Restyler Connect is shop management software designed specifically for 12 volt shops.
Launched by two retail partners out of the Midwest, the two-year old software company offers full shop management, including work orders, scheduling and more.
Restyler Connect is owned by Tom Waitzman of DPS Automotive, a large expediter/restyler out of metro Chicago and Josh Poulson, owner of Auto Additions, near Columbus, OH.
The shop management software is currently used by about 50 shops. It follows the steps of a 12 volt sale, creating a work order, setting up appointments, sending customers text messages confirming appointments the night prior and morning of the install. It handles the storing of photos for damage management and other processes all the way through invoicing. It also sends customer review requests when the job is completed and sends an invoice into the accounting system. It is compatible with Quick Books and Zoho.
Waitzman got into the software business about ten years ago when DPS Automotive, an expeditor with 30 employees (that “sees 800 cars a month”), sought to create a way for car dealerships to better sell aftermarket accessories. He developed an Auto Accessory Configurator, so that dealerships could easily look up which accessories fit their customers’ cars. Waitzman then began selling the configurator to other car audio/restyler shops.
Down the line, he entered the shop management software business after looking for a product for his own shop.
“You have Shop Monkey or Tint Wiz, the problem is they all specialize in something else,” Waitzman said. “Shop Monkey is geared to mechanic shops and it’s not the same language we speak. Then Tint Wiz is for tint shops…With Restyler Connect, everything from the language to the work flow, to tracking techs is built around what we encounter in our business.”
Waitzman continued, “I was using help desk software developed for HVAC companies. My partner was using Eagle automotive software that cost big money and still had lots of holes in it.” He decided, along with partner Poulson, to go back to the drawing board and create their own software that would work with their Auto Accessory Configurator.
“If you are doing more than five cars a day, you’ve got to be using some shop management. A calendar won’t work. Anyone who has two techs or more has to have something.”
Restyler Connect is offered at a flat fee per month of $299 or $499 for a version for expeditors that includes sales presentation tools. It allows unlimited users. Shops can cancel at anytime and retain their data.
When a shop signs up, it takes a week to sync their data and train on the system to be ready to go.
For more information visit www.restylerconnect.com.
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