{"id":51,"date":"2026-06-09T10:37:08","date_gmt":"2026-06-09T10:37:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev.way.com\/auto-repair-software\/resources\/how-shop-management-tools-handle-new-work-order\/"},"modified":"2026-09-28T07:34:31","modified_gmt":"2026-09-28T07:34:31","slug":"how-shop-management-tools-handle-new-work-order","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.way.com\/auto-repair-software\/guide\/how-shop-management-tools-handle-new-work-order\/","title":{"rendered":"How shop management tools handle new work orders"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Taking down\u00a0work orders manually can take somewhere between 15 and 30 minutes per job. So, in a shop handling 20\u201330 repair orders a day,\u00a0that\u2019s\u00a0at least 15 productive hours gone <\/strong>just to get work onto the floor.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you add in scheduling gaps, duplicate entries, delayed parts sourcing, misplaced job cards, and any other mishaps, you\u2019re spending more time creating the work orders rather than actually doing the work. This is why so many shops feel like they\u2019re constantly behind. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is definitely a process problem, not a people problem, and process problems always have solution<\/span>s. One such solution is Way Repair Tech.  <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"shop<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Step 1: Find or add the customer<\/span><\/b> <\/span> <\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Start from your Workboard and head to the \u201cEstimate\u201d<\/span> <\/span><\/b>section. There are two ways you can go from there. If it\u2019s a returning customer, you can search by their name or phone number. You don\u2019t have to dig through your handwritten notes or sort through spreadsheets. This also solves the problem of finding duplicate entries.  <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Want to add a new customer? Click \u201cAdd Customer\u201d and enter their details like name, email, phone number, and address. Tap \u201cSave\u201d, and you\u2019ve added your new customer! It takes under a minute, and they’re in your system for every visit moving forward. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Step 2: Add the vehicle<\/span><\/b> <\/span> <\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Click on the customer’s name to attach a vehicle. You’ve got three ways to look it <\/span>up: by license plate number, VIN, or manual entry, so no matter what information you\u2019re dealing with<\/span>,<\/span> you’re covered. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Select the correct vehicle from the options that appear, enter the current mileage, and you’re ready to build the repair order. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Step 3: Build the estimate<\/span><\/b> <\/span> <\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Once you save the vehicle information, hit the \u201cCreate Repair Order\u201d button.  <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Browse for the necessary services in the \u201cSearch and Add Canned Services\u201d section. You\u2019ll find a drop-down with all the services you require. You just have to select the appropriate one for the customer. This way, you don\u2019t have to manually add services every time.  <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

You’ll see that the estimate has now been pre-filled with the service lines for this job, including labor and parts.   <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Need to adjust for a discount or a special situation? You can edit the pricing right there before it’s sent out. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Step 4: Get the estimate approved<\/span><\/b> <\/span> <\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Now, you can send the estimate to the customer directly via email or SMS. They can review and approve it from their phone without calling back.  <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you already talked it through in person or over the phone, you can authorize it yourself, right then and there. Either way, mark it as approved, and it’s ready to move. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Step 5: Assign it to your workflow<\/span><\/b> <\/span> <\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Once approved, drag the job into the right lane on your workboard or update the workflow status manually with a click.\u00a0Every tech knows\u00a0what’s\u00a0queued\u00a0and\u00a0what\u2019s\u00a0in progress.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Step 6: Process payment<\/span><\/b> <\/span> <\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Convert the RO into an invoice using the same method as the previous step, and you\u2019re ready to process the payment. Update the workflow status to \u201cPaid\u201d and<\/span> <\/span><\/b>you\u2019ll receive the invoice once the payment is completed<\/span>. All that\u2019s left to do is print the invoice to give it to the customer!  <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"shop<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The whole picture<\/span><\/b> <\/span> <\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

You might have a structure to the chaos that works well for now. But in the long run, switching between devices, going through your notes, chasing down approvals, and figuring out last-minute orders does not work out. To keep your shop profitable, shift to a clean and fast work order process with Way Repair Tech.  <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Are you spending more time creating repair work orders rather than working? Learn how shop management tools can help you.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":52,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_wrt_schema_jsonld":"","_wrt_schema_jsonld_mode":"append","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-51","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-repair-tech"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.way.com\/auto-repair-software\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.way.com\/auto-repair-software\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.way.com\/auto-repair-software\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.way.com\/auto-repair-software\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.way.com\/auto-repair-software\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=51"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.way.com\/auto-repair-software\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":666,"href":"https:\/\/www.way.com\/auto-repair-software\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51\/revisions\/666"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.way.com\/auto-repair-software\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/52"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.way.com\/auto-repair-software\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=51"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.way.com\/auto-repair-software\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=51"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.way.com\/auto-repair-software\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=51"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}