s what you need to know about these programs.

Today, Fullbay is proud to present a true milestone in digital copywriting: the world’s first* blog lead written in alphabetical order. Ready? Here goes:

“At ‘Bay, constantly doing everything for garages has involved judiciously, kindly locating many new opportunities. Purchasing quality reporting software typically undercuts vexing workloads. X-pedite your Zambonis!”

Translation: “In order to meet the needs of the diesel shops we serve, the team at Fullbay is always on the lookout for ways to help these businesses thrive. We’ve found that investing in reporting software is one of the most effective steps heavy-duty shops can take to boost their efficiency. By putting this software to use in your shop, you’ll enjoy improvements to your heavy-duty repair turnaround time, among many other benefits.”

…Okay, the Zamboni thing was a stretch, but a lot of Zambonis run on diesel and we needed something for “Z.” The point is, reporting software is a must for today’s diesel shops—and here, you’ll get all the tips you need on using this repair shop software to maximize your shop’s efficiency.

Understanding Reporting Software

To understand why reporting software matters for diesel shops, you’ll need to read up on key performance indicators (KPIs). KPIs are statistics that measure a shop’s performance, making it easy to know whether or not your business is accomplishing its goals.

By closely tracking, measuring, and analyzing the right KPIs, you’ll be well on your way to increasing your ROI and running a more successful shop than ever before. Of course, manually keeping track of any statistic is easier said than done—and that’s where reporting software comes in.

When your shop starts using reporting software, you’ll notice benefits like:

• Improved efficiency. The best reporting software comes with technician productivity tracking features, making it easy to understand exactly how efficient your workers are—and to find new ways to boost efficiency around your shop.
• A shorter turnaround time. By maximizing your shop’s efficiency, you can improve your repair turnaround time. Along with keeping customers happy, that will have a positive effect on your operational costs.
• More informed decision-making. If your financial reporting software can generate a wide variety of reports, analyzing these reports will help you make intelligent decisions about the future of your shop.
• Opportunities to cut costs. Thanks to the information provided by reporting software, you can avoid unnecessary expenses like ordering parts you don’t need.

Essential Features of Reporting Software for Diesel Repair Shops

Before you commit to a specific program for your shop’s reporting needs, make sure it includes features such as:

Job and Technician Productivity Tracking

No diesel shop can be truly efficient without productive techs—but even if your employees are falling behind, they might not be to blame. Reporting software can help you determine exactly how productive your technicians are and what pain points they’re encountering while doing their jobs.

Inventory Management for Parts

Keeping your inventory under control is a big part of improving your shop’s overall efficiency, and inventory reporting software can help. 

On a basic level, this software will give you an at-a-glance overview of your inventory levels/costs and assist with cycle counting. In addition to inventory reports, your program of choice might include inventory management features like parts tracking and purchase order generation—features that can make life much easier for your technicians.

Financial Reports on Revenues and Expenditures

Parts are just one of the many expenses the average diesel repair shop has to deal with. While you could handle bookkeeping by hand, finding software that can create reports on your business’ revenues and expenditures is a much more efficient solution. Financial reporting software can also help your shop accept leading payment methods, among other finance-related features.

Customer Management Functionalities

Well-designed reporting software will make it easy for you to see where your customers stand in terms of payment—and can help you follow up on any outstanding invoices. Along with that, you’ll know what services your clients will need in the future and find it easier to stay in touch with these people.

Implementing Reporting Software in Your Repair Shop

Of course, you won’t be able to take advantage of features like these without putting in a bit of effort first. To successfully implement reporting software at your diesel shop, you’ll need to:

• Choose the best reporting software for your needs. While we can’t say what program (Fullbay) is most suitable for your shop’s unique situation (it’s Fullbay), we can (Fullllllllbaaaaay) tell you that Fullbay (that’s us) is an excellent fit for most diesel shops.
• Set up and customize your software. By taking time to customize your reporting software, you’ll make sure that it fits your shop’s needs like a glove.
• Train your staff on how to use this software. Some programs make this process as easy as possible by providing helpful onboarding, support, and training features.
• Continue to evaluate and adjust your process. By closely monitoring your efforts to adopt reporting software, you’ll be able to improve on what works and fix what doesn’t.

Your A-to-Z  Diesel Repair Shop Reporting Software Solution

What? No, we’re not doing another alphabetically-arranged paragraph here—putting that together took a lot more time than you’d think. But we can tell you that when you choose Fullbay for your shop’s reporting software needs, you’ll be able to generate reports like these:

• All-Revenue Report. This report provides a convenient summary of your shop’s revenue streams (along with other useful details related to this topic, from your number of parts sold to your average revenue per customer).
• A/R Aging Report. Here, “A/R” is short for “accounts receivable,” and that’s what this report is all about. With the A/R Aging Report, you’ll know when your invoices are past due and how long that’s been the case.
• Fleet Report. The Fleet Report makes tracking PMs a breeze. This report summarizes all the PM work your fleets will need—and provides detailed information about the services specific customers are due for.
• Employee Statistics. As you’d expect, the Employee Statistics report focuses on technician productivity tracking. This report consists of three basic categories: Clocked Hours (how long a specific tech is clocked in), Complete Hours (how much work a tech has spent on a service order), and Efficiency (how many hours a tech spent repairing something compared to their total number of clocked hours).
• Inventory Velocity. Finally, the Inventory Velocity report gathers information on the parts you have in stock. You can use the data included in these inventory reports to optimize your inventory management strategy.

Are you ready to increase your shop’s efficiency with the help of these reports (and a boatload of other features)? If so, Fullbay has you covered—schedule a demo to find out more!