Across SmartMy Garage
Staff chat
Advisors, technicians and managers message each other inside SmartMy Garage, one to one or in groups, with files. The conversation stays with the business instead of on personal phones, and customers are never part of it.
PlansEvery plan
The problem it solves
- The workshop runs on personal WhatsApp groups that leave with the employee.
- Photos of a part or a note about a car are lost in a group with fifty other messages.
- Branches cannot reach each other without sharing private numbers.
How it works
- 01
Click Chat in the main menu of the back office. It opens under the usual menu bar.
- 02
The list shows every conversation you are in, newest first, with the last message and the number unread.
- 03
To message a colleague, click New > Message someone and choose them. An existing chat with them opens again.
- 04
To make a group, click New > New group, name it (for example Body shop, Chickpet) and tick the colleagues.
- 05
Write at the bottom; the paperclip adds files. Enter sends, Shift + Enter starts a new line.
Everything it does
Who you can message
- Colleagues with a staff login who share at least one of your branches
- Groups you make, and the channels of your organisation you are a member of
- Customers are not in staff chat
The conversation
- Day labels, the time of each message, other people's name on their messages
- Ticks on your messages: one sent, two seen by everyone
- Up to 4,000 characters a message, with files
- Group names up to 60 characters
- Search inside a conversation; mute it, or leave a group
What it does not do
- No voice or video calls, and no voice notes
- No phone notification for staff chat; unread counts show in the list
- Not in the SmartMy Garage app; the address /chat opens the same screen in a phone's browser
- Not linked to a job card: notes about a car still go on the job card
Who uses it
Where you use it
- Web: Chat in the main menu of the back office
- A phone's browser: the address /chat
- Not in the SmartMy Garage app
- Not for customers
What you control
Settings
- Your branches (Allowed Entities) decide who you can message
FAQ
Questions, answered.
Can customers see our chats?
No. Staff chat is for staff logins only. Customers get messages about their car and the job page.
Can I chat with staff of another branch?
Yes, if you share at least one branch under Allowed Entities, or are in the same group.
Is it in the staff app?
Not yet. Use Chat on the web, or open /chat in the phone's browser.
Will I get a phone notification?
No. Unread messages show as a count when you open Chat.
Related
Related features.
The staff app for phones and tabletsEvery plan
The SmartMy Garage app puts the job card in your team's hands at the car. Check in with the camera, mark damage on a car outline, scan the VIN, run tasks with timers, invoice and deliver. It runs on Android and iPhone, phones and tablets.
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.
Several branches (entities) in one accountEvery plan
Run every workshop of your business in one SmartMy Garage account. Each branch is an Entity with its own numbering, settings, stock and books. Staff work only in their branches, and the owner sees them together.
Approval chainsFrom Growth
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.
Want to see it on your own job cards? Book a demo and we walk you through it with your workshop's work.