Readings and vehicle movements
Alerts when a test drive goes too far, fuel drops or the car is late back
Your advisor and workshop managers are told at once about a test drive over its limit. They also hear about a fuel or battery drop beyond what you allow, or a car late back. A test drive without the customer's consent is stopped before it starts.
PlansEvery plan
The problem it solves
- A "quick road test" turns into 40 km and nobody notices until the customer does.
- A car sent out for a drop is still out two hours later and the advisor is busy at the desk.
- Fuel disappears from customers' cars a little at a time.
- The manager hears about a problem trip days later, from a complaint.
How it works
- 01
Set the limits once in Garage > Configuration > General > Settings > Test Drives and Alerts. They are the test drive limit, the fuel and battery drop, and the minutes late before a car is overdue.
- 02
At check-in the customer's test drive limit is set for the job card; at Vehicle Out it can be checked for the trip.
- 03
When the car comes back, the system compares the readings: distance against the limit, fuel and battery used against the branch's drop.
- 04
Every 15 minutes it looks for cars out past their expected time plus the grace minutes.
- 05
The alert is marked on the movement and the job card, and the board shows Alert. The advisor gets a to-do, and the advisor and workshop managers get the Vehicle Movement Alert.
Everything it does
The alerts
- Over the Limit: a test drive whose distance is more than its limit ("Driven 23 km, over the limit of 10 km")
- Fuel / Battery Drop: fuel used of at least the branch's eighths, or battery used of at least its percent
- Overdue: not back by the expected time plus the grace minutes ("Not back yet: expected at 14:30")
Consent
- With consent required (the default), a test drive on a job card without the customer's consent is refused
- A workshop manager may allow it by writing No Consent: Why; their name and reason are noted on the job card
- The reason stays on the movement
Where alerts show
- The movement (Over the Limit, Fuel / Battery Drop, Overdue)
- The job card: a red line at the top and the Alerts filter
- The board: the Alert label; the app: the Alert label
- A note on the job card and a to-do for its advisor
Who uses it
Where you use it
- Web: the job card, the board, Garage > Workshop > Jobs > Vehicles Out, Garage > Reports > Jobs and Parts > Vehicle Movements
- The SmartMy Garage app: the phone notification and the Inbox, and the Alert label on the board. Built and in testing, not in the app stores yet.
- Email: the same alert, for those who keep email on
- Not to the customer: alerts go to your staff only
What you control
Settings
- Test Drive Limit: 10 km or miles
- Test Drives Need the Customer's Consent: on
- Fuel Drop Alert: 2 eighths of a tank (0 switches it off)
- Battery Drop Alert: 15% (0 switches it off)
- Overdue Alert After: 15 minutes late
Messages and alerts
- Vehicle Movement Alert: to the job card's advisor and the workshop managers of the branch, sent at once. Phone notification first, also in the app and by email; each person can switch off a channel, not the alert
- The branch can switch the alert off or change its channels in Garage Messages
FAQ
Questions, answered.
Can we change the limits per car?
The test drive limit is set per job card at check-in and can be checked at Vehicle Out. The fuel, battery and overdue limits are per branch.
Who gets the alert?
The advisor of the job card and the workshop managers of the branch, on their phones, in the app and by email.
Does the customer get told?
No. Alerts are for your staff. The customer sees the readings and km driven on their job page.
Can a manager switch the alerts off?
Each person can switch off email or phone notifications for themselves; the alert still arrives in the app. The branch can switch the message off in Garage Messages, and setting a drop to 0 stops that alert.
Related
Related features.
Vehicle out and back: test drives, outside work, pickup and dropEvery plan
Every time a customer's car leaves your premises, it goes out with a reading and photos and comes back with another. That covers test drives, outside work, pickups and drops. You see who took it, how far it went and how much fuel it used, and you are told when something is off.
Readings that cannot be edited, and the car's timeline of km and fuelEvery plan
At check-in, vehicle out, vehicle back and delivery, the odometer, fuel or battery level and a dashboard photo are recorded with who and when. Once saved, nobody on your staff can change them. A lower odometer needs a note and is flagged, and the job card adds up the km driven while the car was with you.
Job card board by stage, with list and calendarEvery plan
See every car in the shop on one board, a column per stage. Each card shows the plate, the customer, the promised time and labels for approval, alerts, holds, vehicles out and reworks. Switch to a list, a calendar, a pivot or a chart.
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.
Check-in with odometer, fuel or battery, photos, belongings, consent and signatureEvery plan
Record how each car arrived before anyone touches it. Take the odometer, the fuel or battery level, a dashboard photo and the walk-around photos your branch asks for. Note what was left inside, test drive consent and what to do about work found, and get the customer's signature.
Want to see it on your own job cards? Book a demo and we walk you through it with your workshop's work.