Auto repair workflow: one car's journey from the door to handover
In a workshop, a job starts when the car pulls up and ends when the customer comes back for the next service. In between come check-in, diagnosis, the quote, parts, the technician, letting the customer know, payment and handover, and something can slip at every step. This page follows one car through Baktam from start to finish; each step links to the page that explains that feature.
QR check-in
Signature and approval
Technician's work
Handover and payment
Example scenario
Example: on a Tuesday morning Sarah brings her 2017 Passat to Dave's garage because the brakes are squealing. The steps below follow that car, from the QR poster at the door to the signature at handover and the service reminder six months later. The people and the car are made up.
One car's journey, step by step
1. QR check-in
Sarah scans the poster at the counter with her phone and enters her plate, phone number, the “brake noise” complaint and a photo of the front wheel herself. The record lands in Dave's “Incoming check-ins” screen, and no queue builds up at the counter.
QR check-in2. Check-in form and signature
Sarah reads the intake terms (3 days of free storage, a daily storage fee after that, a 6-month labor warranty) and signs with her finger. Dave opens a work order in one click; the photos and the signature move onto it.
Check-in form & signature3. Diagnosis and lines
The technician finds the front pads worn and the discs scored. He adds parts and labor to the work order line by line; tax and the total are calculated automatically.
Work orders & vehicle check-in4. Customer approval
The quote reaches Sarah's phone. She sees the lines, the total and the terms, types her name and signs to approve. A copy of what she approved is kept, and the printed approval record can be verified by QR.
Customer quote approval5. Parts needs and ordering
The pads are on the shelf, the discs are not. From the parts list, Dave taps “Buy now” in a connected parts seller's catalog or asks several sellers for quotes; when the parts arrive they go into stock and onto the job's cost. Had the job needed machining, it would have gone out as an outsourced job.
Parts needed list6. Tracking in the workshop
The car is on the in-service screen with its technician. Sarah follows the status from the tracking link she got at check-in, so there are fewer “when will it be done?” calls.
Cars in service7. “Your car is ready” message
When the technician completes the job, Sarah gets a “your car is ready” message. If you added them to the template, the amount due, your IBAN and the transfer reference are in the message too (if an SMS/WhatsApp account is connected).
Reminders & SMS/WhatsApp8. Payment
Sarah pays by bank transfer at lunchtime or by card when she arrives; because the reference carries the work order number and plate, it is obvious which job the money is for. Anything unpaid goes on her account. The money is booked to the right account (cash drawer, bank or card terminal); the drawer is counted in the evening and any difference is recorded.
Payments, cash & receivables9. Handover record
At handover the work order printout shows the work done, the parts fitted and the amount; the workshop and the customer sign it. A payment receipt can be printed too. The job is added to the car's history.
Check-in form & signature10. Service reminder
A date and a target mileage are set for the next service. When it is due, Sarah gets a reminder and calls Dave again to book.
Reminders & SMS/WhatsApp
What is it for?
In the workshop
Information gets lost as the job moves from one piece of paper to the next: the complaint never reaches the technician, and the fitted part never reaches the bill.
With Baktam
From check-in to handover everything moves along one work order. Complaint, photos, signature, parts, approval and payment are in one record; nobody types the same thing twice.
In the workshop
Customers call all day: “Have you started? How much will it be? When will it be ready?”
With Baktam
The customer sees and approves the quote on their phone, follows the status from the tracking link and gets a message when the job is done. You spend your time on cars, not on the phone.
In the workshop
When there is a dispute you have nothing on paper: what was promised, what was approved, what state was the car in?
With Baktam
Every step leaves a record: a signed check-in form, an approval record with a verification code, the handover printout and the payment receipt.
How does it work?
- 1
Write your terms
In Settings > Terms, enter your check-in clauses, free storage days, daily storage fee and labor warranty once. They appear on the check-in form and the approval screen automatically.
- 2
Put up the QR poster
Print your branch poster from Settings > QR check-in and put it on the counter or the door. You can also leave a tablet at the counter in kiosk mode.
- 3
Add your bank details
Enter your IBANs in Settings > Payment details. When there is a balance to pay, they appear on the work order printout, the receipt and the customer's tracking page.
- 4
Connect messaging
Connect your SMS or WhatsApp account so approval links, “your car is ready” and service reminders go out automatically. Without one you can still send the approval link through WhatsApp with a ready-made message.
Who uses it?
Workshop owner
Sets the workflow up once; sees which step every job is at and the records left behind.
Front desk / cashier
Runs check-in, quotes, payment and handover from the same screen.
Technician
Sees the job assigned to them, the complaint and the photos; adds parts and notes. Does not see amounts.
Vehicle owner (customer)
Checks in by themselves, approves the quote on their phone and follows the car's status.
This feature is part of Baktam, the garage management software that keeps the whole workshop in one place.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to use every step?
No. QR check-in, automatic messages, approval links and parts ordering are all optional. The workflow you know still works: open a work order at the counter, assign a technician, take payment at handover. Add the steps you need as you go.
Where does the customer get the tracking link?
A customer who checks in by QR sees the tracking link on their phone as soon as they submit, and approves the quote there when it is ready. If you opened the job at the counter, you send the customer a separate approval link.
Is it different for bodywork or A/C jobs?
The core steps are the same. In a body shop, check-in adds a damage diagram by body type with a signature, a quote from the diagram and an insurance claim; in a car A/C shop, readings, refrigerant and leak test records go onto the work order.
What do I need for messages to go out?
Automatic SMS and WhatsApp messages need your own provider account connected; they are included in the Pro and Enterprise plans. Without an account, you send the approval link through WhatsApp yourself with a ready-made message.
Related features
QR check-in
The customer scans the QR at the counter, checks the car in and signs your terms; you open the work order in one click.
Check-in form & signature
Check-in form, terms, storage fee and warranty in one record; the customer signs and the signature stays with the job.
Customer quote approval
The quote goes to the customer's phone as a link; they accept your terms and sign, and the approval record can be checked by QR.
One click is all it takes to try everything.
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