How Mach 6 Mechanical Uses ShopView to Bill 98% of Hours Worked and Save 40 Hours a Week
Learn how owner Josh Langstaff used ShopView to cover three people's jobs after losing half his team, and why his shop now sells nearly every hour his techs clock.
Results with ShopView
| Before | After |
|---|---|
| Clunky shop management software where everything had to be entered manually | A lot of the administrative burden is gone |
| Doing everything the hard way, then redoing it | Saving one whole person's job, about 40 hours a week |
| Invoiced hours at about 80 to 85% of hours clocked | Invoiced hours closer to 98% of hours clocked |
| Switching between a lot of screens with different load times, and no AI story writing | ShopCoach AI cleans up tech stories into sellable work orders |
"Our invoiced hours versus hours they were clocking was about 80, 85%. Now we're sitting closer to 98%. We're selling every hour worked, pretty much."
Josh Langstaff, Owner - Mach 6 Mechanical
Clunky Software, Manual Entry, and Everything Done the Hard Way
Mach 6 Mechanical is run by owner Josh Langstaff, who describes his role at the shop as everything and nothing at the same time.
Before ShopView, the shop used a different shop management software, and everything about it was clunky. Everything had to be entered manually. Using it meant switching between a lot of screens with a lot of different load times, and there was no AI story writing or cleanup of text.
Josh says they realized the old system wasn't working shortly after installing it. Paperwork was much more burdensome, and the team was constantly doing everything the hard way and then redoing it.
Losing Half the Team in One Sitting
At one point, Josh lost about half his team in one sitting. He needed a way to handle three people's jobs at one time, and ShopView looked like the way to do it.
For about three months, that is what he did. He was the service advisor, writing parts, working as a mechanic, and watching reporting, all through ShopView. In his words, it worked really great for that.
ShopView's Familiar Tale for Heavy-Duty Repair Shops
- Clunky shop software where everything had to be entered manually
- Switching between screens with a lot of different load times
- No AI help writing or cleaning up tech stories
- Doing everything the hard way, then redoing it
- With 10 techs, a service advisor can spend the whole week fixing stories
Implementing ShopView: Job-Based Clock-Ins, AI Story Writing, and Access From Anywhere
With ShopView, a lot of the administrative burden is gone. Techs can only clock into the jobs they're working, so the hours they put in get captured.
Josh calls the AI assist on story writing one of the best features ShopView has right now. ShopCoach AI takes a tech's story, puts in the diagnosis and the checks that were done, and cleans up the spelling, grammar, and punctuation so it reads as a sellable work order.
When he's away from the shop, Josh can log in from his phone, a tablet, or a laptop, whatever he has available. He can see what's in the WIP, what's being done, any messages, and reporting on financials.
"Service advisors spend so much time rewriting technician stories and helping them clean that up and make it actually a sellable work order. That's worth a lot of time, because if you got 10 guys, a service advisor is probably spending their whole week fixing stories."
Josh Langstaff, Owner - Mach 6 Mechanical
40 Hours Saved a Week and Nearly Every Hour Billed
Josh says Mach 6 is saving one whole person's job a week, about 40 hours, and seeing an increase in profitability.
The hours are getting captured too. Invoiced hours used to run about 80 to 85% of what techs clocked. Now they sit closer to 98%, and as Josh puts it, that is making money right there.
Mach 6 Mechanical's Favorite ShopView Features
ShopCoach AI Story Writing
Snaps a tech's story into shape, puts in the diagnosis and the checks that were done, and cleans up spelling, grammar, and punctuation so it's a sellable work order.
Clock-Ins Tied to Jobs
Techs can only clock into the jobs they're working, so more of the hours they put in get captured.
Access From Any Device
Log in from a phone, tablet, or laptop to check the WIP, see what's being done, read messages, and pull financial reporting from the road.
One System for Every Role
For about three months, Josh covered service advising, writing parts, mechanic work, and reporting himself, all inside ShopView.
"ShopView is a fair cost for the industry and it's bringing a lot more value than other similar products. Really happy with it."
Josh Langstaff, Owner - Mach 6 Mechanical