This guide explains the Automations feature in MechanicDesk.
What Are Automations?
Automations allow you to automate simple, periodic tasks that help your business processes run smoothly.
Open Automations
To set up an automation, click Job Centre in the top navigation bar.
Then, in the subheadings, click Automations.
On this page, you may see an automation already configured for Monthly Stock Value Reports.
This has been set up because it is a common automation for workshops to run.
It is currently disabled. To enable it, click on the automation and press the green Enable button.
To set up a different automation, click the blue New Automation button in the top-right corner of the Automations page.
Configure an Automation
After creating a new automation, you will be taken to the page where you can configure it.
Give the automation an appropriate name, then select the automation type.
The automation type will determine what the automation does.
Recurring Report Automation
To configure a recurring report, set the automation type to Recurring Report.
This will change the available fields to match the automation type selected.
You can then enter:
- The desired frequency of the report
- The date you want it to start
- An end date, if you only want the report to run for a certain amount of time
If you want the automation to run forever, leave the end date field blank.
Select the report you want to be generated, then tick the Active checkbox.
If you select Stock Value Report, you will be able to achieve the same functionality as the automation that was created when the workshop was set up.
Currently, the automation will send the report to the email specified in your workshop details as Data Export Sent To.
If you would like to send it to a different email address, enter it into the Send to Email field.
Automated Service Reminders
Automated service reminders allow you to automatically send all service reminders of a selected type at your desired frequency.
Start by choosing the type of service reminder in the Reminder For dropdown.
For example, you can select Upcoming Service.
Then enter the desired frequency.
This frequency describes how often the automation can send service reminders, rather than how often reminders are sent to each individual customer.
You can then enter the Running From and Running To dates as before.
The Due In and Exclude Reminders fields are very important, as they determine who will receive the reminder and how often they are eligible to receive a reminder.
For example, you may want to send service reminders to everyone who has a service due in the next two weeks.
However, if your automation frequency is shorter than this, such as daily, and you do not set an exclusion period, customers may receive a reminder every day for two weeks.
For this reason, it is important to set an appropriate exclusion period, such as a week, to avoid sending too many reminders to customers.
The content of the service reminder can be configured in the Communication Templates section of settings.
Overdue Invoice Reminder Automation
The Overdue Invoice Reminder automation allows you to automatically send a reminder when an overdue invoice has been unpaid for a set period of time.
This only works for finalised invoices.
If the invoice is still in progress, it will not be included.
The frequency in this automation type determines how often customers will receive a notification, so select this option carefully.
Start and end dates can be set the same as the other automation types.
Next, the subject and content of the reminder can be configured using the variables listed on the right, using the same system as communication templates.
The Send After setting determines when customers start receiving reminders, based on how old their unpaid invoice is.
The delivery method controls how the reminder will be sent, with email and SMS available.
You can also choose to try one method and default to another.
This is useful if some customers may not have an email address or phone number entered in MechanicDesk. For example, if you only select SMS and the customer does not have a phone number in the system, no reminder will be sent.
You can also choose to attach the invoice for the customer to view in the reminder.
Finished Job Follow Up Automation
The Finished Job Follow Up automation allows you to automatically notify a customer when you have finished a job and their vehicle is ready to collect.
Frequency and duration dates work the same as the other automations.
The Only For Job Types field allows you to choose specific job types.
Leaving this field blank means a message will be sent regardless of the job type.
Below this, you can specify the message to be sent, as well as the delivery method, in the same way as overdue invoice reminders.
Save the Automation
When you have configured your automation the way you want it, tick the Active checkbox if it is ready for use.
Then click the blue Save button.