How to Connect Your Automotive Workshop to Xero with Autolly
Running an automotive workshop involves much more than repairing vehicles. You also need to manage customers, quotes, jobs, technicians, invoices, payments, taxes, and accounting.
Using separate systems for workshop management and accounting can create extra administrative work. Information may need to be entered more than once, increasing the time spent on bookkeeping and the possibility of errors.
Autolly helps automotive workshops manage their day-to-day operations while connecting their business information with Xero accounting software.
With the Xero integration, you can manage your workshop in Autolly and send relevant financial information to Xero instead of manually recreating the same information in your accounting system.
What Is Automotive Workshop Management Software?
Automotive workshop management software is designed to help repair shops and garages manage the complete repair process.
Instead of relying on spreadsheets, paper job cards, separate invoicing systems, and manual processes, workshop management software brings these activities together in one system.
Depending on the software, this can include:
- Customer management
- Vehicle management
- Quotes and estimates
- Customer approvals and signatures
- Job management
- Technician tasks
- Labour and parts
- Invoicing
- Payments
- Tax calculations
- Vehicle collection
- Accounting integrations
For a modern automotive workshop, having these processes connected can make it easier to keep track of work from the initial quote through to payment.
Why Connect Workshop Management Software to Xero?
Xero is accounting software used by businesses to manage their financial records.
However, your accounting software is not necessarily where you want to manage the day-to-day repair process.
An automotive workshop has its own operational workflow.
A customer might contact your workshop for a repair, receive a quote, approve the work, have the vehicle repaired by one or more technicians, receive an invoice, and make a payment.
Your accounting software needs the financial information from that process, but it doesn't need to manage every step of the vehicle repair.
This is where an integration between Autolly and Xero can be useful.
Autolly manages the workshop workflow, while Xero can continue to be used for accounting.
How Autolly Connects Your Workshop to Xero
The process starts in Autolly.
1. Create a Quote
Create a quote for the customer in Autolly.
The quote can contain the work required, labour, parts, pricing, and applicable taxes.
2. Get Customer Approval
Once the customer approves the work, the job can be started.
Autolly keeps the workshop workflow connected to the approved quote.
3. Manage the Repair Job
The workshop can manage the repair through Autolly.
Tasks can be assigned to technicians and the job can be updated as the required work changes.
If additional work is required, the job and pricing can be updated accordingly.
4. Create the Invoice
When the work is completed, the invoice can be handled through Autolly.
Discounts, taxes, labour, parts, and other relevant information can be included as part of the invoicing process.
5. Record the Payment
Payments can be recorded against the job in Autolly.
The customer can then complete the vehicle collection process.
6. Send the Information to Xero
Instead of manually recreating the completed transaction in Xero, Autolly can send the relevant information through the Xero integration.
This creates a connection between your workshop management system and your accounting system.
Autolly + Xero: Less Double Data Entry
One of the biggest advantages of connecting workshop management software with accounting software is reducing duplicate administration.
Without an integration, a workshop may need to complete the repair process in one system and then manually enter the financial information into another.
For example:
Without an integration:
Autolly → Complete job → Create invoice → Open Xero → Find customer → Re-enter invoice information → Enter tax → Record payment
With an integrated workflow:
Autolly → Complete job → Invoice → Payment → Send information to Xero
The exact information transferred depends on the configuration of the integration, but the goal is simple:
Enter the information where the work happens and reduce unnecessary re-entry into your accounting system.
Why Xero Integration Matters for Auto Repair Shops
For a growing automotive workshop, administrative tasks can become increasingly time-consuming.
The more customers, vehicles, jobs, invoices, and payments a business handles, the more important it becomes to have connected systems.
A Xero integration can help create a workflow where:
- Workshop staff can focus on managing repairs in Autolly
- Customer and vehicle information can remain in the workshop system
- Quotes and jobs can be managed in Autolly
- Invoices can be created as part of the workshop workflow
- Payments can be recorded against jobs
- Financial information can be sent to Xero
- Accounting can continue to be managed in Xero
This allows the workshop management system and accounting software to work together instead of requiring the business to manage the same information in multiple places.
Is Autolly a Replacement for Xero?
No.
Autolly and Xero serve different purposes.
Autolly is designed for automotive workshop management.
It helps workshops manage customers, vehicles, quotes, repair jobs, technicians, invoices, payments, and the overall workshop workflow.
Xero is accounting software.
By connecting the two, a workshop can use Autolly to manage its operational workflow while continuing to use Xero for its accounting needs.
This approach means you don't have to force your workshop management system to become your accounting system.
Who Can Use Autolly and Xero?
The Autolly and Xero integration can be useful for businesses such as:
- Auto repair shops
- Automotive workshops
- Vehicle service centres
- Garages
- Independent mechanics
- Car repair businesses
- Automotive service businesses
- Multi-technician workshops
Whether you operate a small independent garage or a larger automotive repair business, connecting your workshop management software with accounting software can help create a more connected business workflow.
Choose Workshop Software That Works With Your Accounting System
Your workshop management software and accounting software don't need to be the same system.
A workshop needs software designed around the way a repair business actually operates.
That means managing customers, vehicles, quotes, approvals, jobs, technicians, parts, labour, invoices, payments, and vehicle collection.
Your accounting system can then handle the accounting side of the business.
Autolly connects these two parts of your business with Xero integration, helping workshops move information from their completed workshop operations into their accounting workflow.
Get Started With Autolly
If you're looking for automotive workshop management software with Xero integration, Autolly provides a way to manage your workshop operations while connecting your business with Xero.
Manage your workshop in Autolly and keep your accounting workflow connected with Xero.
Learn more about Autolly and Xero integration and see how Autolly can help your workshop manage its complete repair workflow.