A small car workshop in Bavaria - two men, two lifts. It sounds like a peaceful life. And that's how it was intended when Hannes Weinzierl became self-employed in his father's former workshop. But the dream of the idyll almost burst - because of the administrative work
"It was the reverse of the medal, the disadvantage of being independent," says the 43-year-old Weinzierl, who founded "Weinzierl und Hoos GbR" together with Tobias Hoos (26) four years ago in the small town of Valley. The two entrepreneurs kept scans of the vehicle registration documents on the computer in a folder along with letters, job cards and important notes on the customers and their vehicles. Another folder contained orders and invoices from Wiesböck, their preferred spare parts wholesaler. "In recent years, we have continuously invested in 'hardware' and bought, for example, new lifts and a new tire mounting machine, but we have neglected the 'software'," laughs Hoos. Weinzierl agrees: "Running a workshop like that is both time-consuming and complex – and we were both tired of that."
That was not the intention at all
It all started with good intentions: "I wanted to escape the stress of my previous job. That's why I revived my father's garage," says Weinzierl, who previously worked as an engineer. His colleague Hoos was a newly qualified mechanic at the time. Since the opening four years ago, the customer base has grown to a radius of around 15 kilometres. "We're a small business, so we have our hands full," says Weinzierl. However, as the number of customers grew, so did the paperwork or – as the bureaucrats would call it – the administrative burden.
This is where the workshop's spare parts wholesaler Wiesböck came to the rescue - with the workshop management system WieSys. Behind the name WieSys is the TriSys system developed by Triscan, which has proven its worth in the Scandinavian countries over the past four years. Now the Danes also offer the system on the German market in cooperation with spare parts wholesalers.
"Denmark is a few steps further ahead in digitization than we are here in Germany," says Hoos enthusiastically. Together with the Danish software team at Brabrand, setting up the new programme was no problem at all. "Apart from small things that still had to be adjusted. In Denmark, for example, it is common practice to round up to the nearest ten øre/pennies/cents, which the tax authorities in Germany do not tolerate," says Weinzierl. As one of the most important functions, the engineer describes the integration to ATEV's and Wiesböck's online catalogues, which are accessed directly from WieSys. "This integration option is offered by Triscan to all spare parts wholesalers that sell the system, which makes TriSys interesting for workshops throughout Germany," says Hoos.
Life in the office has become easier
Weinzierl and Hoos have been working with WieSys since the fall of last year and use it extensively. "We can create a new customer very quickly and use the data directly for email marketing campaigns or service reminders," continues Weinzierl. "We use the system for customer management, invoicing and spare parts ordering. Vehicle data is transferred to the spare parts programme, the necessary spare parts are selected and then automatically transferred to the invoice programme. We make all offers in WieSys. Compared to before, our life in the office has become much easier." He doesn't even have to sit in the office anymore. WieSys works on all devices such as PCs, tablets or smartphones. Because it is a cloud-based solution, the hardware requirements are low.
Tobias Hoos suggested some small improvements that Triscan has implemented. For example, deleting a jobcard or adding a date to the cash book. "In addition, each user can change all parameters himself with a few mouse clicks. For example, if we need to change VAT. As far as I know, this system is unique in this form," says Hoos. For the future, the two entrepreneurs are already considering additional steps such as online booking of an appointment. "If we do it right, it can lighten our workday even more," of that Weinzierl is sure.
Triscan is working on further development
TriSys was created on the basis of many discussions with dealers and workshops. At Triscan, the wishes of many countries have been brought together to take regional differences into account and create the "perfect solution". The goal is of course customer loyalty, but also clearly the intention to strengthen the competitiveness of spare parts wholesalers. But because not all workshops are the same, TriSys is module based: if the business areas change or expand, TriSys simply grows with it. For example, with a deck hotel or a rental service.