# Daily operations in an auto repair shop

> The daily routine of a garage on SmartPOS Hub - morning job board, drop-offs, status updates, parts ordering, pickups, cash-up and weekly reports.

Source: https://docs.smartposhub.com/business-types/auto-shop/daily-operations/  
Last updated: 2026-10-30  
Product: SmartPOS Hub (https://smartposhub.com)

A garage day is a loop: cars arrive, get diagnosed, wait for approval or parts, get fixed and go home. SmartPOS Hub keeps that loop visible on the job board and the Repair dashboard. Here is the routine that keeps promises on time.

## Morning

1. Open the register at the front desk (**Sell › POS**, **Cash in hand**, **Open Register**).
2. Open **Repair › Dashboard**: open jobs, due today, overdue, awaiting approval, ready for pickup.
3. Call customers whose estimates are still **Awaiting approval**.
4. Check **Waiting for parts** jobs against today's deliveries.

![Repair dashboard with tiles for open jobs, due today, overdue, awaiting approval, ready for pickup and completed this month, revenue, average turnaround and charts of jobs by status and per day](https://docs.smartposhub.com/_astro/repair-dashboard.DJK1uuXC.png) (web app page: `/repair/dashboard`)
*Repair › Dashboard: the morning view of the workshop.*

## During the day

- **Drop-offs:** a job card for every car, with odometer, fuel and damage photos ([step 4](https://docs.smartposhub.com/business-types/auto-shop/step-4-run-job-cards/)).
- **Technicians:** change status and add comments as they work, from a PC or a phone.
- **Parts counter:** sell parts and quick services in the POS; receive deliveries with **Purchases › Add Purchase**.
- **Pickups:** **Convert to invoice**, take payment, **Mark as delivered** ([step 5](https://docs.smartposhub.com/business-types/auto-shop/step-5-invoice-warranty-and-history/)).

## Closing

1. Make sure every car that left today is **Delivered** and invoiced.
2. Close the register and count the cash.
3. Check **Reports › Z Report** for the day's totals.

## Weekly and monthly

| When | What | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Weekly | Overdue jobs and comebacks | Job sheets tiles, **Comebacks** tab |
| Weekly | Low stock on fast parts (filters, oil, pads) | **Reports › Stock Report** |
| Weekly | Unpaid fleet invoices | **Reports › Payment by Age** |
| Monthly | Revenue, turnaround and technician performance | **Repair › Reports** |
| Monthly | Profit, labour vs parts | **Reports › Profit / Loss Report**, **Reports › Product Sell Report** by category |

  - [Cash register and closing](https://docs.smartposhub.com/selling/cash-register-and-closing/)
  - [Reports overview](https://docs.smartposhub.com/reports/reports-overview/)
  - [Go-live checklist](https://docs.smartposhub.com/business-types/auto-shop/checklist/)

## Frequently asked questions

### What should the service advisor look at first in the morning?

Repair › Dashboard and the job sheet tiles - due today, overdue, awaiting approval and ready for pickup - so promised cars are not forgotten.

### How do technicians know which car is theirs?

Filter the job sheets by technician, or give technicians the View only own job sheets permission so they only see their jobs.

### How do I see revenue from repairs?

Repair › Dashboard shows revenue this month and average turnaround. Repair › Reports and Reports › Profit / Loss Report give the details.

### How do I chase fleet accounts?

Reports › Payment by Age lists unpaid invoices by days overdue, and the customer page shows the ledger.