Auto Repair Shop Management Software

Who it's for

Independent workshops with 3-10 technicians The backbone of the Italian aftermarket. They manage 15-30 vehicles per day with inadequate IT tools, unable to monitor each technician's workload or control the real cost of each job. The software brings operational order, margin visibility per job, and professionalism to the customer relationship.

Multi-brand workshops with insurance agreements Those working as bodyshops or workshops under agreement with major insurers must follow precise rate schedules, report work with specific tariff codes, and submit repair dossiers in the formats required by the insurer. The system automatically applies per-insurer rate schedules, produces required documentation, and tracks processing times for contracted KPI compliance.

Authorised dealerships and brand workshops Franchise workshop operators are required to use the manufacturer's DMS for warranty access. Graffico software sits alongside the brand DMS as a local management system, filling the gaps — technician scheduling, multi-brand parts inventory, multi-brand customer history — that official DMSs don't cover.

Specialist workshops (motorcycles, commercial vehicles, agricultural machinery) Workshops that repair motorcycles, trucks, buses, or tractors have specific needs: completely different parts catalogs, different job time coefficients, different roadworthiness regulations. The system is configured for the specific segment, not adapted from a generic template.

MOT centres Centres that perform mandatory periodic inspections have precise registration needs: inspection report, outcome, any prescriptions. The software manages the entire flow from booking to report issuance, with the MOT calendar integrated into the workshop's general diary.

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Problems it solves

Slow quotes that lose jobs A quote issued 24 hours after initial contact has a 60% lower probability of being accepted than one issued within 2 hours. With a system integrating parts catalogs, updated labour rate schedules, and vehicle history, the quote is composed in 90 seconds. The customer receives it via WhatsApp or email with a PDF and can approve it digitally without visiting the workshop.

Parts ordered without stock visibility Every year, Italian workshops immobilize an average of 12-18% of turnover in non-moving warehouse stock. The system maintains real-time inventory, suggests an order only if the part is not already available, compares prices between integrated suppliers, and consolidates orders to minimize shipping costs.

No vehicle history The customer brings in his wife's car: the technician doesn't know what was done last time, starts from scratch, risks omitting an already-performed check or suggesting an already-completed operation. The system links every job to the number plate, builds a complete history, and makes it available to the service advisor in 3 seconds.

Unoptimized technician scheduling Without a visual scheduling system, technicians work reactively. There is no visibility on how many work hours are queued for today, who is underloaded, and who is over capacity. The result is missed delivery promises and waiting technicians. The scheduling module visualizes each technician's workload by hour, allows drag & drop job reordering, and automatically calculates the promised delivery time.

Manual billing with errors and delays Electronic invoicing is mandatory in Italy. Many workshops still produce the document in the management system, export it, import it into invoicing software, and transmit it manually to the tax authority exchange. The system integrates native electronic invoicing, automatically transmits to the relevant system, and receives outcome notifications without manual steps.

Customers who don't return due to lack of follow-up 45% of customers who don't return to a workshop say they would have appreciated a service or MOT reminder. The system automatically sends personalised emails and WhatsApp messages based on the vehicle's maintenance schedule, mandatory inspection deadlines, and active manufacturer recalls.

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Key features

Digital vehicle check-in Tablet app for the service advisor: vehicle photographs with pre-existing damage annotations, digital customer signature for work authorisation, standardised check-in list. Everything archived in the job order without paper.

Fast quoting with integrated catalogs Direct access to Tecdoc and Partslink24 catalogs and OEM manufacturer catalogs. Select the vehicle by registration, the system proposes equivalent parts with warehouse and supplier prices, updated standard labour times, and the quote total.

Job order management From quote confirmation to archiving: the job order tracks every phase with automatic timestamps. The technician updates status from the mobile app without leaving the bay.

Technician scheduling and workshop capacity Kanban and Gantt views of workload per technician, per bay, and per shift. Drag & drop to reorganize, with automatic recalculation of delivery times. Visual alert when daily capacity is exhausted.

Parts inventory management Real-time stock levels with LIFO/FIFO valuation, automatic reorder thresholds, movement history per part. Support for OEM codes, aftermarket codes, and reconditioned used parts.

Supplier integration and automatic orders Connection with major Italian distributors for real-time availability and price checks, and direct order placement without leaving the management system.

Native electronic invoicing Automatic generation and transmission of electronic invoices, management of outcome notifications, automatic reconciliation with payments received. No third-party software needed.

Customer CRM and vehicle history Customer profile with all managed vehicles, complete job history by registration, customer lifetime value, communication preferences. Segmentation for targeted promotional campaigns.

