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The Independent Automotive Aftermarket Federation

Why you need to make workshop efficiency a priority for 2022

Date: Monday 17 January 2022

The owner of a Horsham-based independent garage has spoken-out about how it has significantly reduced admin work, improved communications and streamlined workshop jobs thanks to the transformational suite of tools it has now implemented since switching to the TechMan Garage Management System last year.

Replacing a dated CRM programme which was proving to be increasingly burdensome for the business, New Street Garage is now reaping the benefits associated with the all-encompassing solution, which is renowned for being designed for garages, by garages.

Nicky Bevan of New Street Garage said:

“Until we upgraded to TechMan, we were still printing off job sheets and having to jot down bookings in our paper diary. Now we’ve cut all of that admin down by at least half.
“It’s made the office so much better and the guys in the workshop have their tablets, so they’re connected to the same system. I cannot praise TechMan enough, it really is game-changing for us.”

Despite now being sold and keen to encourage others to follow in her path, Nicky was initially apprehensive about making such a fundamental change to the way her garage is managed.

“We ‘ummed and ahhed’ about it for a long time before we made a decision, trialling a number of different systems before settling on TechMan,” she explained.
“The TechMan sales guy told us that ‘we’d never look back once we got used to it’ and he was dead right. I’m not a techy person at all, so it was massively daunting for me but the helpline guys were always available and happy to help.”

A telephone helpline TechMan ensures users have direct access to a Support Manager providing on-demand support during the working day. Free weekly online training webinars, meanwhile, benefit those keen to adopt the many new features that regularly get added to the Garage Management System.

It’s all part of an advanced training and support programme which ensures garage businesses realise their goals through the successful implementation of TechMan.

“I think in the first week I must have called ten times a day but they’d answer every time and talk me through what I needed,” Nicky added. “By the second week, we didn’t need to call as much and by week three we were already seeing the benefits.”

For Nicky, the job booking-in process is a massive time-saver and the Euro Car Parts Integration has vastly streamlined the way in which parts are ordered.

Such is the success of the new system, New Street Garage has now switched to a ‘Pro’ TechMan package, which additionally brings Live Technician Tracking and Efficiency Reporting to track workshop activity, in real-time, as well as review data to analyse performance and measure improvements.

Leo Freebairn of TechMan said:

“When it comes to changing Garage Management Systems, you can be forgiven for assuming it’ll take huge investment and cause much disruption, just as Nicky did. The truth is though, TechMan is inherently intuitive.
“Our support team is here to help you get used to where things are and why they’re important and, as we hear time and time again, once users have grasped the basics, workshops will soon start making time savings which bring surprisingly impressive results – New Street Garage is a fantastic example of this.
“If you want to get off on the right foot in 2022, perhaps you ought to consider following in Nicky’s footsteps.”

For more information about the TechMan Garage Management System or to arrange a demonstration, call 01604 666 720 or visit www.techmangms.com.