Published - 2018

TriSys customer case - CB Auto

Tech news

AUTO-G Denmark, part of GROUPAUTO International, has used the TriSys platform to develop their own car repair shop management system - Gplan. Anticipation has been high, ever since the introduction - and in just 6 weeks, 25 systems are up and running. We have visited C.B. Auto, which was one of the first car repair shops to use Gplan, to hear about their experiences.  

C. B. Auto was founded by Christen Bonde more than 40 years ago and has recently been acquired by Benjamin Henriksen. The repair shop has 3 employees, 5 lifts and is using the most modern equipment to carry out mechanical, autoelectronical and body repairs.


Benjamin Henriksen and two of his employees


Why Gplan?
Benjamin Henriksen has over time worked with several different workshop management systems. "For me it is important to have a modern and user-friendly management system that covers my current needs whilst also being capable to grow with my business" he says, adding: "I do not see that opportunity with many of the systems available on the market today. I feel that choosing Gplan as my workshop management system - has been the right decision”. 


C.B. Auto’s solution
Gplan is a module-based system and consists of 5 basic- and 7 additional modules, of which C.B. Auto is utilizing 4. 
 
 

The 5 basic modules are Gkat (Auto-G's catalog and ordering system), Gkal (calendar and planning module), Gfin (customer management and finance), Glag (own inventory) and Gbud (job quoting).

C. B. Autos 4 additional modules include Gtek (integrated access to online technical support), GSM (one-way SMS messaging), Geco (integration to e-conomics finance system) and Gbog (integration to digitalservicebook.com).


Implementation
C. B. Auto was one of the first Gplan users and the system replaces a Helios solution. Prior to implementation, Benjamin Henriksen wanted all customer and vehicle data to be imported into Gplan.

Gplan is a cloud / web-based system that is accessed by means of an Internet browser. Accordingly, there are no exceptional hardware requirements for the computers, tablets or smartphones that need to obtain access to the system - and no special software installation is needed. After the import of the data from Helios was completed, each employee at C.B. Auto was given individual logins, and Auto-G's system administrator gave a brief introduction to the use of the system. "We had less than one hour of training and to be honest I doubted if that was sufficient?", Benjamin Henriksen says, continuing: "But it was. Gplan is very easy to use, and you cannot do anything wrong in the system. I think most people are a little anxious and nervous when changing IT systems and fear the worst, there is no need for that with Gplan".


Benjamin Henriksen in his office getting an overview of jobs planned for the rest of the week

 

Status after 2 months of operation
The choice of a new workshop system is a significant. And even if the decision is taken with great care, system failure in software or hardware can both be a major annoyance and expensive affair. To avoid this, Gplan has been developed in an international network of experienced IT- and industry professionals with practical experience in developing car repair shop management systems. In addition, Gplan is hosted on Amazon servers, where reliability and uptime are substantial. How does C.B. Auto rate the system’s performance so far?

"We have not experienced a single crash. In only one instance Gplan did not perform as fast as we are used to - perhaps due to an update" says Benjamin Henriksen, adding: "Gplan has worked perfectly for all of us. At the workshop, each mechanic has his own PC and barcode scanner, where jobs are started and completed. Moreover, because the job status is displayed with color codes, the dashboard or scheduler gives me a quick overview of finished jobs that I need to check before I do the invoicing. "

As mentioned earlier, Gplan can be used on both PCs, tablets and smartphones, this suits Benjamin Henriksen: "On very busy days, where I do not have the time to solve my administrative tasks at the shop, I can now simply do his from home, using my iPad. This does away with all the speculations at home because I always have an overview over occupancy, ordering of parts and, in particular, invoicing of the finished jobs”. 


Gplan can be used on PCs, tablets and smartphones


Support
“So far, we have had close to no need for support” Benjamin Henriksen says: "The few times that we've sent emails, we’ve received quick answers. We've also used Teamviewer to share our screens, which is a highly-efficient tool in that regard. We have also had wishes for changes in Gplan's functionality, and it has been nice to experience that our ideas are appreciated. We have repeatedly experienced that solutions to our wishes already existed and new ideas are never rejected without good reason”.

Scanning of a sparepart in the workshop


Evaluation and future
At C.B. Auto all employees are very pleased and agree that Gplan has met- and exceeded expectations. Benjamin Henriksen relates: "With Gplan, every one of us now has the necessary overview of the day’s work. This has reduced the number of questions that I am being asked significantly. Our workflow has been optimized, which has improved operations greatly. Therefore, I can sincerely recommend the system to other car repair shop owners".

C. B. Auto expects to further expand Gplan in the future. "We want to add both the tire hotel and connectivity module as soon as they are fully developed. We already store winter and summer tires for our customers but expect to be able to further streamline and expand this part of our business. I am planning on using the connectivity module primarily for fleet management for my business customers. I am sure that both home care services and craftsmen-businesses will appreciate the overview that this system offers - both in terms of booking their vehicles for service, but also in terms of dealing with errors codes" Benjamin Henriksen concludes.