My Collision Shop Management Software

I'm very excited these days, because the collision repair shop management program I've been working on for a while seems to finally come to an end..I hope a happy one. I love this piece of software, maybe because it's my first big programming task. It looks very stable. It's been used in a car auto body repair shop for more than a year, and I want to thank to the auto body shop manager who agreed to use and test it through every single phase of its development.

The shop manager told me he was very happy with the impact of this computerized management system on the shop performance. First of all, the shop has a clear history of the jobs they ever performed, and every new order is associated with the customer record. No more questions like "where did I write the customer's phone number", "what cars did we do last month", and most important, no more price quotes for repairs without computation, means less errors, zero underpaid repairs. Now the customer and the shop manager know exactly what they've agreed on, thanks to the written estimate. He also likes the way my program converts the repair estimate into an automobile repair bill with one click. He finds the search capabilities, by customer name, car make, or plate number, very useful too, and the performance reports work like a charm. All of the sudden, everything looks more organized. I almost forgot..every record (repair job) has a photo album associated with it. Why doctors can keep test results just in case and a collision repair shop can't? After all, pictures say a lot, and can greatly help the body-shop owner or manager deal with crazy customer claims.

I shouldn't say it, but I really think my shop management system is way more user friendly than other platforms available on the market. To make it convenient and inexpensive for the small repair shops that can't afford to pay much, I'm planning to sell it for a reasonable price, under $100, and 0 (zero) monthly fee. I will also set up a trial version, probably based on a limited number of car repair records.

Sign up with your email address, and I will send you a link to download the trial version as soon as it's available.

Anybody can suggest how many records will be enough for the shop manager to evaluate the software?

The nostalgia of the future

Some may wonder why somebody in his late 30's decides to change career. I know it is not unusual, but reasons may vary. Sometimes one realizes that the old profession is not in demand anymore, or it may be about lack of satisfaction with what you do. In my case, it was all emotional. When I was in my late 30's, not only did I decide to change career, but my entire life. That happened when I accepted that divorce was better than staying in an unhappy marriage, and living on my own, although difficult, will make me feel better and respect myself more.

To make a long story short, I totally abandoned the mechanical engineering, and went for computers. Not that computers ever amazed me in any way, but it had to be something competitive..and I had another good reason for that: My ex made me feel I couldn't eventually go for computers. Perhaps she was right, but my stubborn nature was stronger than all, and I graduated with honors.

It may not be a big deal, but it is for me. It is not the diploma that makes me feel good, I didn't even go to the graduation ceremony. It's not the honors I graduated with, and merely the knowledge I gained. It's defeating the past..

About computers, my relatively new passion for Visual Basic, and the programs I'm working on..in one of my next postings

Happy Birthday Leo !

It's time to introduce a very close friend of mine, Leo. He is now 11 years old, and he's a mixture of Rottweiler, Chow Chow, and German Shepherd.

We got very attached to each other, and have that special connection...

September 5, 2005

A small update.. I wish I never had to!

I really don't feel like talking much about, but...he left our world 10 days ago, and that makes me feel very empty..

I will always miss you, my very good friend. Rest in peace

No comments on this post please

Welcome All !

I’m happy to see comments, and will be happy to answer them all. I’d also like to thank to my first visitors. Hello California! ! Hello Tiger! Oh man..Why do I feel attracted to the West Coast…
And about myself…didn’t forget what I’ve promised, just getting busy…

A bit about myself

Since I am new to blogs, I will just get a taste of what it means. For now I can say that I love dogs, especially big dogs. I live in Woodside, an old neighborhood of Queens New York. I just got my second degree, this time in Computer Technology. I will post later about my college experience and some of my hobbies.