Who it is for
Configured around how you work
The same platform can support a workshop counter, a mobile engineer, a tuning business or a DPF operation because the availability, service and payment rules are configured around how that business works.
Four businesses, side by side
The difference is not the logo above the door. It is the scarce resource each business has to protect and the decision that must happen before work begins.
| Business | How the day operates | Scarce resource | Best-fit configuration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Garage or MOT centre | A front desk feeds a multi-discipline workshop | Eligible technicians and productive bay time | Staff plus online booking, service eligibility and least-busy or round-robin allocation |
| Mobile mechanic | The engineer is also the receptionist and driver | Workable travel time between customers | Self-booking, coverage rules, travel feasibility and payment before setting off |
| Tuning specialist | A technical request is assessed before a slot is promised | Vehicle suitability, specialist time and equipment | Provisional acceptance, vehicle context and separate service or equipment calendars |
| DPF cleaning hub | Morning drop-offs feed a machine-led queue | Daily cleaning and testing throughput | Drop-off limits, component services, collection messages and balance links |
Garages and MOT centres
A front-of-house team feeds several bays, but MOTs, servicing, diagnostics and specialist work cannot simply go to the next free person. The real job is matching each booking to someone qualified to do it while keeping the workshop productive.
- The front desk and website share one diary
- Staff can add calls, walk-ins and counter bookings while customers book online. Drop-offs and requests that need checking can join the same operational view.
- The right technician matters more than an empty slot
- Define which services each technician can perform, then use round robin, least busy or priority allocation to spread eligible work without losing deliberate control.
- Payment follows the customer handover
- Take a deposit online, collect the balance by payment link or supported card reader, or record cash and other supported manual payments against the booking.
- The website is another front door
- Present the workshop’s service range online and let customers move from finding the right service to booking it without waiting for reception to answer.
Mobile mechanics
For a sole trader or small mobile team, the engineer is also the receptionist, driver and technician. The booking system has to win work while they are on the road and avoid turning an apparently free hour into an impossible journey.
- Self-service replaces the missed call
- Customers can choose a service and request or book online while the engineer is driving, underneath a vehicle or with another customer.
- Travel time is part of the job
- Coverage and travel-aware feasibility help test whether the customer’s address works around the jobs already in the diary, rather than treating every gap as usable capacity.
- Commitment comes before the journey
- A business can require full payment or a deposit at checkout, then use a payment link or QR code for any remaining balance at the roadside.
- One person does not need a dispatch department
- A sole operator can run one practical diary without artificial allocation rules. If the team grows, services can be restricted to eligible engineers and distributed using the chosen allocation method.
Tuning specialists
A tuning enquiry is often a technical decision before it is an appointment. The vehicle may be suitable for an OBD flash, require ECU removal and bench work, need specialist equipment, or not be a job the business should accept at all.
- Request first, promise the slot second
- Provisional booking lets the customer submit the vehicle and job details without creating an unconditional appointment. The business reviews the request, then accepts or declines it.
- Vehicle context supports the decision
- Registration and MOT information sits alongside the details supplied by the customer, giving the specialist more context before committing technician or equipment time.
- OBD, bench and rolling-road work are different products
- Separate services, durations, eligible staff and dedicated calendars can represent the route the job is likely to take instead of forcing every enquiry through one generic slot.
- Payment terms follow the technical decision
- The accepted job can proceed with the configured deposit, full-payment or no-online-payment rule, including a payment request sent after review where appropriate.
DPF cleaning hubs
A component-cleaning hub can operate more like a production queue than a conventional workshop diary. Filters arrive during a drop-off window, move through a machine-led process and leave when testing and cleaning are complete.
- The drop-off is booked, not a technician appointment
- Trade customers and motorists can book component-only work into a shared drop-off time or the next available slot, with a daily limit set around the number of filters the operation can process.
- The machine sets the day’s capacity
- Where the cleaning machine is the constraint, the service can be configured around throughput and drop-off limits instead of distributing every job across technicians. Vehicle diagnosis and remove-and-refit work can remain separate services.
- Collection starts when the work is ready
- Once complete, an enabled ready-for-collection message tells the customer the component can be collected, without staff working through a call list.
- Payment can be cleared before release
- Send the outstanding balance by payment link and apply the business’s paid-before-collection policy, keeping the job, payment status and collection conversation together.
SERMI-approved garages
Garages and auto-locksmiths approved under SERMI can add structured, tamper-evident records of key and immobiliser work to the same bookings, payments and invoices, where that paid capability is enabled.
SERMI records