Custom workshop planning app development for garages
In many garages, the schedule lives on a planning board, and the work order sits on paper next to the car. Anything the mechanic finds on the way goes to the service adviser by note or phone call. Appfront builds an app for the workshop: mechanics see their orders, log their time, record additional work with a photo, and the planning board shows the current status straight away.
What is a workshop scheduling app for car dealerships?
A dealership plans its workshop on a planning board: which car, which mechanic, which time slot. That works in the office. In the workshop, the work order is often still a sheet of paper, and what happens during the job rarely makes it back. The workshop manager walks around to see how things are going.
Most of the money is in what the mechanic finds on the way: worn brake discs, a leaking shock absorber. That goes by note to the service adviser, who calls the customer and passes on the approval. Meanwhile the car stands still. And the time spent on an order is estimated afterwards rather than measured.
An app for the workshop takes that away. We build custom because car businesses differ: which dealer or workshop system, which brands, and how additional work is approved at your company. The planning board itself is covered on our workshop planning software page; this app is for the mechanic working on the car.
Orders for the mechanic
Work orders on a tablet or phone, not on paper.
Additional work with photo
Sent to the service adviser, with customer approval.
Planning board up to date
Status and time per order reported back immediately.
How we build your workshop scheduling app for car dealerships
We start in your workshop: how an order reaches the mechanic, how additional work is handled now, and which system you plan with. We often begin with orders and additional work, because that is where most of the time and revenue sits. Time per order and parts tracking follow once the first version runs well. That way you quickly see whether cars spend less time standing still. After that, we expand with what mechanics and service advisers ask for.
Orders, additional work and the planning board.
What the mechanic needs at the car.
With your dealer or workshop system.
Go-live, and expansion with what the workshop needs.
What a workshop scheduling app for car dealerships actually does
The features below come up in almost every workshop app. Which ones you need depends on your workshop.
Work orders
Per mechanic and per car.
Time
Time clocked per order.
Additional work
With photo and price.
Approval
Recorded from the customer.
Parts
Used and ordered.
Status
Back to the planning board.
Who we build a workshop scheduling app for car dealerships for
The app is meant for car dealerships with their own workshop. The more mechanics and orders per day, the more the app delivers.
Mechanics
Orders at the car. No paper matters most.
Service advisers
Additional work with photo. Quick approval is the core.
Workshop managers
How things stand. The planning board matters.
Multi-site dealers
One way of working. Overview matters.
Test your idea first: a working prototype in 1 day
With OneDayBuild, we turn your idea into something tangible in one day for €1,150, so you can see whether further development is worth the investment. Decide to go ahead with the full build? Then we credit the full cost.
Explore OneDayBuild →Technology and integrations
This page is about an app for the workshop. For the planning board in the office, see our page on workshop planning software; for the whole business, our page on garage business software; and for vehicle registration data, our page on the RDW integration. You can read about our approach under building an app.
Why Appfront for your workshop scheduling app for car dealerships?
A paper work order, and extra work that has to be taken to the office slip by slip, costs time and leaves cars standing idle. That is what we build around: orders on the mechanic's device, extra work with a photo and approval, and a planning board that always knows where things stand.
No paper
The order is in the app.
Faster approval
Extra work with a photo sent to the customer.
Real times
Measured, not estimated.
Security and privacy in a workshop planning app for car dealerships
The app holds data on customers, vehicles and work orders. Access is set by role, and a mechanic only sees the orders for the workshop.
The app also works without signal in the workshop and sends everything as soon as there is a connection. The data is stored in a European data centre, with encrypted storage and daily back-ups. We record the processing in a data processing agreement.
Frequently asked questions about a workshop planning app for car dealerships
Questions dealerships ask before getting started.
It brings the work orders from the planning board to the mechanic, on a tablet or phone. The mechanic logs their time, records extra work with a photo, and the status goes straight back to the planning board. The workshop manager can see which car is ready and where a job is stuck, without walking around.
The software is the planning board in the office: which car, which mechanic, which time. This app is for the mechanic at the car: the order, the extra work and the time.
The mechanic takes a photo and describes the extra work, the service advisor adds a price, and the customer approves it by message. The approval is then recorded against the order. The customer sees the photo and why the work is needed, which makes the decision easier.
Yes, provided that system has an interface. Orders come out of it, and time, additional work and parts go back in. We look at which route is available in the first step.
Yes. Signal in a workshop is not always reliable. The app keeps working and sends everything as soon as there is a connection.
Yes, if you want that. The mechanic can see what is in stock and request what is missing, and the order shows which parts have been used.
Check this first. Some dealer systems have a mechanics' app, and that may be enough. Custom development makes sense if that app does not fit how your workshop works, or if extra work with approval is missing.
Work orders with the mechanic, not on paper?
Tell us how your workshop is organised, how extra work is handled now and which system you plan with. We will show you what the app looks like.