Shop Boss

Pros

How every little thing is integrated and built in the software to run the shop smoothly

Cons

No complaints, It's Definity everything i think any shop needs to have to keep everything organized. and [sensitive content hidden] was absolute amazing on the Demonstration.

Pros

Very user friendly. Customer support is very responsive. Outages are rare and quickly addressed. Lots of features and integrations. Customer suggestions considered and new features and updates regularly added.

Cons

No offline usage. There are small features that would be nice. Being able to re-open a RO in the search screen. Being able to choose colors for categories.

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Switching to Shop Boss

Pros

Nothing so far, A lot of talk from them and any obvious flaws they claim they are aware of and will be fixed in the imaginary update that never appears. Also if you join there private help groups and you don't pretend to like there software they ban you and remove your comments.

Cons

Customer support is non existent. Software is expensive and counter intuitive

Pros

The software is very windows based, so easy to work with, it's "click and play". The team at shop boss is interactive with their clients and very responsive to suggestions to make the product better. They have a dedicated support team available by chat during business hours and respond to email queries within one day typically.

Cons

The inventory system needs work - but guess what? As stated above, they are hugely responsive and they are working on fixing it! It would be nice if their reports explained a little better what data they were pulling (sometimes it doesn't make sense what information is presented) but again, if you contact support they will explain everything to you.

Pros

From The integrated inspection feature, to the ease of creating unlimited canned jobs, to the way the software communicates with some of my marketing partners, where do I start? Where do I end? It’s good!!

Cons

Only con I can think of is that we didn’t switch sooner!!

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Choosing Shop Boss

Switched From

Reasons for Switching to Shop Boss

Pros

The product is very easy to use and user friendly and also easy to navigate and highly recommended

Cons

There is no missing for me it's enough and had a great feature for the partnership to navigate and easy to understand

Pros

The boss inspections are the best inspections of any other POS

Cons

missing some integrations, not synced dispatch board

Pros

When our current owner purchased the business from the previous owner, he used ShopBoss and we just carried it over since the staff was familiar with it so thats the only reason we use it.

Cons

The fact that it is so consistently down, or being worked on. And all we get is a sorry. Funny that the billing is NEVER down, or the ability for them to charge our cards is NEVER down. Our shop depends on this program to work for our shop to run seamlessly. However, we can't depend on that. This week so far (Thursday) it has been down twice for HOURS. The first day, we had customers waiting and our techs were in the middle of jobs when it went down, we had no way for them to pay--or even open Work Orders to see them, so the amount of people who walked out with free work is asinine. All because the program doesn't work like it is supposed to--like we pay for it to work.

Pros

Everything you need is part of this program

Cons

nothing, everything that it lacks, you can submit suggestions that actually gets looked at and voted on and implemented with enough feedback

Pros

The ShopBoss community is great, they are very responsive if you have an issue that needs to be addressed and are very open to the communities feedback to make this system even better.

Cons

I feel like there are some pretty big bugs out there still that have not been addressed, one of my biggest cons with ShopBOSS is the integrated chat feature, it hardly gets used due to lack of notifications and how disorganized it can get.

Pros

I was in this business before computers were. I wasn't thrilled (to put it mildly) to integrate computers into my workplace. It was however a necessity. I have hated most softwares that I had to use. We changed over from a software that was cumbersome and had many less features. I hate change! It was really easy however with the support crew that is always a click away. I am a computer dummy, but the girls in the support section are a Godsend to me. They never get impatient with me, or get frustrated with my ignorance regarding computers. I absolutely refuse to change from Shop Boss primarily because of the stellar support group. I just cannot say enough about that team!

Cons

I would like to be able to send the same text to two or more phones on the repair order at the same time. can't use the "workflow" window because I cannot see enough at once.

Pros

Product was easy for our team members to adapt to. Customer service is top notch from implementation to following up on daily operations. The team at Shopboss will take the time to listen to customer's feedback and make the changes necessary to ensure efficiency.

Cons

No complaints

Pros

Very easy to change over from expensive system I was using. Very helpful and simple to use. Had more features and less money. Everyone that helped me make the change was A ++++

Cons

I didn’t really have any cons. Everything was super smooth and guys was rockstar’s that made it happen

Pros

I like how easy it is to learn and access. The ability to look up labor times is a huge help for this program also.

Cons

As far as scheduling goes its just too cluttered. We still use google for scheduling but if that changes in the future that would be great!

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Choosing Shop Boss

Pros

Short learning curve and everything we were looking for in a POS System

Cons

Could use a better Parts and Labor guide.

Pros

My favorite feature is to build individual estimates in there own box, and be able to ok or send to recommendations!

Cons

Overall it’s all good !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Pros

The Digital Inspections, and Texting/Emailing has really stepped up our game.

Cons

We were 17 year Mitchel1 users, So coming from them to ShopBoss some of the things you can and cant do seem odd. Id like to be able to change the width of some of the items in the W.I.P.. Id like to be able to change the status( Inspection,Approval,Parts,Etc..) into my own custom labels and then color code them on the W.I.P.. I dont like the operation of a recomended Repair, I prefer the Revision(From Mitchel), basically an open quote stuck to the customers vehicle profile that I can see with out having to reopen. There seems to be a lot of Re opening things. Sometimes, Rarely, But Sometimes, The cloud base can be an Issue! It would be nice to have some sort of Server Based "imprint" or "Copy" for when there are Internet issues, either on my end or Shop Boss's end.

