Tracking Parts to Improve Profits at Your Auto Shop
See how you can use R.O. Writer reporting tools to keep track of your parts and improve your profits.
In the automotive repair industry, keeping an eye on your shop’s parts inventory is crucial to the success of your shop. Having a good understanding of what you have on hand will ensure you’re prepared for most situations and can predict your shop’s profits. On the other hand, losing track of parts in your auto shop can have you operating at a deficit and might even put your business in jeopardy.
The most effective way to keep track of your parts and see how they impact your profitability is by using feature-rich auto shop management software like R.O. Writer. Keep reading to explore what R.O. Writer reports you should be using to keep track of your parts and improve your profits today.
Why Tracking Parts is Important
Knowledge is power and this is especially true when it comes to having control over profits at your auto shop. One of the best things you can do for your business as a shop owner is to gain a solid understanding of your parts inventory.
Using real-time reports to track parts in R.O. Writer can help you evaluate your shop’s financial health and predict what the future will look like. Additionally, having up-to-date parts information can help you make both short and long-term business decisions while keeping you organized.
Using R.O. Writer’s Reporting Module to Track Parts and Improve Profits
The first step to keeping track of parts at your auto shop is knowing where to look. Luckily, R.O. Writer has several reporting tools to choose from.
Begin with R.O. Writer’s Summary Report for an overview of your parts. In this report, you can view the non-taxable totals, taxable totals, and the sum of non-taxable totals for parts. You can also view the total sales of parts and the percentage of total sales for parts.
The Parts Detail Report shows all parts sold by repair order number. Pull this report every day to make certain each part that enters and leaves your shop is accounted for.
Outside Purchases Reports will show a list of all non-stock parts on closed repair orders. If you notice a parts deficit, use this report to see what you spent in parts so you can track what was missed and reconcile at the end of each month.
The Pricing Exceptions Report can help you track all changes to the pricing information of parts. This report will show you what profit you need to pay your bills and show your workers what small increases in a parts percentage will do to improve profitability.
Underneath your reporting tab, the Inventory List option will show you a list of your parts and their on-hand and committed status. You can use this report if you want to print a list of your inventory to see what you have stocked and what parts you should swap out so you can adjust your parts inventory accordingly.
Head to the Central Service icon on the top of your banner in R.O. Writer to view other reports including the Parts Sales Detail Report to see what parts were sold, returned, or declined. You can see the Taxes/Cores Detail Report in this section to view details about all parts fees added to parts on repair orders within a specified date range.
In Central Service, you can also view overall sales reports, accounts payable and receivable, inventory, and more. If you currently use our Digital Vehicle Inspection (“DVI”) app, you can access other specialized reports that will ensure a seamless service writing process. Marketers can easily export customer lists with vehicles here as well.
Using Reports to Evaluate Your Shop’s Performance
Have you ever wondered what parts you’ve actually been using and where you could be making adjustments in this area? If so, it’s time for reporting software that helps you identify discrepancies and make informed business decisions.
Explore R.O. Writer’s array of reporting tools to increase efficiency and effectiveness at your shop or head to our customer portal to optimize your R.O. Writer experience today.
