The auto repair shop glossary. Plain definitions, A to Z.

The terms that come up on a repair order, in a shop meeting or in a software demo. Search for one, or browse by letter.

33 terms

A

Appointment scheduling
The process of coordinating and managing customer service appointments, including time slots, technician availability and resource allocation. Appointment scheduling in autoGMS
Average repair order (ARO)
Total sales divided by the number of repair orders in the same period. Shops use it to see how much work each visit brings in.

B

Bay management
The process of organizing and tracking service bays in a shop, including availability, capacity planning and technician assignments.
Booking widget
An embeddable web component that allows customers to schedule appointments directly from a shop’s website or social media pages.

C

Car count
The number of vehicles a shop services in a period, usually counted per day or per month.
Comeback
A vehicle that returns because the original repair didn’t fix the problem or failed early.
Customer communication
All forms of interaction between the shop and customers, including appointment confirmations, service updates and follow-up communications.
Customer database
A centralized repository of customer information, including contact details, vehicle history, service preferences and communication logs.
Customer lifetime value (CLV)
The predicted net profit attributed to the entire future relationship with a customer, helping shops understand long-term customer worth.

D

Declined work Also called deferred work
Recommended work the customer chose not to approve. Shops record it so they can follow up at the next visit.
Digital job card
An electronic version of the traditional paper job card that tracks vehicle service details, parts used, labor hours and job progress in real time.
Digital vehicle inspection (DVI)
An inspection recorded on a phone or tablet, with photos, video and notes, and shared with the customer as a report. Vehicle inspections in autoGMS

E

Estimate Also called quote
A priced list of the proposed labor and parts, given to the customer before work starts so they can approve or decline it. Estimates and approvals in autoGMS

F

Flat rate
A way of pricing labor, and often of paying technicians, where a job is billed at a set number of hours from a labor guide, however long it actually takes.

L

Labor guide
A reference that lists standard labor times for repair jobs on specific vehicles. Shops use it to price labor on estimates.
Labor rate
The price a shop charges per hour of technician labor. The posted rate is what the shop advertises. The effective labor rate is labor sales divided by the labor hours billed.

M

Multi-point inspection
A comprehensive vehicle check performed by technicians to identify potential issues and recommend additional services to customers.

N

No-show rate
The percentage of scheduled appointments where customers fail to arrive, typically measured as (missed appointments ÷ total appointments) × 100.

P

Parts inventory management
The systematic control of spare parts and supplies, including ordering, storage, tracking and stock level optimization. Parts and inventory in autoGMS
Parts markup
The amount added to a part’s cost to set its selling price, usually as a percentage. A parts matrix sets different markups for different cost ranges.
Preventive maintenance
Scheduled maintenance services designed to prevent vehicle problems before they occur, often based on time or mileage intervals.

Q

Quality control
Processes and procedures to ensure that all completed work meets quality standards before vehicles are returned to customers.

R

Repair order (RO)
The document that authorizes and records the work on a vehicle: the customer’s concern, the approved labor and parts, the technician assigned and the totals. autoGMS calls its repair order a job card. Repair orders in autoGMS
Revenue analytics
The analysis of financial data to understand revenue patterns, identify trends and make data-driven business decisions.

S

Service advisor Also called service writer
A shop professional who acts as the primary point of contact between customers and technicians, explaining services and managing customer expectations.
Service estimation
The process of calculating and presenting the expected cost and time required for vehicle repairs or maintenance services.
Service revenue
Total income generated from automotive repair and maintenance services, excluding parts sales and other revenue streams.
Shop efficiency Also called garage efficiency
A measure of how well a shop utilizes its resources (time, space, equipment, staff) to generate revenue and serve customers.
Shop management software Also called garage management system or workshop management system
Integrated software that manages all aspects of shop operations, including scheduling, inventory, customer relations and financial reporting. The garage management system guide

T

Technician productivity
A measure of how efficiently technicians complete their work, often calculated as billable hours divided by total hours worked.

V

VIN (vehicle identification number)
The 17-character code that identifies a specific vehicle. It encodes the maker, model, year and other details, and is used to look up recalls and parts. US vehicle lookup

W

Walk-in
A customer who arrives at the shop without an appointment.
Work order
A document that authorizes and tracks the repair work to be performed on a vehicle, including parts, labor and customer approvals.

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