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Choosing Shop Boss

Switched From

Reasons for Switching to Shop Boss

Pros

It just works! It's simple, easy, and intuitive. It's cloud based, amazing customer support, very affordable, and quick to learn

Cons

Maybe the look of the software is a little dated? But it's still better than something like Mitchell or protractor.

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Choosing Shop Boss

Switched From

Reasons for Switching to Shop Boss

Pros

I found Shop Boss really easy to use. It's really easy to set up for your shop. The customer service is extremely helpful and friendly. The price is right.

Cons

The parts ordering integration is really the only thing I don't like about Shop Boss. In my option, it really doesn't save any time, as I still have to manually enter the PO number after I order the parts. Also, and this may be an issue with PartsTech, but if I go and add parts to an existing cart, it wants to add ALL the parts, not just the one(s) I added. Also, it I create multiple orders, and order from of them, all the orders get erased. If I decline a job, and then the customer comes back, I have to re-look up everything as the order isn't saved. In my opinion, once the parts integration issues get fixed, this will be a phenomenal product.

Pros

I like the invoicing parameters, the employee time sheets, the sales tax and accounting features. I also like the overview of daily, monthly or yearly spans of parts and labor pricing. I like the feature on emailing the estimate or the invoice to a client. I like that I can upload pictures to an invoice.

Cons

Other than glitches now and again, I am extremely happy with this program. I am wondering if there is feature to download past history of invoices/customers incase something happens with the program or I go out of business in this location?

Pros

The software is very intuitive and easy to use. New employees can walk in and start writing work orders almost immediately. The work flow is simple and makes logical sense walking the customer through the intake process. They have built in labor books, parts ordering, and texting that are easy to use and make the speed of service lightning fast. New features are constantly being released and improving the overall quality of the product.

Cons

There isnt much bad to say about their product. They have experienced some growing pains as they expanded their customer base that effected service slightly. They have since corrected these issues. There are difficulties when working with a completely web based system but the benefits greatly exceed the cons.

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Choosing Shop Boss

Reasons for Switching to Shop Boss

Pros

that it saves limited history. that we can order parts for specific vehicles. that we can email/text customers.

Cons

features dont always work as we need. cant combine husband/wife/children/siblings. dont show all avaiable parts for vendors we use. scheduling doesnt work for what we need. very confusing to navigate. no rep came to educate us on use. cost is not worth the few features we use. estimates/quotes are very difficult to use/transfer. cant change credit card for partial cash payments. i could write a list of issues but these are the main ones.

Pros

Keeping track of estimates and being able to separate repairs by job for customers. Love that we can send updates on repairs via email and text.

Cons

Need a manual that's easily available to learn more about software. Videos are helpful but not enough videos available .

Pros

Ease of building and charging an RO. Adding a vehicle to a customer is simple. Building canned jobs goes quick as well.

Cons

Doing quotes need improvement. Not being able to navigate multiple historic ROs without having to search for the vehicle again.

Pros

Cloud Based and the ability to have custom reports made

Cons

The fact that they are falling away from being an individual and teaming up with others

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Choosing Shop Boss

Switched From

Reasons for Switching to Shop Boss

Pros

Did not require training to get in. When I hired an experienced service writer he could believe how easy and powerful it was. When after just just a couple steps an RO was created and estimate done he asked what else. I stated, that's it. he could not believe it was that easy.

Cons

It could be a bit more tablet friendly.

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Choosing Shop Boss

Switched From

Pros

In the educational environment we needed software that would allow the first year students pick up and use with little instruction. Students are able to navagate the software easilly.

Cons

It is a little time consuming setting it up intially, but having the customization is a great advantage.

Pros

Shopboss is a cloud based management program that easy to use. I can access it any where.

Cons

Shopboss does not allow for individual customer reports

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Choosing Shop Boss

Switched From

Reasons for Switching to Shop Boss

Pros

Texting customers, photo upload, internet based, easy interface.

Cons

No real mobile app, no parts return tracking, no offline option, can’t change all labels, missing AR tracking, can’t split one labor line between 2 techs, can’t upload videos.

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Switching to Shop Boss

Pros

For our small repair business it suits all of our needs.

Cons

we have not been happy with the ability to integrate with accounting such as quickbooks.

Pros

We like the ability to create work orders when vehicles and equipment come in for repair. It eliminates the conversations over phone/text message/in person between techs and admin, as all of the information is in ShopBoss. It is also a bonus that the program allows employees to clock in and out.

Cons

It is a real downfall that it does not link to QuickBooks in Canada.

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Switching to Shop Boss

Pros

They are willing and able to create custom reports.

Cons

Cannot separate multiple vehicles from one owner. Should be able to list vehicles independently. Inventory is not easy to navigate.

Pros

Online function makes it easy. And the texting feature. The VIN scanner, though I never use it.

