There are more tools aimed at auto repair shops than ever, and most demos sound the same. Here is a plain checklist for choosing well as an independent, without the sales pressure.
Start from your bottlenecks, not the feature list
Every platform has a long feature list. That is not the question. The question is which part of your day leaks the most time or money. For most shops it is one of three things: chasing customer approvals, chasing money that is already owed, or techs standing idle waiting on a decision. Pick the tool that fixes your worst bottleneck first, and treat the rest of the feature list as a bonus.
The things that actually matter
- Digital inspections with photos. Customers approve more work when they can see it. This is the single biggest lever on approved-ticket size.
- A real website, not a template. Most shop-management tools do not give you one, or bolt on a generic template. Your website is your storefront; it should be built for your shop.
- Payments and invoicing in one place. If your management tool and your card processor do not talk, you will do double entry forever.
- Your data, exportable. Ask, on the demo, exactly how you export everything if you leave. If the answer is vague, that is your answer.
- Modularity. You probably already like one or two tools. Good software lets you keep them and fill the gaps, instead of forcing an all-or-nothing switch.
What to ignore
Ignore feature counts, award badges, and anything that only works if you also buy three add-ons. Ignore long contracts; the confident vendors do not need them. And be skeptical of any "AI" that cannot show you a concrete before-and-after on a real repair order.
Questions to ask on the demo
- How long until we are actually live, and what do you need from me?
- What happens to my current customers during the switch?
- Is there a contract, and how do I cancel and export my data?
- Show me the customer's view of an inspection and an approval, on a phone.
- What is the true monthly cost once everything I need is turned on?
Gravy was built around these answers: modular so you keep what you like, a professional website included, and no contracts. But the checklist stands whoever you choose.