The Danish RAM and Dodge dealer eCAR, chose in the summer of 2019 to switch to TriSys car repair shop and customer management system, which in Denmark is marketed under the name G-plan by the GROUPAUTO International member Auto-G Danmark. Now more than a year later we have visited eCAR to talk to them about their experiences.
eCAR is managed daily by marianne and Allan Simonsen. The company is involved in the sale of new and used cars, but work is also carried out on special/customer cars in the workshop, which includes four mechanics and four lifts. Marianne, who primarily takes care of accounting, tax calculations and registrations, was not entirely satisfied with the way in which updates worked in eCAR's previous workshop and customer management system. "We all too often saw that updates led to new errors in the old system. Therefore, we decided to look for a new partner and this led to us switching to TriSys/G-plan just over a year ago – and we have been very happy about that", says Marianne.
Unproblematic shift
Both customer and vehicle data had to be migrated from the old system and Marianne describes the switch to TriSys/G-plan as completely unproblematic. "The shift was very easy. All data from our previous system was imported completely seamlessly and we could therefore focus 100% on getting started using TriSys/G-plan from day one. As responsible for the accounting, I was of course also excited to see if the integration into our financial system e-conomic worked as it should – and fortunately it did".
Easy to use for everyone
Where it used to be only Marianne who used the system, everyday life today looks completely different. "Before, it was only me who used the system, but now it's everyone. In the workshop, the mechanics operate TriSys/G-plan via tablets. The system works fast and is good at making suggestions when using the search features. We are also very pleased, that there are so many ways to navigate around TriSys/G-plan with just a few clicks".
Integration to several suppliers’ catalogues
A workshop can rarely settle for deliveries from only one wholesaler. In cases where a workshop's preferred supplier does not carry a specific product/brand or an item is backordered, it may be necessary to order it elsewhere. The workshop therefore typically has access to several catalogues/ordering systems, which are usually not integrated into the workshop management system and therefore become cumbersome and time-consuming to use – this is not the case in TriSys/G-plan. "We are very pleased with the catalogue integration in TriSys/G-plan and in particular the possibility of transferring the spare parts directly to the job card. Where this task was previously only carried out by me, it is now also carried out by the mechanics in the workshop via their tablets".
Warehouse management with photos and the possibility of barcode scanning
At eCAR, as in most major workshops, a warehouse is arranged for not only consumables, but also styling parts. In TriSys/G-plan, Marianne has created item numbers, text, images, locations, and specified max/min inventory. "I like things are under control and I am therefore very happy with the inventory module and the ability to print inventory reports". TriSys/G-plan of course also supports barcode scanning.
Costing on sales cars
Two of eCAR's mechanics work primarily with car preparation. To get a true picture of how many resources are spent on each vehicle made ready for sale, sales cars are registered in TriSys/G-plan with eCAR as the customer. "In this way, I have the full overview of how much time, what consumables and how many parts that have been used to prepare each car for sale. When a car is sold, I can then easily calculate the net profit", says Marianne.
Work time registration via tablet
With TriSys/G-plan it is also easy to manage employees' working hours. At eCAR a tablet has been installed for this purpose only, which all employees use register their working hours. The tablet is set up so that it can only be used for this purpose and is located right at the staff entrance.
News coverage and support
TriSys/G-plan is continuously developed and users are notified via the system of new functionality and possible fixes. "Many new features have been added in the time we have applied TriSys/G-plan, and I think it has been easy to stay up to date. When there's news, I see it immediately, when I log on to the system. The news is extensively described with text and images, so it's easy to understand them. In this way, it will also be easy for me to determine, whether the news is relevant to our use of TriSys/G-plan – or whether it is a new feature that can be advantageous for us".
eCAR look towards a brighter future
With a steadily increasing number of customers and increasing revenue, eCAR looks forward to the future. "I believe that TriSys/G-plan has contributed to our growth by freeing up administrative time. With TriSys/G-plan, we have an even better opportunity to see exactly what we spend our time on. Our workshop operation has become more efficient and we have been given more time to take care of what is closest to us – namely our customers", says Marianne in conclusion.