Cons

The quote feature. Needs to be just like the normal estimate feature, but you need to be able to save it, reference it later, open on the date the vehicle comes back in, etc...

Pros

It is easy to access when I'm at home and need to make changes. I can get in contact with customers and send quotes over the weekend so they can get an answer to us asap. It is easy to navigate that new employees are able to learn the software within a few weeks. Much better than the old school hand written work orders. I also love the feature of attaching photos so customers can go to a text message link, see the repair order and see what we are seeing. Helps increase sales and trust with our customers.

Cons

Since Shopboss is web based when ever the software goes down I am unable to look up customer information or history so makes it hard to continue to work even when the software is down if we need further information.

Pros

Ease of use and customer service have been exceptional. The team has always done a good job of listening to feedback and trying to implement requests for us.

Cons

It would be handy to be able to see the actual communication sent from Shopboss to customers. Not just a log of when sent, but what the email communication actually said (similar to texting).

It would also be useful to be able to flag a customer to show if they will be "waiting" with car or dropping off.

Pros

Being web-based adds a great level of versatility. The support team is pretty good at handling individual requests and can readily customise features for one's needs.

Cons

Be careful when making changes to an RO because there isn't a "Cancel" option

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Choosing Shop Boss

Reasons for Switching to Shop Boss

Pros

Very quick to get up and running. I was able to log in and instantly start entering customers, making invoices. The internet based log in is a huge plus as I can take paper work home and log in to finish up RO's.

I run a custom high performance BMW shop and had some unique needs and I was able to enter support requests and was amazed when within the hour I was called by the technical support team to review my needs and they where able to implement changes to the software immediately. When you can communicate directly with the software developer on call, that is a huge plus.

One feature I really enjoy is the ability to send my customers updates to their RO via email or text and even upload pictures with the invoice so customers can see exactly what is happening with their vehicle. For a shop that deals exclusively with custom workmanship, my customers really enjoy this feature.

Overall I have been very impressed by this software and for the small shop owner it works excellent.

Cons

This is basically a 'Front End' based software and does not really focus on financial management. To fully implement the financial side of things you will need to use Quick Books. At the same time this keeps it simple. Quick Books is also the most recognized small business financial management tool available, so the fact the software integrates with Quick Books is a plus.

Their have been some minor developmental issues, but as said above the tech support is awesome and they will generally resolve any issues on the fly within a short amount of time, sometimes within the hour.

Not really any cons to this software at all.

Pros

Simplicity of the system. No special software or hardware needed to run application.

Cons

It will freeze at times when needed the most.

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Switching to Shop Boss

Pros

ease tu use , keep track of repair and client info

Cons

no parts categories in the inventories !!

Pros

easy to use and easy to teach others how to use

Cons

scheduling and assigning techs to jobs is confusing

Pros

cloud based and security, email information to customer

Cons

price , integrations that i cant use ie not Canadian compatible

Pros

User friendly, ability to access online (nice for us to check in while on vacation), quality, constantly adding new features to keep up with the technological changes, excellent price point.
We also appreciate the customer service, often times the owner, Chris is the one to directly contact us to answer and questions we have or customize the software to fit our needs.
Shop Boss has excellent reports that give us an instant snap shot of where our business is financially at any given time.

Cons

None, if ever there is a concern it is addressed immediately!

Pros

Shop Boss is easy to use and easy to learn

Cons

Better reporting for financial and productivity

Pros

I like the time clock function. It helps me keep track of employees hours.

Cons

Just to get logged in there are way too many steps in my opinion.

Pros

Ease of use, responsiveness to our needs for assistance or feature improvements.

Cons

I haven't had time to implement so many of the most powerful features yet.

Pros

runs on any web device
web based
no software to install
the support is amazing, problems are fixed immediately.
good EULA
I feel that my data is safe and customer information will not be sold or used by a 3rd party.

I was looking for a way to run the shop without using the Windows operating system. I realized that I wanted a web based program. Shop Boss Pro is THE answer! Feature rich, easy to use and learn. With the best customer support I have ever received from ANY company hands down. I use it on computers loaded with Ubuntu Linux, with ipads and one windows machine.
allows us to run the shop completely paperless, from vehicle intake to right before the invoice is printed, there is no paper.
accessible from any computer online.
Absolutely a 5 star system.
can be run on older computers, no server costs or the costs of constantly upgrading computers.
an absolute bargain!

Cons

honestly, none so far that the developer has not fixed within hours.

Pros

The software was easy to navigate. Its functionality was great with its color coding.

Cons

We did not like writing in our labor descriptions or parts descriptions. We found that in order to re read what you wrote you would have to save it, look on the main page of thE repair order then go back in and scroll through the line that you type the description and find where the spot to edit. In that line only 10 words or so would fit so you had to use the arrows to get through the entire description.

Pros

We were sold the software but we’re only able to do zoom training. Not good.

Cons

It was not user friendly and was very frustrating to navigate.

Pros

How easy it is to use and train new people

Cons

with any type of software has the odd glitch but nothing major and always gets fixed right away

Pros

Online based and can be accessed from anywhere, any computer, any smart phone.

Cons

none at this time