Update: 10.81.31

We have made some additional refinements to the process for adding a vehicle to a new workorder.  Many people did not read our previous bulletins so they were becoming frustrated with the “additional work.”  Here are the steps.

Adding a returning vehicle
Once you select Add – Service, a box pops up.  It asks for the license, state, and VIN.  If this is a returning vehicle, ONLY put in the license.  The workorder will then start with the client and vehicle data entered.  If you do not know the license, but do know the client, put a ? in the license field and hit the accept button.  A popup will appear with a list of clients ( in last name or company order ) and their vehicles.  Start typing the name, find the vehicle record and highlight it, then accept ( or double click on it ).  The workorder will begin with the client and vehicle data.

Cash sale
Leave all 3 fields blank and the ticket will start as a cash sale.  You can assign a client, or vehicle, later if you wish

Adding a new vehicle
Enter the license and state.  The system will do a CARFAX retrieval of the vehicle data, then show you the vehicle data edit screen so you can add notes, car color, etc.  Or, you can enter the vin ( using a barcode reader if you wish ) to get the same result.  Hit the Save button, confirm the data, and hit Exit.  Do not worry about the account number.  It will be linked automatically.

You will be asked if this is an existing client.  If you say Yes, you will see a lookup list.  Find the client, double click on it, and your workorder will begin.  ALL LINKING WILL BE DONE AUTOMATICALLY.

If it is not a new client, you will see a client data screen popup.    Fill in the data, hit the Save button, confirm the accuracy, then Exit.

The workorder will now open with the client and vehicle data fully applied.

If you make a mistake

Enter the workorder, and on the first screen, select the Add/Edit Vehicle from the drop down menu next to the vehicle button.  Find the right vehicle and highlight it.  Then hit Exit.  You will be asked if you want to use that vehicle on this workorder.  Say Yes and you will have resolved your problem.

Why did we make the change ?

We have watched confusion ont he part of some clients, and evaluated the simplicity of the old method.  We felt we could use the time when adding the barcode input method to actually improve the process, make it simpler and faster, and save you some time.  Those using it as described above have shared we met that goal and then some. 

10.81.25–Addition to new Service start

We realized there was one issue with the new lookup system, so we’ve made an addition. 

Sometimes when a client comes to the counter, and you wish to start a workorder, they do not know their license.  In the newest update ( .25 ), simply put a ? in the license field.  Then a list of clients, and their vehicles, will pop up.  Start typing in the last name of the client, or the company name, and locate the proper vehicle.  Double click on it, and you will be asked if you are starting with an Estimate.  Then the workorder will open up with the vehicle and client fully assigned.

Also, as the previous bulletin noted, on returning vehicles, the ONLY thing you need to enter when the 3 item box pops up is the LICENSE.  Then hit Accept and automatically the invoice starts with client and vehicle fully applied.

The ONLY time you need to enter the state is if it is a new vehicle ( so put in License and State for CARFAX to find the VIN ), or scan in the VIN.  Then the system will decode the vehicle data and create a new record for it.  When asked about a client, if they are returning ( and in the system ), a Yes will display a popup box to locate the client, and double clicking on that will attach the client to the vehicle, all data will be saved, and the workorder created.  If you say NO ( indicating a new client ), you will be asked for the name, and a popup will appear that allows you to add the important data.  Saving this will add the client to the database, and vehicle, and start the workorder.

Following these steps will eliminate a lot of work, and handle your tasks more quickly.

Thanks for reading this bulletin.