All Automatic Transmission Rebuild is a family-owned shop with a long history and a bright future. Owner Robert Eaton acquired the shop, now in business for 47 years, in the early 2000s from his father-in-law. Today the shop boasts five-star Yelp reviews and a strong local reputation for transmission services.
When shop manager Tim James (TJ) Rowe joined All Automatic Transmission Rebuild several years ago, he brought with him a vision of modernizing and streamlining shop operations to boost profitability, while maintaining the shop’s excellent reputation for customer service and fair prices.
T.J. and Robert, now both master technicians, studied transmissions together 28 years ago, and had been looking for an opportunity to work together for some time. Together, they set out to expand the business past transmissions and set and achieve some ambitious business goals.
The Search for A Modern Shop Management Solution
When T.J. first arrived at All Automatic Transmission Rebuild, Robert was using QuickBooks to manage the shop, which came with a variety of serious shortcomings. This work-around seemed cost effective in the short term, but data was easily lost with the click of a button, and the process was very inefficient. The team recognized that a shop management solution would replace manual processes with a more modern approach to everything from invoicing to bay management.
Next, the team tried a budget shop management solution. “We’re a smaller shop, so we keep a very close eye on costs, and the initial price looked good,” explains T.J.
Ultimately, however, the limited functionality of this solution meant that there were no true cost savings to the approach. “The reporting functions didn’t really work,” explained T.J. “The scheduler didn’t work well, and the bay management solution had some major weaknesses.”
“But most of all, the customer support was terrible. When I reached out for support, I often found myself training the support agent in efficient ways to use the solution. Plus, they didn’t seem to be investing in their product. They didn’t make improvements very fast.”
Recognizing that a more robust shop management solution would save his team time, money, and frustration, T.J. reached out to some old friends – the team at R.O. Writer.
"I’ve always thought that RO Writer is the pinnacle of writing systems. R.O. Writer contributes to efficiency. I can do the job of two service writers because of this system, and then when people call, I can spend more time explaining things and not rush them off the phone.”
T.J., Shop Owner, All Automatic Transmission Rebuild
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Learn moreThe Solution: R.O. Writer
T.J. has a long and successful history with R.O. Writer. In fact, early in his career, the shop he worked at was a test site for the solution, so he developed excellent skills with the solution, and a strong relationship with the R.O. Writer team. He also had the chance to use the solution at various shops as his career progressed.
This made R.O. Writer the trusted and natural choice for All Automatic Transmission Rebuild once the decision was made to invest in auto shop management software.
“I’ve always thought that RO Writer is the pinnacle of writing systems,” says T.J.
And now that the solution is in place, T.J. and his team are experiencing the benefits of R.O. Writer Hybrid Cloud and finding new ways to use the auto management toolset every day.
Efficient Tools Mean a Better Customer Experience
When T.J. is asked which features of R.O. Writer are his favorites, he doesn’t hesitate to call out the easy-to-use scheduling tool, which lets him plan the team’s workday.
“Redundancy kills efficiency,” T.J. explains. “When a customer calls up, and you don’t have a working scheduler, you wind up on a paper calendar, and you don’t have the space to fit all the information. Then when the customer comes in, they have to sit around for longer. I have to write up the work order and do everything in that moment.”
With R.O. Writer, T.J. can call up customer information and capture key details during the initial phone call. This means less redundant work, and more time to connect with the customer when they bring the vehicle in, allowing him to build trust and customer rapport.
“In one sentence? R.O. Writer makes the workday easier” says T.J.
T.J. also appreciates how R.O. Writer simplifies service writing on the fly. Instead of manually inputting labor codes and part codes, he can begin with standard jobs created by R.O. Writer’s expert team.
This allows him to add standard parts and labor to a job with a single click, after which he adds any additional information to this solid base.
“R.O. Writer contributes to efficiency. I can do the job of two service writers because of this system, and then when people call, I can spend more time explaining things and not rush them off the phone.”
T.J. has also been creating customized jobs in the R.O. Writer tool, to suit the unique needs of the transmission shop. Reusing these customized jobs will help his team remain efficient and ensure that services are quoted accurately every time.
Fair Pricing for Parts
T.J. says that R.O. Writer pays for itself because it never forgets parts like hose clamps. Accurate pricing makes or breaks the profitability of a shop.
He also notes the importance of the matrix pricing tool, especially in an environment where the prices of parts are changing more rapidly. Matrix pricing allows T.J. to price parts quickly and get the most money for his shop, while still being fair to the customer.
Read How a Parts Pricing Matrix Can Increase Profitability
Matrix pricing is important, explains T.J., because busy shop managers tend to price off the top of their heads otherwise. Then, parts increase in cost, and it becomes impossible to keep track. The shop loses a dollar or two of profit per small part, and more on larger parts, and the losses quickly add up.
With R.O. Writer’s Smart Matrix Pricing, T.J. and his team can be sure profit margins for parts and labor are always accurate and up to date, even as base costs for parts and labor change.
“I constantly shock everybody with the lowest prices in the market, so I’m confident that I’m pricing right, but I still have to get the right price for the shop. The R.O. Writer price matrix lets me strike that balance.”
T.J.’s Advice for Up-and-Coming Technicians
When the R.O. Writer team asked T.J. about how he stays up to date with his changing industry, here’s the advice he shared:
“Tap into the underground hearsay of shops. By the time you are in my position, you’ll have techs you’ve mentored and managers you’ve worked with out there everywhere. They call me, and I call them. It’s a great source of info.
I love to stay trained as well. You too should try to stay informed through training. Technology and parts companies are running free and paid webinars that are very valuable. Sometimes, we watch those on our lunch break.”
“Any other program I’ve used, I’ve held them up to the standard of R.O. Writer.”
