Mechanic app for car service: the phone as a workshop terminal

What problem does a mechanic app solve?

A mechanic app gives your workshop staff a place to handle their own jobs without bringing pricing into the mechanic’s view. When reception holds the customer conversation and mechanics handle the vehicle, information needs to move between them clearly. A phone can serve as the workshop terminal for tasks, time and findings, rather than making every update a trip back to the desk. For you as an owner or manager, the useful distinction is between recording what the car needs and deciding what the customer should approve.

Mechanics see only their own jobs on their phone (the Junto mechanic app or the web), run job timers based on server time, tick off tasks, add photos and report "found another problem"; they never see prices. This gives the mechanic a defined working view rather than the same access as reception or management. Explain that boundary when introducing the workflow: the mechanic documents the work and its findings, while reception takes responsibility for the price and the customer conversation.

How does the phone workflow work step by step?

The phone workflow moves from the mechanic’s own job to timed work, completed tasks and documented findings. Use app.junto.ge/jobs as the staff jobs entry point, with mechanics working through the Junto mechanic app or the web. Before introducing the process across your shop, walk through a real job with each mechanic. Make sure they understand what to record during the work and what belongs with reception, especially when a newly discovered problem is outside the work already agreed with the customer.

Start with the job the mechanic is responsible for, use the job timer to record working time, and tick off tasks as they are completed. Photos and the "found another problem" action provide a way to document something that needs attention without asking the mechanic to quote it. Set a consistent shop practice for descriptions: identify the part or area, explain what was observed, and avoid presenting an uncertain diagnosis as a confirmed repair. That gives reception useful material for the next conversation.

• Open your own job on the phone.
• Run the job timer while carrying out the work.
• Tick off completed tasks.
• Add photos and report another problem when needed.
• Leave pricing and the customer approval request to reception.

How does a finding reach the customer?

A finding goes to reception, who prices it and sends it to the customer for approval. This is the handover between workshop evidence and a commercial decision, not a reason for mechanics to discuss prices through their own job view. Reception should use the finding to explain what has been discovered and what additional work is being proposed. If a description is unclear, clarify it with the mechanic before asking the customer to decide, rather than turning an incomplete note into a confident recommendation.

The customer receives suggested work through an SMS approval link and can see each line with its price before work starts. They can also follow the repair’s status on their phone. For your shop, the practical benefit is a clearer sequence: identify the issue, describe and price the proposed work, then ask for approval. A customer who has left the car with you can review the proposal without returning to reception. Make your own staff procedure clear about checking the customer’s decision before carrying out additional work.

Who uses it, and what can each role see?

Mechanics use the restricted job view, while reception, managers and owners work within their separate access boundaries. Staff roles: owner (everything), manager (no payroll, subscription, expense categories or payment gateway), receptionist (no expenses, payroll, timesheets or reports), mechanic (own jobs only, no prices). These boundaries matter when you decide who handles a finding, who speaks to the customer and who reviews workshop performance. Give each person the role that matches their responsibilities rather than assuming every staff member needs the owner’s view.

Job timers feed timesheets, payroll for hourly staff and the actual-vs-planned hours report. Time entry therefore supports more than the job currently on the lift: it also contributes to the records used to understand labour. Managers do not have payroll access, and receptionists do not have timesheet or report access under the roles above. When reviewing recorded time, keep those distinctions intact. A mechanic can record work through the job workflow without needing access to the payroll information that may later use it.

How does the mechanic view connect to the rest of Junto?

The mechanic view connects workshop activity with Junto’s work orders, reception workflow and working-time records. Junto brings bookings and the calendar, car check-in with photos and a signature, and work orders with labour and part lines into one app. The mechanic’s phone serves the workshop side of that process without exposing prices. When a finding needs a customer decision, reception handles pricing and the SMS approval request, keeping that decision separate from the mechanic’s task recording.

The wider shop workflow also includes invoices and payments by cash, card, bank transfer or online, along with SMS reminders. These belong to the broader service process, not to the mechanic’s price-free job view. For a shop working with several branches or corporate fleet clients, Junto also supports several branches and a corporate fleet client portal. Keep your training focused on the handovers each person actually uses; mechanics do not need a tour of every office function to understand how to document a job properly.

What setup and workshop habits do you need?

You need the appropriate staff roles and a clear working routine, and you should check module availability before choosing your setup. Some features are modules; the pricing page shows which plan includes them, and an owner can request a module that is not in the plan from inside the app. Do not assume a particular plan includes every part of the workflow described here. Check the pricing page against the functions your shop needs, especially where time records and reporting are part of your intended process.

Good workshop habits make phone records useful: write specific findings, take photos that show the relevant area, and keep task completion and timer use consistent. In Georgia, imported used cars and vehicles with LPG/CNG conversions can make careful descriptions particularly useful; record what you actually observe rather than assuming a vehicle’s condition from its age or background. Junto works in Georgian and English, on a computer and on a phone. Use the language your staff understand clearly when teaching the workflow and reviewing example findings.

• Confirm each staff member’s role before introducing live jobs.
• Agree how mechanics should describe findings and take supporting photos.
• Teach reception to clarify uncertain findings before pricing them.
• Review timer use so recorded hours reflect the work consistently.
• Check the pricing page for the modules your shop needs.

Questions and answers