Automatic reminders and recalls Marketing automation engine that sends service reminders, mandatory inspection alerts, and active safety recalls. Configurable by channel (SMS, email, WhatsApp Business) and frequency.

Insurance agreement management Insurer-specific rate schedules, tariff codes by job type, automatic generation of the claim dossier in the format required by the contracted insurer.

Mobile app for technicians Technicians receive assigned jobs on the tablet, update status, record materials used, and digitally sign completed operations. Push notifications for urgent new jobs.

Workshop reports and KPIs Dashboard with: revenue per technician, hours sold vs hours present, average job order value, quote acceptance rate, inventory turnover. Exportable reports for management.

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Typical workflow

Morning: vehicle check-in A customer arrives without an appointment with a brake problem. The service advisor enters the registration: the system immediately retrieves the exact model, the history of the last 10 jobs, and any upcoming MOT. In 3 minutes there is a quote with warehouse parts and standard times, sent via WhatsApp. The customer approves digitally while still in the workshop.

Job assignment to technicians The service advisor opens the scheduling view: sees that Mario has 2 free hours in the afternoon, that Luca is already at capacity. Assigns the job to Mario via drag & drop. The system automatically calculates the delivery time: 4:30 pm. The customer receives a confirmation SMS.

Technician in the bay Mario receives the notification on his tablet. Opens the job order, sees the check-in photos, specific instructions, and parts already pulled from the warehouse. Starts work. Finds an additional issue: requests additional authorisation via app. The service advisor receives the request, calls the customer, updates the job order. All tracked.

Parts out of stock A part is not available. The system automatically checks availability from 3 integrated suppliers, showing prices and delivery times. The service advisor chooses and places the order with one click. It will arrive tomorrow morning.

End of day: invoicing Completed jobs are already in the billing queue. The system has already matched parts used, hours recorded, and any insurance excess. Three clicks: generates the electronic invoice, transmits it, updates the customer with a ready-for-collection message.

Automatic follow-up Three months later, the system automatically sends a WhatsApp: "Good morning, your Volkswagen Golf registration AB123CD is due for a service in 2,000 km. Would you like to book an appointment?" The link goes directly to the workshop's online calendar.

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Integrations

Tecdoc and Partslink24 parts catalog Direct access to the universal catalog with 5+ million references, vehicle identification by registration, OEM-to-aftermarket equivalences with prices updated from integrated suppliers.

Parts distributors Real-time availability and price checks, direct order placement without leaving the management system, order status tracking with arrival notifications.

Electronic invoicing exchange system Direct transmission with automatic management of outcome notifications, digital preservation of issued and received invoices.

WhatsApp Business API Sending quotes, ready-for-collection notifications, service reminders, and recalls directly to the customer's WhatsApp, with read tracking.

Manufacturer DMS (Kerridge, Incadea, CDK) For authorised workshops, bidirectional synchronisation with the brand DMS for warranties, campaigns, and official vehicle history.

Safety recall database Integration with the safety recall database to automatically check whether a vehicle being checked in has active recalls.

Accounting software (Zucchetti, TeamSystem, SAP) Automatic export of accounting records, issued invoices, and inventory movements to the company accounting software.

iOS/Android mobile app for technicians Dedicated app for technicians with job reception, status updates, additional authorisation requests, and digital signature of completed operations.

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Custom software vs off-the-shelf

Anglo-Saxon DMS software is designed for markets where electronic invoicing is not mandatory, parts catalogs have different structures, and insurance portals have standardised APIs. Adapting them to the Italian context requires costly customisations that are often never complete.

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Timeline, budget and process

Phase 1 — Analysis and process mapping (weeks 1-2) Workshop visit, current workflow mapping, interviews with service advisors, technicians, and administrative staff. Analysis of parts suppliers and active insurance agreements. Deliverable: functional specifications and interface mockups.

Phase 2 — Core development (weeks 3-9) Development of essential modules: vehicle and customer registry, quoting, job orders, scheduling, basic inventory, electronic invoicing. Demo on test server with real workshop data.

Phase 3 — Integrations (weeks 10-14) Tecdoc catalog connection, distributor integration, WhatsApp Business, recall database, accounting export. 2-week parallel run with the current system.

Phase 4 — Data migration and training (weeks 15-17) Migration of customer and vehicle history, training for service advisors, technicians, and administrative staff, assisted go-live.

Indicative range: For a workshop with 5-10 technicians, Tecdoc integration + 2 distributors, electronic invoicing, and CRM with WhatsApp, the indicative budget falls between €12,000 and €28,000. Workshops with multiple insurance agreements or multiple sites fall in higher ranges.

Maintenance: Annual contract with regulatory updates, parts catalog updates, and dedicated technical support. Typical cost: 15-18% of development value per year.