december2022 - 26

DIAGNOSTIC TECH
Using digital tools to reduce
the friction of running a shop
A shop management system is an eclectic mix of tools, processes,
and procedures used to help a service business realize success.
By Scott Brown, PTEN Technical Editor
A
Shop Management System is more than just a software
application used to manage your daily operations,
it's a system consisting of an eclectic mix of
tools, processes, and procedures used to help a service
business realize success.
Success for an automotive service dealer is not always
easy to achieve, but, with the right tools, equipment, drive,
and mindset, one can more easily manage challenges standing
in the way. In my opinion, success means more than just the
financial bottom line, as it resonates back to the core values
as to why we are in business.
We are an important factor in the transportation segment
where we help people maintain their mobility and independence.
And with the automobile being one of the most complex
devices a human will interact with during their lifetime, it is
our duty to always stay competently proficient and professional.
That means managing staff so that they are maintaining
the assets required to bring forward success. Managing
workflow indeed is extremely challenging, and there may be
several tangents encountered during a repair process.
For instance, a vehicle arrives with a complaint of X. The
vehicle is one that fits well with one of your technicians however
they may be away at training or may be off because of sick
leave or etc. Wouldn't it be great if you could leverage some
of the knowledge that your out of commission technician
has and have him or her share that knowledge with another
technician in the shop remotely?
We've had situations where some preliminary analysis
was performed on a vehicle before it even reached our facility.
Some of that research may include technical service bulletins,
industry knowledge, etc. When we find something relevant to
the vehicle in question, we can easily attach it to the invoice
(digital in this case) where it can be used as a reference for
any technicians interacting with this vehicle and complaint.
Now, keep in mind that these documents can also serve a
purpose later down the road. There may be conditions where
you're unable to duplicate a specific complaint on a vehicle
resulting in the shop placing the vehicle back into service.
If the vehicle returns a new work order can be generated
26 Professional Distributor I December 2022 I VehicleServicePros.com
Figure 1 - We use Shop-Ware work order communications for jobs.
with a link back to that original ticket containing all the
research assets that were used previously. This is a huge time
saver, especially if relevant diagnostic and research data was
attached. What I'm referring to here is things like a full vehicle
diagnostic scan, relevant wiring diagrams and other complimentary
items such as photos and or video.
We had a situation recently where we were tasked with
performing an analysis on a vehicle for another shop. The
vehicle arrived with documentation showing the issues they
faced and what had been performed thus far. This vehicle had
some strange issues that we were able to research and reach
a conclusion. The wide band fuel control vehicle was reporting
Lambda 1 where an independent measurement reported
http://www.VehicleServicePros.com

december2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of december2022

Editor's Note: The technician shortage is getting real
Sneak Peek
Most Wanted
Electric vehicles - coming to a shop near you
In Focus
Diagnostic Tech: Using digital tools to reduce the friction of running a shop
Show Me Your Truck: 'Look at that Bad Larry!'
Go Sell Something: Writing a sales pitch
Driving Sales
Tales From the Road: An entrepreneurial spirit
SEMA/AAPEX Wrap-up
Diagnosing Progress
Common diagnostics and trends in hybrid and electric vehicles
Diagnosing faults on modern vehicles
The real cause of P0420/P0430 DTCs
How diagnostic tools cut through the ADAS confusion
When the tools become the tutor
Diagnostic products
december2022 - 1
december2022 - 2
december2022 - 3
december2022 - Editor's Note: The technician shortage is getting real
december2022 - 5
december2022 - Sneak Peek
december2022 - 7
december2022 - 8
december2022 - 9
december2022 - 10
december2022 - 11
december2022 - Most Wanted
december2022 - 13
december2022 - Electric vehicles - coming to a shop near you
december2022 - 15
december2022 - 16
december2022 - 17
december2022 - 18
december2022 - 19
december2022 - 20
december2022 - 21
december2022 - In Focus
december2022 - 23
december2022 - 24
december2022 - 25
december2022 - Diagnostic Tech: Using digital tools to reduce the friction of running a shop
december2022 - 27
december2022 - 28
december2022 - 29
december2022 - Show Me Your Truck: 'Look at that Bad Larry!'
december2022 - 31
december2022 - Go Sell Something: Writing a sales pitch
december2022 - 33
december2022 - 34
december2022 - Driving Sales
december2022 - 36
december2022 - 37
december2022 - Tales From the Road: An entrepreneurial spirit
december2022 - 39
december2022 - SEMA/AAPEX Wrap-up
december2022 - 41
december2022 - 42
december2022 - 43
december2022 - 44
december2022 - A1
december2022 - A2
december2022 - A3
december2022 - Diagnosing Progress
december2022 - A5
december2022 - Common diagnostics and trends in hybrid and electric vehicles
december2022 - A7
december2022 - Diagnosing faults on modern vehicles
december2022 - A9
december2022 - The real cause of P0420/P0430 DTCs
december2022 - A11
december2022 - How diagnostic tools cut through the ADAS confusion
december2022 - A13
december2022 - A14
december2022 - A15
december2022 - When the tools become the tutor
december2022 - A17
december2022 - A18
december2022 - A19
december2022 - A20
december2022 - Diagnostic products
december2022 - A22
december2022 - A23
december2022 - A24
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