Across SmartMy Garage
Approval chains
What staff must approve goes through one approval engine. That is counter authorisations from Growth, changes to fixed assets in Scale, and parts requests between branches in Enterprise. You set who approves, per branch, without code, and every decision is kept with who made it and why.
PlansFrom Growth
The problem it solves
- A branch sends parts to another on a phone call, and nobody can say who agreed.
- Discounts and refunds at the counter are given by whoever is nearby.
- An asset is written off or sold with no sign-off from the owner.
- Approvals happen in different places, so managers miss what waits for them.
How it works
- 01
Each kind of request has a chain per branch, made by itself, so it works with no set-up. Parts go to the supplying branch's workshop managers.
- 02
Open the chain and add levels in order, for example the regional parts manager after the branch's workshop managers. At each level any one approver decides.
- 03
Add a chain for some requests only with Only For, or set a chain to Approved at Once when you need no approval.
- 04
A request reaches the first level. Its approvers get a to-do and a message, and find it in To Approve and in My approvals in the app.
- 05
Each level approves, or refuses with a reason. After the last level the product does its part: for parts, the delivery is prepared and reserved.
Everything it does
What goes through a chain in SmartMy Garage
- Growth: Counter approval: discounts above the cashier's limit, items on the house, refunds, receipt copies, cash moves and cash differences. It is decided at the counter in one step, so keep it at one level
- Scale: fixed asset changes: revaluing, impairing, changing the useful life, selling or scrapping an asset
- Enterprise: Parts transfer between branches, in the chain of the branch that supplies the parts. One level to start with, the workshop managers of the supplying branch
- Enterprise: requests to disable a directory account, with company sign-in
Not on a chain, on purpose
- The estimate and extra work: the customer decides, in person, on the job page or by a standing instruction
- Insurance claims (the insurer decides) and supplier warranty claims (the supplier decides)
- Online booking requests: an advisor books or cancels them
- What a workshop manager does alone with a reason: Move Anyway, Bill Anyway, Waive Storage
Who approves a level
- Named users, a group, or the usual approvers of the request
- Any one approver of a level decides; for two signatures, add two levels (not for counter approvals)
- If a level has nobody, one of three things happens. The request cannot be submitted (the default when you add a level), the level is skipped, or the usual approvers decide
Rules and record
- Requester May Approve: on for the chains the system makes, so whoever raised a request may decide it at a level they approve
- The person a request is about never decides it
- Only For: a chain for some requests only; Approved at Once: no approval
- An Approvals tab on each request: level, approver, status, decided by, date and reason
- A new branch copies the chains of its parent
- No reminders or escalation in Garage today: put more than one person on a level
Who uses it
Where you use it
- Web: Garage > Configuration > General > Approval Chains (parts transfers); the counter's Approval Chains; Approvals > To Approve and My Requests
- Web: Garage > Parts > Stock > Transfers Between Branches, with Approve and Refuse
- The SmartMy Garage app: Transfers, To approve, for workshop managers; My approvals for everything else (built and in testing, not in the app stores yet)
- Counter approvals: on the cashier's screen, with the supervisor's password or PIN
What you control
Settings
- Levels and their approvers, per kind and branch
- If a level has nobody: cannot submit, skip, or usual approvers
- Requester May Approve (on), Only For conditions, Approved at Once
Messages and alerts
- Request Waits for Your Approval: to the approvers of the level that is next; phone notification, else email; in the app
- A to-do on the request for each approver of the level
FAQ
Questions, answered.
Can a parts request need two approvals?
Yes, in Enterprise. Add a level after the supplying branch's workshop managers, such as a regional parts manager. The parts are reserved after the last level.
Can a big counter discount need two people?
No. Counter approvals are decided at the counter in one step. Send larger discounts to a POS manager with the register's discount limits instead.
Does the customer's estimate approval go through a chain?
No. The customer decides their own work, on the job page or with the advisor. Staff only record it.
Do approvers get reminders?
Not today in SmartMy Garage. They are told when a request reaches them and get a to-do. Put more than one person on a level so someone is always there.
Do we need a developer to change a chain?
No. An approvals administrator changes levels, approvers and conditions from the menus.
Related
Related features.
Parts and cars moved between branchesEnterprise only
A branch short of a part asks another branch for it. The supplying branch approves and ships, and the asking branch receives, with lots and serials. The job card waits until the parts arrive. A car can also go to another branch's workshop, such as the group's body shop, with the work charged back.
Discounts and receipt copies approved by a managerFrom Growth
Decide what a cashier may do alone at the counter, and what needs a supervisor. Discounts above a limit, items on the house, refunds, receipt copies and cash moves can all need one. The supervisor approves on the cashier's screen with a password or a PIN, and every approval is kept.
Fixed assets: register, depreciation, transfers and disposalFrom Scale
Every lift, compressor, wheel aligner, diagnostic scanner, tow truck and service van your garage owns sits in one register. Each has its cost, depreciation and book value. A van or tow truck can depreciate by the km it runs. Assets move between bays and branches with a record, and sales and write-offs are posted.
Single sign-on on the web and in the staff appEnterprise only
Garage staff sign in with their company account, from Microsoft, Google or another OpenID Connect provider, on the web and in the SmartMy Garage app. An administrator adds the provider, people are matched to their users, and an Entity can close password sign-in for its staff.
NotificationsEvery plan
SmartMy Garage tells customers and staff when something needs them. That can be the estimate ready, a test drive gone too far, a customer's decision or a request to approve. Each event has its own recipients and channels, and every message is logged.
Want to see it on your own job cards? Book a demo and we walk you through it with your workshop's work.