Service advisors manually tracking job status across the shop floor because your current system cannot tell them which bay a vehicle is in or whether the parts have arrived?
Technicians waiting on parts with no visibility into supplier orders because parts management and job cards live in different places?
Auto Repair Shop Management Software Development
Custom shop management software for independent auto repair shops, tyre centres, and repair chains who need repair order tracking, technician scheduling, and parts management built around the way their workshop runs.
Off-the-shelf platforms cover standard job card workflows. We build the full system -- repair orders linked to vehicle history by VIN, parts ordering consolidated across suppliers, bay scheduling by technician skill, and invoicing that closes directly from the completed job card.
Digital repair orders linked to vehicle history by VIN
Technician scheduling by bay, skill, and availability
Parts inventory with reorder alerts and supplier order tracking
Invoicing with parts and labour billing closed from the job card
Auto repair shop management software connects the service desk to the workshop floor -- managing repair orders, technician bay assignment, parts inventory, customer vehicle history, and invoicing in one system. It tracks each vehicle through intake, inspection, approval, repair, and handover, giving service advisors and technicians a shared view of job status and parts availability. RaftLabs builds custom shop management software for independent shops and multi-location repair groups.
100+Products shipped
·24+Industries served
·FixedCost delivery
·12-14Week delivery cycles
Shop management software built around how a workshop actually operates
Auto repair shops run a multi-stage workflow where information about each vehicle needs to follow it accurately from intake through to handover. When job cards are paper-based, parts are ordered by phone, and technician updates travel by word of mouth, service advisors spend most of their day chasing status rather than managing customers.
Parts compound the problem. A job stalls the moment a required part is on backorder and nobody has told the service desk. Without a system that links the parts order to the repair order and surfaces arrival status in real time, technicians wait and bays sit idle.
We build shop management software that connects intake, the workshop floor, parts management, and invoicing in one system -- so the service desk always knows where every job stands.
What we build
Job card and repair order management
Digital job cards created at vehicle intake and linked to the customer record and vehicle VIN. Job status tracked through each workshop stage -- received, in inspection, estimate sent, awaiting approval, parts ordered, in repair, quality check, ready for collection. Service advisor dashboard showing all open repair orders with current status and time in each stage. Technician comments and diagnostic notes captured against the repair order so the service desk has full context without walking the floor. Mobile-friendly technician view so workshop staff can update job status without a desktop. Integration with invoicing so billing pulls directly from completed job card data without re-entry.
Technician scheduling and job assignment
Bay-level scheduling with a visual workshop calendar showing each bay, assigned technician, and estimated job duration. Service desk can see bay and technician availability before confirming a booking date. Job assignment based on technician skill and certification -- specialist jobs routed to qualified technicians. Skill and certification records stored per technician with expiry alerts for qualifications that need renewal. Technician time tracking per job with target versus actual duration visible to operations managers. Workshop throughput reporting showing jobs completed per day, average repair duration, bay utilisation, and technician productivity.
Parts inventory management
Stock level management for fast-moving parts with configurable reorder point alerts before stock runs out. Parts request raised from the repair order so the link between part and job is never broken. Supplier ordering raised from the same interface -- no separate purchasing login. Parts arrival tracking linked back to the repair order so the service advisor sees when all parts for a job are in. Backorder tracking with expected arrival dates updated against the job record. Supplier comparison for parts available from multiple suppliers. Parts cost captured against the repair order automatically so job profitability is calculated without manual entry.
Customer vehicle history
Full service history stored against each vehicle by VIN -- every job card, inspection report, parts fitted, mileage at visit, warranty details, and technician notes from every visit. Service due reminders triggered by mileage interval or time since last service, sent automatically to the customer. Warranty tracking for parts and repairs with expiry dates flagged when the vehicle returns for related work. Recall flag at vehicle intake when a VIN is subject to a known manufacturer recall. Vehicle condition timeline showing how the car has changed between visits -- useful for the service advisor when discussing recommended work. History accessible to any technician when a new job is opened so repeat faults and outstanding recommendations are visible before inspection starts.
Customer communication
Automated SMS and email updates triggered by job status changes -- vehicle received, inspection complete, estimate ready for approval, parts ordered, repair complete, ready for collection. Estimate and inspection report sent with an approval link so the customer approves or declines without calling the shop. Two-way SMS for customers who reply with questions or approval decisions. Customer approval and communication history stored against the job record. Configurable triggers so the business controls which status changes send automatic messages. No customer needs to call the shop to find out what is happening with their vehicle.
Invoicing and payment collection
Invoice generated directly from the completed repair order with parts and labour lines populated from the job card -- no re-entry. Parts cost and retail markup applied based on your pricing rules. Labour rate applied by job type or technician grade. Tax calculation and invoice formatting to your required layout. Payment collection via card terminal integration or payment link sent by SMS. Job profitability reporting showing parts margin and labour recovery per repair order. Fleet account billing for commercial customers with consolidated invoices across multiple vehicles at the agreed billing interval.
Frequently asked questions
Garage Hive, Workshop Ninja, and similar platforms handle standard repair order workflows well for most independent shops. Custom software makes sense when your workshop has operational steps those platforms don't support -- a multi-brand repair group needing consolidated reporting across locations with different billing structures; a tyre centre with a high-volume inspection and fitment workflow that doesn't map to a standard repair order; or a business building shop management software to sell to other operators. Platform subscriptions carry lower ongoing cost than custom software maintenance. We'll tell you directly which situation applies to your business before recommending a build.
Insurance jobs and fleet jobs both add billing complexity to the standard repair order. For insurance jobs, the system tracks the insurer's authorisation number against the repair order, applies the agreed labour rate and parts markup for that insurer, and generates the invoice to the insurer rather than the vehicle owner. Excess collection from the owner is tracked separately. For fleet jobs, the repair order links to the fleet account. Parts and labour are billed against that account with a consolidated statement at the agreed billing interval. Both job types are identified at intake and routed through the correct billing workflow without the service advisor needing to apply different rules from memory each time.
Parts ordering is raised directly from the repair order rather than a separate purchasing screen. The technician or service advisor identifies required parts on the job card and raises a parts request. The system checks in-house stock first. For parts not in stock, the request routes to supplier ordering -- via API integration with supplier systems or via a structured order form, depending on what each supplier supports. When the part arrives and is received, the job card status updates and the service advisor is notified. All parts ordered for a job are visible on the repair order so the service desk can see at a glance whether all parts are in before scheduling the technician to start work.
A focused shop management system covering repair orders, technician scheduling, parts inventory, and invoicing typically delivers in 12 to 14 weeks from requirements sign-off. Adding customer vehicle history, automated communication, fleet account billing, and supplier ordering integrations extends the scope to 16 to 20 weeks depending on the number of suppliers and the integrations they expose. We scope every project in detail before agreeing a timeline and cost. Cost is fixed before development starts. The number of locations, supplier integrations, and whether an existing system needs data migration all affect the final scope.
