CarDoctor, a leading ecosystem that connect car owners and workshops in Vietnam, aims to enhance the car maintenance experience for both car owners and garage operators. To achieve this, CarDoctor introduced the Garage Management System (GMS) to workshops as a B2B SaaS. This system was designed to address various operational challenges and improve overall service quality.

An overview of the solution

The implementation of CarDoctor's GMS was a strategic move to streamline operations and enhance user experience. The GMS was developed to provide a centralized platform for managing service booking, inventory, vendors, and customer feedback.

This system allowed workshop operators to easily update service details, launch promotional campaigns, and respond to customer reviews, ensuring that all information was accurate and up-to-date.

On the other hand, the GMS was designed to automate and optimize the booking and scheduling processes. It included features such as real-time service tracking, standardized service protocols, and communication tools to facilitate seamless interactions between car owners and mechanics.

Impact

On our side, these new systems had a big effect on both development efficiency.

On the customers' side, they greatly enhanced communication efficiency between car owners and workshop owners.

For car owners, the CarDoctor app with GMS integration made it way easier to know what was going on with their cars. They could see everything in real time and talk to the workshop whenever they wanted. The automated booking and scheduling system made sure everything went smoothly and that cars got serviced on time. This made customers happy and loyal. The ecosystem also made it easy for customers to find and manage service information and promotions, which kept them coming back.

For workshop operators, the GMS streamlined their operations, allowing them to manage bookings more efficiently and maintain consistent service quality. The standardized service protocols integrated into the GMS ensured that all garages adhered to high standards, improving their reputation and customer trust.

The Problem and Solution space

Problem: Difficulty in tracking orders and sending quotes

Workshop managers were drowning in orders. One manager put it perfectly: "On normal days, we're juggling 80 cars at once - everything from quick washes to major repairs. Tracking them all was a nightmare."

The old systems couldn't handle the volume. Managers had no clear view of what was coming in, making it nearly impossible to stay organized or give customers accurate quotes.

So we built a dashboard that shows everything at once. Now managers can see all their orders, figure out what's most urgent, and send quotes without digging through paperwork. The system handles the updates and notifications automatically, so nothing falls through the cracks.

The result? Managers spend less time chasing down information and more time actually getting cars fixed. And customers get their quotes faster and know exactly when their car will be ready.

Order and deliverables tracking

CarDoctor faced challenges in assigning mechanics to tasks and tracking the progress of deliveries. The existing system lacked the capability to monitor mechanics' performance effectively, leading to inefficiencies and delays.

I designed an "order board" which included a list view and a Kanban-board style view, inspired by popular project management tools. The new system allowed managers to track mechanics' performance and monitor the progress of each task in real-time.

This would provide a clear and organized overview of all ongoing orders, so that the system improved task allocation and ensured timely delivery of services of workshops. This solution brought greater efficiency and transparency to their operations by 85%.

Assigning mechanics to each order

Workshop owners were constantly juggling mechanic schedules and struggling to figure out who should work on which car. When a new booking came in through the CarDoctor app, managers would waste time trying to match the right mechanic to the job. Even worse, customers were left in the dark about what was happening with their cars, leading to frustrated phone calls and unhappy clients.

Our management system would be expected to change that. Now when an order comes in, workshop managers can quickly see which mechanics are available and assign the job to whoever has the right skills and time slot. No more guesswork or double-booking.

But the real game-changer was giving customers live updates. Instead of wondering "Is my car ready yet?" customers can now check their app and see exactly what's happening - whether their mechanic just started the diagnostic, ordered a part, or finished the repair.

This transparency eliminated most of those "Where's my car?" phone calls and made customers feel much more confident about the service they were getting.

CarDoctor's Workshop CMS

Workshop managers at CarDoctor were drowning in paperwork and struggling to keep track of bookings and inventory. They needed a better way to handle all the day-to-day admin work that was eating up their time.

That's why we built the CarDoctor CMS - a system specifically designed to solve the real problems workshop owners face every day when trying to run their business and keep customers happy. In this case study, we'll look at exactly what those challenges were and how our CMS tackles them head-on.

Problem

Workshop owners faced significant hurdles in managing customer service across numerous communication platforms such as Zalo, Messenger, and other messaging apps. The proliferation of these platforms presented challenges in updating customers about their car job status, often leading to communication inconsistencies. Consequently, customers experienced a lack of transparency, contributing to an overload of orders and inefficiencies in the support team's response.

Moreover, the absence of an easy-to-use Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system integrated with workshop management tools exacerbated these issues. Workshop owners were overwhelmed by manual, repetitive tasks, like sending quotes or informing customers about service details, which diminished overall efficiency.

Solution

We built the CMS to solve all these problems in one place:

Everything in one dashboard: Instead of juggling phone calls, texts, and paperwork, workshop staff can handle all customer communication from a single screen. Customers get instant updates, and nothing gets missed.

AI does the boring stuff: The system automatically generates quotes and tracks services, so staff can focus on actually fixing cars instead of filling out forms and chasing down information.

Happy customers come back: When customers can see what's happening with their car and get quick responses, they trust you more. Plus, the system makes it easy to follow up on warranties and bring people back for future services.

A customizable chat System: The revamped chat system empowers workshop administrators with the flexibility to toggle the chatbot on or off according to their preferences. This feature ensures that workshops can balance automated efficiency with valuable human insight, tailoring the customer service experience to their needs.

Final words

The CarDoctor CMS completely changed how workshops operate. After researching multiple large-scale workshops and studying retail systems, we built a solution that tackles three core problems: tracking high order volumes, managing mechanic assignments, and keeping customers engaged.

The results speak for themselves. AI-powered features and performance metrics cut labor costs while bringing in more repeat customers. Workshop staff adopted the system quickly, and the accurate tracking and automated quotes have made it essential for vehicle service businesses. Bottom line: happier customers and better profits.