Now in its eighth year, AutoInc.'s shop management system software guide is designed to inform readers of the variety of programs available today. Both mechanical and collision charts are included, listing program features offered by various software companies. The guide is based on questionnaires completed by manufacturers of shop management systems. Use the guide as a starting point for selecting the system that best fits your needs.

Finding the Management Software Product You Need
The staff of AutoInc. routinely receives calls from shop owners or managers looking for information about shop management software. In fact, the July issue is annually the most requested past issue - specifically for the software guide. It provides an excellent starting point for selecting a quality management software system that does what the shop needs it to do. However, we do stress that this guide should merely serve as a "starting point" because to truly assess the value of a software product, it will be necessary for you to examine these products in further detail beyond the information provided here.

To obtain the information included in these charts, we send questionnaires to companies that we know manufacture or distribute management software products specifically for this industry. We ask them what features are included in their products via "yes" or "no" questions. AutoInc. does not receive, evaluate or endorse any of the products listed in these charts. These companies also did not pay to be included in the chart. We have merely relayed to you information provided to us directly from the software companies themselves via the questionnaires we sent to them. Please refer to the Company Directory for phone numbers and Web sites of companies listed in the chart. Remember to tell them that you saw their product listed in AutoInc.!

Using This Guide
Both the collision and mechanical charts are set up in the same format. At the top of the page is a row listing each software company with the name of their products in italics. The left column lists features that might be included in a typical automotive management software product. Check marks indicate which products contain those features. You simply need to find the products that contain the features you are interested in having for your shop.

You'll notice a listing at the bottom of the charts that includes the names of companies that have databases that are compatible with some of the software companies' products. Each database company has a letter of the alphabet to correspond with it, and the software chart includes a feature that details which software companies are authorized to market another company's database with their software, and the letters indicate which database(s) they are authorized to market.

What to Ask the Management Software Companies
The features listed in this guide are broad categories. Don't assume that because the software company says they have this feature that it does exactly what you need it to do. Products are very different, and one company's definition of what its product contains might be the same as another company when in fact they do very different things. So please be sure to explain to each software manufacturer you contact specifically what you want their product to do, and make sure they guarantee that it will do what you expect before purchasing the product.

Concerns

Company history
Ask the company how long they have been in business. That is not to say that a company that is relatively new can't have a good product; nor should you assume that because a company has been around for some time that their product must be good. But it is helpful to know a company's background, especially when you are making a significant financial investment in their product and will likely rely on their technical support indefinitely.

More specific than how long they've been in business, how long have they offered products to the automotive industry? It's not uncommon for software companies to design products for an industry that they might not completely understand.

Are their products specific to automotive service shops? Some software products might have been designed for other industries, and then later modified for shops.

How long has the specific product they are promoting in this guide been available? How many other shops use it? Once again, you shouldn't necessarily dismiss a product that hasn't been around for a long time or that isn't currently used by a large number of shops, but these are factors that you don't want to overlook either.

Test the product
Does the software have any "bugs" that need to be worked out? Good luck getting a straight answer, but if you ask in person, you might get a facial response that could tell you something.

If you purchase a software product without actually testing its functionality first, you are taking a serious risk. Ask for a demonstration disk if available. If not, a live demonstration should suffice. But either way, make sure you are testing the product so that it will do what you need it to do. Communicate your needs to the software representative, and make sure he or she guarantees - preferably in writing - that the product will do specifically what you are asking that it do.

Support
Another key factor in your decision should be the availability of technical support. Do they have a toll-free number for you to call when you have problems with your software, and is someone actually there to fix the problem when you call?

Even more basic is simple customer support. In the same way that you insist that your employees treat your customers with patience and respect, what kind of customer support will you receive from the company? Although it's hard to know before actually buying the product what kind of customer support you will receive, what is your impression of the company from initial phone calls made?

Other things to consider
Does this product have periodic upgrades? Businesses evolve and new needs arise from time to time. Will you be satisfied with a software program that will remain stagnant? If upgrades are available, how often are they provided and how much will they cost?

What printing capabilities does the program have? This component is crucial for invoicing and other accounting features.

Can the program be networked between multiple computers within the shop? It might not be a need for you now, but could it be one down the road?

And of course there is the Year 2000 problem that is expected to be a universal problem soon. You should certainly ask if the software will have any problems come Jan. 1, 2000, and make sure they explain to you exactly why there will be no problems with their software. You might not understand exactly what the explanation means, but simply having it might help you sleep better for the next year and a half. Of course, if they're not sure what will happen as of Jan. 1, 2000, you will probably want to buy another product that can handle that new year, or simply wait a year and a half to see what happens.

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