How Do I Get My Diesel Shop Off Paper Tickets Without Shutting Down for a Week?

Move new jobs into software first and let the paper jobs already in the shop finish on paper. That one rule keeps you open, because nobody has to re-enter old tickets or stop working to learn a new system.

What order should we move things in?

1. New jobs: customer, unit, complaint. Nothing else on day one.
2. Technician time: techs clock onto a job from a phone or tablet. This is usually where a paper shop finds money, since hours written from memory at the end of the day tend to run short.
3. Parts: add parts to the job as they are pulled, so they reach the invoice. Build inventory counts later.
4. Invoices and payment: send the invoice when the job closes instead of writing them up at night.
5. Bookkeeping: connect QuickBooks last, after a few weeks of clean invoices.

What do we need to bring over from paper?

Only what you will look up. Import your customer list and any parts list you already have in a spreadsheet. Leave old paper tickets in the file cabinet and add a unit's history as each truck comes back. Scanning years of tickets feels safe, but it rarely pays for the time.

My techs are not computer people. Will this work?

Ask a tech to do these on the demo, not the salesperson: find their job, clock on, add a note, add a photo, clock off. If your least technical tech cannot do it after being shown once, keep looking. In WrenchPilot a tech can also dictate notes instead of typing.

When should we stay on paper?

If you write a few tickets a week, work alone, and invoices go out the same day, a simple invoicing app or even paper may be enough. Software earns its cost when work is being lost: unbilled parts, hours nobody recorded, or invoices going out days late.

What should we watch out for?

WrenchPilot has a native app for iPhone and iPad. On Android it runs as a web app for now, so test it on the actual devices your techs carry. If internet is poor in your shop, test that too before you commit.

Want to see it on your own work?

Bring a real repair order to a WrenchPilot demo, and check current pricing first. Lite is $100 per month for one user. Pro is $300 per month with up to 10 technicians, no per-user fees, and no contract.