How an interactive route sheet can achieve same-day service

At the heart of all service centers are the route sheet and appointment book – two tools that keep operations running smoothly and on time. Nowadays, it’s less common to leave your car at the shop overnight unless it requires extensive parts and body repair. However, if the workflow process has a few hiccups and constraints, customers may have a longer wait time for their vehicle service.

If your service team finds themselves consistently telling customers they may need another day to complete a service that could’ve been a same-day delivery, it’s time to seek a solution. That wait time can be reduced with an interactive route sheet, which is an integral feature for dealerships. Here’s how an interactive route sheet can achieve same-day service and reduce downtime.

Keeps job stacks moving

Most automotive workshop management software uses a step-by-step task completion process, which makes it difficult for service technicians to keep the flow of vehicles going through the service bay. Service technicians will need to wait for communication from the parts department and customer approvals before they can continue the service and complete the job. With Workflow 360’s DMS extension, technicians can place a task on hold while waiting for communication and approvals and start a different task to keep the workflow moving. Jobs are completed quicker, reducing the wait time for customers. This results in happier customers and more billable hours.

Reporting and updates in real-time

Job stacks are tough to keep up witth when using traditional route sheets. Service technicians need to look up customer information, call the parts department to communicate what they need, and communicate with customers for approvals. With a modern interactive route sheet, you can simply click on the job task to pull up customer information, vehicle service history, and any important notes in the file. All team members who need to to be kept in the loop, including service managers and the parts department, can see the updates and communicate through the route sheet to keep the job flowing.

Better communication between departments

With real-time updates, team members from each department can see the most recent conversations and take a look at where a vehicle is in the service process. With two-way communication that’s accessible from any workstation, no details are missed and work is more efficient. Furthermore, a DMS extension like Workflow’s Production Efficiency Platform allows for communication between customers for faster approvals.

Final thoughts

If an interactive route sheet provides so many benefits for dealerships, why do some service centers still rely on traditional methods? Simply put, old habits die hard and there is uncertainty and doubt that comes with change. However, dealerships that currently use interactive route sheets have seen an immediate and positive impact on their service operations.