Estimate, approval and work
Stage checks before in progress, ready and delivered
A job card moves on only when the work allows it. The car is checked in before work, work is approved before In Progress, tasks are done before Ready, and the invoice is confirmed before Delivered. When there is a good reason, a workshop manager moves it anyway and writes why.
PlansEvery plan
The problem it solves
- A car is handed back with an unconfirmed invoice, or no invoice at all.
- A job card is marked Ready while a task is still open or the customer's own part has not arrived.
- Work starts on a car nobody checked in, so there is no reading or signature to fall back on.
- When a rule is bent, nobody knows who allowed it or why.
How it works
- 01
Move a job card by clicking a stage in the bar, by dragging its card on the board, or with Move in the app.
- 02
The checks for that stage run. If all pass, the job card moves and the step is noted.
- 03
If something is missing, the job card stays and the message lists it, one reason per line. For example: "Some tasks are not done." or "Invoice the approved work first."
- 04
Fix what is missing, or ask a workshop manager. The manager clicks Move Anyway, chooses the stage and writes the reason.
- 05
The job card moves, and the note names the manager, the reason and every check that was skipped.
Everything it does
Checks into the shop stages
- Checked In, Inspection, Waiting for Approval, Waiting for Parts, In Progress, Quality Check, Ready, Delivered: the vehicle is checked in. Otherwise: "Check the vehicle in first (Check In)."
- A delivered job card does not go back ("Open a rework job card if the vehicle came back."); a cancelled one stays cancelled
Before In Progress, Quality Check, Ready and Delivered
- At least one line approved by the customer ("The customer has not approved any work yet.")
- With a fleet account (Scale): the fleet's credit limit and purchase order number are checked before In Progress
Before Ready and Delivered
- All approved work done ("Some approved work is not done.") and every task done or cancelled ("Some tasks are not done.")
- Parts the customer brings have arrived ("Waiting for the customer's parts: ...")
- With Growth and Parts Issued Before Ready on: approved parts issued
Before Delivered
- Approved work invoiced, unless a fleet is billed monthly ("Invoice the approved work first.")
- Invoices confirmed ("Confirm the invoice."), and paid when the branch delivers only when paid
- The delivery recorded with its reading, photos and signature
- The vehicle is back from any trip ("The vehicle is out (Vehicle Back first).")
- On a rework: the root cause is filled in
Before Cancelled
- The vehicle is back from any trip
- With Growth: no deposit still holds money ("Pay back the deposits first")
- Advisors cancel from the Cancel button while the job card has no invoice
Move Anyway
- Workshop managers only; the button is on every job card
- Choose Move To and write the reason; both are required
- The note on the job card names who moved it, why, and the checks that were skipped
Who uses it
Where you use it
- Web: the stage bar of the job card, dragging on the board, Move Anyway on the job card
- The SmartMy Garage app: Move lists the next stages and what stops each, one reason per line. Managers tap Anyway and say why. Built and in testing, not in the app stores yet.
- Not without signal: stage moves need signal in the app
What you control
Settings
- Deliver Only When Paid: off to start with (a confirmed invoice is enough)
- Parts Issued Before Ready (Growth): off to start with
- Stages and their kinds: the checks follow the kind, not the name
Approvals
- No approval chain: Move Anyway is a workshop manager's own decision, with the reason kept on the job card
Messages and alerts
- Moving into Checked In, Waiting for Approval, Ready or Delivered sends the customer the matching message when the branch has it on. The messages are Vehicle Checked In, Estimate Ready, Ready for Pickup and Vehicle Delivered
FAQ
Questions, answered.
Can we hand over a car before the customer pays?
Yes, unless you switch on Deliver Only When Paid. Then delivery needs the invoices paid; a workshop manager can still move it anyway with a reason.
Who can override a check?
Only a workshop manager, with Move Anyway and a written reason. The note keeps the manager's name and the checks that were skipped.
Can we add our own checks?
You choose the stages and the settings above. A new kind of check is built by us; tell us what you need.
Does dragging on the board skip the checks?
No. Dragging, the stage bar and the app all run the same checks.
Which plan has it?
Every plan, from Starter.
Related
Related features.
Job cards per visit: service, repair, body and paint, detailing, inspectionEvery plan
Each visit gets one job card with the vehicle, the customer and the kind of work. It also holds the service advisor, the lead technician, the bay and the promised time. Check-in, estimate, tasks, holds, invoice and delivery all hang off it, and every step is noted on it.
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.
Tasks per mechanic with Start, Pause and Done timersEvery plan
Each approved service becomes a task for a technician, planned from its standard hours. Technicians press Start, Pause and Done on the web or their phone, one timer at a time. You see each person's tasks, the workload and the hours worked against the hours planned.
Invoices from approved work, part invoices and deliver only when paidEvery plan
Bill exactly the work the customer approved, in one invoice or in parts, with the taxes already on each line. Invoiced lines are locked, and a branch can choose to hand cars back only once the bill is paid.
Delivery with reading, photos, belongings returned and signatureEvery plan
Hand every car back the same way. Take the odometer and fuel at the gate and the photos your branch asks for. Return the belongings noted at check-in, add remarks and take the customer's signature. It all stays on the job card.
Send back from quality check, and more work on the same job cardEvery plan
When quality check finds a fault, send the job card back with the task to redo and what is wrong. The task reopens for its technician and the send-back is counted. When more work comes up, it goes on the same job card and the car goes back to work.
Want to see it on your own job cards? Book a demo and we walk you through it with your workshop's work.