Readings and vehicle movements
Vehicle out and back: test drives, outside work, pickup and drop
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.
PlansEvery plan
Why it matters
Most damage and most complaints happen when the car is outside your gate. Think of a long test drive, a detour to the painter, a driver who keeps it overnight. Garages often learn a car went out only when the customer asks why the fuel is lower. In SmartMy Garage a car leaves on the record only with a reading and the photos your branch asks for. The name of who took it is kept too. It cannot be delivered while it is still out. When it comes back, the distance and fuel used are worked out for you. The advisor and the workshop managers are told at once about three things. These are a test drive over the limit, a fuel or battery drop, or a late car. A test drive without the customer's consent needs a workshop manager and a written reason.
The problem it solves
- A technician takes a customer's car home over lunch and nobody knows until the customer reads the odometer.
- A car sent to the painter comes back with a new scratch, and there is no photo of how it left.
- Test drives happen on cars whose owners said no.
- The advisor promises delivery while the car is still at the outside shop.
How it works
- 01
On a job card that is checked in, click Vehicle Out. Choose Going Out For: Test Drive, Outside Work, Pickup, Drop, or Transfer to Another Branch.
- 02
Write the purpose and check Taken By, or choose the Outside Party for outside work. Set Expected Back (30 minutes from now to start with) and, for a test drive, the limit.
- 03
Take the reading and the photos the branch asks for, and confirm. The board shows Vehicle out.
- 04
If the customer did not allow test drives, the drive is refused. A workshop manager can allow it by writing the reason in No Consent: Why. The reason and their name are noted on the job card.
- 05
When the car is back, click Vehicle Back and take the reading and photos again, with notes about the trip.
- 06
The movement shows the distance, fuel used and battery used. Alerts are raised for a trip over the limit, a fuel or battery drop, or a car not back in time.
Everything it does
Kinds of movement
- Test Drive, with a limit in km or miles
- Outside Work, with the outside party: a body shop, glass or upholstery shop, or a driver
- Pickup and Drop
- Transfer to Another Branch (Enterprise): opens a job card at the other branch
Each movement records
- Kind, purpose, taken by, outside party, expected back
- Out reading and Back reading, each with time, who, odometer, fuel or battery and dashboard photo
- Photos both ways, by the branch's photo set for vehicle out and back
- Distance, Fuel Used (eighths) and Battery Used (%)
- Alerts: Over the Limit, Fuel / Battery Drop, Overdue; and No Consent: Why when a manager allowed a drive
- Notes about the trip
Rules
- Only for a job card whose vehicle is in the shop (checked in, not delivered)
- One movement at a time: a car that is out must come back before it goes out again
- A job card whose car is out cannot be delivered or cancelled ("Vehicle Back first")
- Test drives need the customer's consent from check-in, when the branch asks for it (it does to start with)
- Saved readings and photos cannot be edited
Where you see them
- Garage > Workshop > Jobs > Vehicles Out: every car out now
- The job card's Movements tab: every trip and every reading, and Driven While With Us
- Garage > Reports > Jobs and Parts > Vehicle Movements: list, pivot and chart by kind, taken by, outside party and date
- Board and job card labels Vehicle out and Alert; with Growth, the floor TV board shows the car is out
Who uses it
Where you use it
- Web: Vehicle Out and Vehicle Back on the job card; Garage > Workshop > Jobs > Vehicles Out; Garage > Reports > Jobs and Parts > Vehicle Movements
- The SmartMy Garage app: Vehicle out and Vehicle back with camera, the outside party picker and New outside party for advisors. Kept on the phone without signal and sent later. Built and in testing, not in the app stores yet.
- Customer page: readings and km driven while with us
- Not GPS tracking: the distance comes from the readings out and back
What you control
Settings
- Photos When the Vehicle Goes Out / Comes Back: Quick Set to start with
- Test Drive Limit: 10 km or miles (also per job card at check-in)
- Test Drives Need the Customer's Consent: on
- Fuel Drop Alert: 2 eighths of a tank; Battery Drop Alert: 15%
- Overdue Alert After: 15 minutes late
Approvals
- No approval chain: a test drive without consent is allowed by a workshop manager on the spot, with the reason kept on the job card
Messages and alerts
- Vehicle Movement Alert: to the job card's advisor and the branch's workshop managers, at once. It goes by phone notification, in the app and by email; each person can switch off a channel, not the alert
- The alert is also a note and a to-do for the advisor on the job card
FAQ
Questions, answered.
Do we need a GPS tracker?
No. The distance and fuel come from the readings taken out and back, with dashboard photos. Nothing is fitted to the car.
What if the customer did not tick test drives at check-in?
The drive is refused. Ask the customer and update the job card. Or a workshop manager allows it with a written reason, kept on the job card.
Can two people have the same car out at once?
No. One movement at a time per job card; the car must come back before it goes out again.
Can we deliver a car that is still at the painter?
No. Delivery and cancelling are refused while a movement is out. Record Vehicle Back first.
Which plan has it?
Every plan, from Starter. Sending a car to another branch with its own job card comes with Enterprise.
Related
Related features.
Alerts when a test drive goes too far, fuel drops or the car is late backEvery plan
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Floor TV board for the workshopFrom Growth
Put the workshop on a TV, by stage or by bay. Each car shows its plate, model, technician and promised time, with late cars in red and holds marked. The screen opens by a private link with no login and refreshes by itself.
Want to see it on your own job cards? Book a demo and we walk you through it with your workshop's work.