The problem
Estimates were written by hand, photographed, and sent over WhatsApp. If the customer didn't answer the same day, the quote often died in the chat. Nobody was tracking which cars were due for a revision, an ITP (technical inspection), or a brake pad change based on mileage.
The owner was leaving money on the table simply because he had no system to reach back out — and his competitors across the street had aggressive SMS campaigns.
What we built
We started with a 30-minute intake interview and rebuilt the shop's workflow around a lightweight CRM and a set of focused automations. The mechanics kept working the way they always had; everything changed around them.
- Digital intake form on a tablet at the counter — customer, vehicle, VIN, mileage, reported issue
- Photo-based estimate: mechanic uploads pictures, AI-generated line items, owner approves in one click, PDF sent via SMS and email
- Status updates pushed automatically at each stage: diagnosed, parts ordered, in repair, ready for pickup
- Mileage- and date-based reminders: ITP expiry, oil change at +10,000 km, winter tire swap in October
- Review flow: 48h after pickup, SMS with a one-tap 5-star Google Review link
- Monthly report to the owner: revenue per bay, repeat-customer rate, and top declined services to re-offer
The results after 6 months
Returning customer rate went from 31% to 64%. Average ticket grew 41% because upsells (brake fluid, AC service, wipers) that used to be forgotten now appear as pre-filled suggestions on the estimate. The shop ranked #1 on Google Maps for its suburb within four months, driven mostly by a review count that tripled.
The owner calls the automated reminder engine 'the mechanic that never sleeps' — it generated more than €18,000 in scheduled revisions in the first two quarters alone.
"I used to forget half my customers the moment they drove off. Now the system remembers for me — and they come back."
— Shop owner
