Demo guide · CRM & customer operations
Build an Auto Repair CRM Workflow Around Approvals and Parts
Turn the auto-shop demo into a repair-order workflow: track the customer decision, parts status, and the next handoff without losing the job context.
An auto repair CRM workflow should make the next action on each repair order clear: get an approval, receive a part, continue the work, or prepare the customer handoff. The September 9 DevLaunch demo uses a Subaru Outback record to show how a CRM pipeline can follow shop work. Here is a practical exercise based on that demonstration and the current Gasket kit description.
1. Follow one repair order through the shop
Start with one fictional repair order in a test workspace. Give it a customer, vehicle reference, complaint, and recorded diagnosis. Keep the job recognizable when it moves between views. In the demo, clicking the vehicle and moving through the process provides that continuity.
Use the example to answer a simple question at every stage: what needs to happen next, and who needs enough information to do it? The stage name should help someone act without reconstructing the job from scattered notes.
2. Separate the stage from the reason work is waiting
A job can be waiting for a customer decision or waiting for a part. Those are different follow-ups. Record approval state on the relevant line item and record the part details separately. Moving a card alone cannot tell the next person which work was approved.
The table below is a suggested exercise, not a list of the kit’s exact pipeline presets:
| Example situation | Record to keep current | Next handoff |
|---|---|---|
| Diagnosis needs a customer decision | Line item, amount, and awaiting approval state | Office follows up and records the answer. |
| Customer approves only part of the estimate | Approved and declined states for each line item | Technician checks the authorized work. |
| Approved work needs a part | Vendor label, ordered date, and expected date | Staff check the actual delivery. |
| Part arrives | Received flag after a person checks the part | Shop reviews whether work can continue. |
| Vehicle is ready for pickup | Current repair-order stage and handoff notes | Office confirms the next customer action. |
3. Record approvals without implying they were collected automatically
The current Gasket kit has an approvals queue for recorded line items. Its controls record an answer the customer has already given. It does not send an approval link, collect a signature, or message the customer.
In the exercise, record one approved item and one declined item. Open the repair order again and confirm that another team member can distinguish them. Keep the actual customer decision in your established communication process and record the resulting state consistently.
4. Make parts status useful to the next person
Enter the vendor label and the dates your office records. When the part arrives, have a person check it and mark it received. The kit’s parts view reflects entered information; it does not query a supplier, place an order, or confirm inventory.
Try a fictional overdue part. Ask whether the person reviewing the queue can identify the affected repair order and the next follow-up. An expected date that has passed is a reason to investigate, not proof of what happened at the supplier.
5. Test the handoff with a second person
Have someone who did not enter the example open the job. Ask them which work is approved, which part is outstanding, and what must happen next. If they need a verbal explanation, improve the fields or notes before adding more stages.
Also try two open jobs with the same lift label. The current kit flags the recorded conflict for review; it does not reserve lifts or assign technicians. Decide who resolves that conflict in your shop.
6. Move from the sample to your connected workspace
The kit’s sample repair orders are fictional and stay in page memory, resetting on navigation or reload. Use them to explore the views. For connected creation and editing, follow the kit installation guide, including its required backend helper.
Once connected, repeat the exercise with a test record and reload the page to verify that the intended edits persist. Review the record before using customer data. Keep the workflow small enough that staff can maintain it during an ordinary workday.
Does this replace shop invoicing or parts ordering?
The current kit records repair orders, line items, parts, approvals, and lift labels. It does not provide invoicing, payments, tax calculation, vendor ordering, or technician scheduling. Use the guide to organize the repair workflow and keep those other processes connected through your established tools.