The chain is worn and the customer is in a meeting
A mechanic has a bike on the stand for a standard service. The chain checker drops straight through, the cassette teeth are shark-finned and the brake pads are down to the metal. None of that was in the booking. The mechanic writes it on the tag and asks the counter to ring the customer.
The counter rings. Voicemail. They leave a message. The bike comes off the stand and goes to the back so the mechanic can start the next job. The customer rings back at four, speaks to someone else, and says yes to the chain but is not sure about the cassette. Tomorrow a different mechanic picks the bike up, reads 'rang customer' on the tag and has no idea what was agreed.
Approval depends on catching someone on the phone
Phone calls need both people free at the same moment. Customers at work do not answer unknown numbers, and when they call back they reach whoever is at the counter, who may not know the job. The explanation is second-hand, the customer cannot see the worn parts, and the answer is noted in a few words.
- The customer cannot see what the mechanic sees, so they hesitate or say no.
- Answers are taken by whoever picks up and noted briefly.
- The bike leaves the stand while waiting, and has to be re-set later.
- Partial approvals get muddled between items.
- There is no record if the customer later disputes what they agreed.
Stalled bikes and awkward collections
Every bike waiting for approval is a bike taking a space and a mechanic losing the thread of a job. Put back on the stand later, it is set up twice. Bikes that miss their promised day because the customer did not answer turn into a complaint about the shop, not about the customer.
At collection, vague approvals turn into arguments. A customer who does not remember agreeing to a cassette will not be pleased to pay for it, and you often end up absorbing the cost. The opposite also happens: customers turn down work they would have agreed to if they had seen why it was needed.
Approvals with photos, sent as the mechanic finds the work
We add an approval step to your workshop process, working with your job cards or workshop software.
- The mechanic adds each extra item to the job from a picklist of your parts and labour, with a short reason and a photo taken on the workshop tablet.
- The system builds the price from your price list, so it is consistent whoever finds the work.
- The customer receives a text or email with a link showing each item, its photo, reason and price, and buttons to approve or decline each one.
- Their answers are written back to the job with the time, and the mechanic sees them straight away.
- If there is no reply after a set time, a reminder goes out, then a note for the counter to call. The call outcome is recorded in the same place.
- At collection the invoice matches exactly what was approved.
| Item found | Customer sees | Recorded |
|---|---|---|
| Worn chain | Photo of chain checker and price | Approved at 11:42 |
| Worn cassette | Photo of teeth and price | Declined |
| Brake pads | Photo of pad thickness and price | Approved at 11:43 |
Customers can still ring if they prefer. The link is an easier route, not the only one.
Bikes that stay on the stand
Many customers answer a message within minutes when they can look at the evidence, so bikes can often stay on the stand while the mechanic carries on. The counter makes fewer calls. Collections go smoothly because the bill matches what the customer approved in writing. Declined items are recorded too, which is useful when the same bike returns later.
Consistent pricing is a quieter benefit. Every mechanic pulls from the same list, so a chain costs the same whoever finds it.
Is approval slowing your workshop?
- Bikes come off the stand to wait for a customer's answer.
- Approvals are taken by phone and noted in a few words on a tag.
- You have had collection disputes about what was agreed.
- Customers decline work they cannot see.
- Different mechanics quote different prices for the same extra job.