Workshop
Declined work brought back, and follow-ups on estimates
Work a customer declined comes back on the vehicle's next job card, to propose again at today's price or mark as not needed. Estimates left waiting, and work declined on a finished visit, are followed up after the days you set. The customer gets a message and the advisor a call to-do.
PlansFrom Growth
The problem it solves
- A customer declines new brake pads in March, and in July nobody remembers to offer them again.
- An estimate sent on Monday is never chased, and the car leaves with half the work done.
- Advisors follow up some customers and not others, depending on how busy the day was.
- The same declined repair is offered again and again after the customer had it done elsewhere.
How it works
- 01
Declined lines of a delivered job card are listed on the vehicle (Declined Work) and on its next job card (Declined Before). Each shows the visit and the amount.
- 02
On the new job card, click Propose Again on a line, or Propose All Again. The line is added to this estimate at today's price and the old one counts as followed up.
- 03
Click Not Needed for work that is no longer wanted, for example fixed elsewhere. If the same service or part is added on a later visit, the old line is followed up by itself.
- 04
Every day, work still waiting for the customer is followed up after the days you set. To start with: after 2 days, again after 5, at most 2 times.
- 05
Work declined on a delivered job card is followed up once, 30 days after delivery to start with. Each follow-up sends the customer a message and gives the advisor a call to-do.
Everything it does
Declined last time
- Comes from job cards that were delivered; work declined on an open job card stays on that job card
- Shown on the vehicle (Declined Work) and on the next job card (Declined Before, with the visit and the amount). Also on the matching inspection item ("Declined Last Time")
- Propose Again, Propose All Again and Not Needed for advisors
- Proposed again at today's price, linked to the line it repeats
- With service reminders: declined work can be mentioned in the reminder
Estimate follow-ups
- Waiting work: followed up after N days, again after M days, at most K times (2, 5 and 2 to start with). 0 days switches them off
- Declined work on a delivered job card: once, D days after delivery (30 to start with), within a year of delivery; 0 means never
- A message to the customer and, if switched on, a call to-do for the advisor ("Follow up the estimate", "Follow up declined work")
- No Follow-ups on a job card stops them for that job card
- Work already followed up as declined is not followed up again
The record
- Garage > Customers > Estimate Follow-ups: each follow-up with the customer, advisor, kind, number, work, amount, when and whether a message went
- Approved Since: whether the customer approved after the follow-up
- As a list or pivot by advisor
Who uses it
Where you use it
- Web: the Declined Before tab of the job card, the Declined Work tab of the vehicle, Garage > Customers > Estimate Follow-ups
- The SmartMy Garage app: the "Declined last time" panel on the job card with Propose again, Not needed and Propose all. The next service and follow-ups card with "No follow-ups". Built and in testing, not in the app stores yet.
- Customer page: the work followed up is on the job page to approve
What you control
Settings
- Follow Up Estimates After: 2 days (0 for no follow-ups)
- Follow Up Again After: 5 days
- Follow-ups at Most: 2
- Follow Up Declined Work After: 30 days (0 for never)
- Follow-up Activity for the Advisor: on
Messages and alerts
- Estimate Follow-up: to the customer, by WhatsApp, else SMS, else email. It counts as an offer, so it waits for quiet hours and the customer can switch it off
FAQ
Questions, answered.
Is the old price kept?
No. Work proposed again is priced at today's price of the service or part.
Can a customer stop the follow-ups?
Yes. The follow-up message counts as an offer: the customer can switch it off, and you can tick No Follow-ups on a job card.
What if the customer had the work done elsewhere?
Click Not Needed. The line stops showing as declined last time and is not followed up.
Which plan has it?
Growth, Scale and Enterprise.
Related
Related features.
Estimates approved or declined line by lineEvery plan
Build the estimate from your services and parts, priced and taxed. The customer approves or declines each line in person, by phone, by message, or on their job page with a typed signature. Each line keeps how it was decided, when, and who recorded it.
Digital vehicle inspections with pass, attention and failFrom Growth
Technicians go through a checklist on the phone or web, marking each item pass, attention or fail, with measurements and photos. Items that need work become recommended work in one click. The customer sees the lights, notes and photos on their job page.
Service reminders by date and by kmFrom Growth
Each delivered job card plans the next service of the car. It falls due by date or on the day the car is expected to reach the next km, whichever comes first. That day is worked out from the car's own readings. The customer is reminded before it is due with a link to book, and the reminder closes when they come back.
Customer vehicles with their full visit history, found by plate or VINEvery plan
Keep every customer vehicle once, with its owner, plate, VIN, brand, model, year, fuel and odometer unit. Every visit, reading and note stays with it. Pick it by its plate however it is typed, or scan the VIN barcode in the app.
Messages to the customer at every step, with the invoice on deliveryEvery plan
Customers hear from you when the car is checked in, the estimate is ready, extra work is found, the car is ready, delivered and paid. Each message carries the link to their job page, and the delivered message carries the invoice. Messages go by WhatsApp, else SMS, else email, on every plan.
Standing approval for work found: ask each time, up to an amount, or fix everythingEvery plan
At check-in, ask the customer what to do when your technicians find more work. Ask each time, go ahead up to an amount, or fix everything. Work found then waits for them or is approved at once, and each line says how.
Want to see it on your own job cards? Book a demo and we walk you through it with your workshop's work.