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// FEATURE.DEEP_DIVE

THE WORKBOARD

A real-time kanban command center for your shop. Drag orders between stages, customize every card, open floating detail windows, and automate column rules — all without leaving the board.

4 Stage Pipeline
Drag & Drop
20+ Card Fields
Floating Popups
app.garageex.com/admin/orders
Search orders...
Estimates
Work Orders
Invoices
Closed
ESTIMATES
3
EST-0042$1,247
John M.
2021 BMW X5
EST-0043$890
Lisa K.
2020 Camry
EST-0044$450
Dan W.
2023 RAV4
IN PROGRESS
2
WO-0038$680
Sarah P.
2019 CR-V
WO-0039$2,150
Mike T.
2022 Civic
INVOICES
2
INV-0021$1,100
Amy R.
2018 Accord
INV-0022$3,200
Tom R.
2022 F-150
CLOSED
1
ORD-0035$925
Kim L.
2021 Tacoma

// KANBAN.PIPELINE

FOUR-STAGE LIFECYCLE

Every order flows through four stages — Estimate, Work Order, Invoice, Closed. Each column shows real-time counts and maps to the full status lifecycle underneath.

ESTIMATE
Draft → Sent → Approved / Declined / Expired
WORK ORDER
Open → In Progress → On Hold → Work Complete
INVOICE
Invoiced → Partial Payment → Paid / Overdue
CLOSED
Paid ✓
// ADVANCEMENT.RULES
EstimateWork Order
Requires APPROVED status
Work OrderInvoice
Requires WORK_COMPLETE status
InvoiceClosed
Requires PAID — payment must be recorded
Backward moves blocked — orders can only advance forward
Stage skipping blocked — one stage at a time
ESTIMATES
EST-0042
John Martinez
EST-0043
Lisa Kim
2020 Toyota Camry
WORK ORDERS
Drop to advance

// DRAG_AND_DROP

MOVE ORDERS WITH A GESTURE

Grab any card and drop it into the next column. The order automatically advances to the next stage with full validation — no forms, no menus, just drag.

Drag cards between any adjacent columns
Stage validation enforced — can't skip steps or move backward
Instant visual feedback: glowing card shadow + highlighted drop zone
Success toast confirms every stage advancement
Invoice → Closed blocked until payment is recorded

// CARD.CUSTOMIZATION

YOUR CARDS, YOUR RULES

Toggle 20+ data fields per card. Switch between standard and condensed modes. Show vehicle images, tags, labor hours, balance due — or strip it down to essentials. Settings persist per shop.

CARD MODE
VISIBLE FIELDS
Vehicle Image
Tags
Vehicle Info
VIN
Customer
Phone
Service Writer
Due Date
Technicians
Notes
Appointments
Inspections
Authorization
Amount
Amount Due
LABOR HOURS
Authorized Only
Incomplete
Total
Remaining
LIVE PREVIEW
Vehicle Image
KL
EST-2069
Kim Lee
VIPFleet
2010 Honda Accord
Bay 2 — Marco R.
3.2h remaining
Authorized
Total$638.44
Due$202.44

// ORDER.POPUP

FLOATING DETAIL WINDOWS

Click any card to open a draggable, resizable detail window. Open multiple orders side-by-side. Minimize to a taskbar. Never lose context.

Drag title bar to reposition anywhere on screen
Resize with min 500×400px, bounded to viewport
Multiple windows open simultaneously — click to bring forward
Minimize to taskbar, restore with one click
Open full page for deep editing
Collect payments inline from Invoice popups
Quick SMS and call buttons on customer phone

// COLUMN.AUTOMATION

SET RULES, LET IT RUN

Configure per-column automation rules. Archive paid orders automatically. Clean up stale orders after N days. The workboard manages itself.

COLUMN SETTINGS — INVOICES
Auto-archive paid orders
Moves fully paid invoices to Closed
Archive when inactive
Orders untouched for 30 days
Inactive threshold
30 days (configurable)
Bulk archive: type column name to confirm

// SEARCH.AND_VIEWS

FIND ANYTHING INSTANTLY

INSTANT SEARCH

Debounced 300ms search across order numbers, customer names, vehicle info, and notes. Press / to focus.

STAGE FILTERS

One-click filter pills for Estimates, Work Orders, Invoices, and Closed. Toggle on/off instantly.

ARCHIVED TOGGLE

Show or hide archived orders with one click. Unarchive or permanently delete from the board.

BOARD VIEW

Full kanban board with drag-and-drop. All orders loaded at once (up to 200) for instant filtering.

LIST VIEW

Traditional table with server-side pagination. Status dropdown filter, sortable columns, row actions.

KEYBOARD SHORTCUTS

/ to focus search, Escape to blur. Enter to save column titles. View preference saved to localStorage.

// FULL.PLATFORM

EVERY MODULE. ONE SYSTEM.

Beyond the workboard — GarageEX is a complete shop management platform. Every feature integrated, every workflow connected.

ORDER LIFECYCLE

Unified estimate → work order → invoice → closed pipeline. Per-item approval, token-based customer authorization, auto-advancing statuses.

15+ statuses across 4 stages with validation rules
Job-based line items: Labor, Part, Fee, Sublet, Shop Supplies
Auto-recalculation with parts markup, shop supplies, compound taxes
PDF generation for estimates and invoices
Auto-incrementing sequences: EST-0001, INV-0001, RO-0001
app.garageex.com/admin/orders/42
EST-0042SENT
$2,847.50
Front Brake Service
2.5 hrs$487.50
Brake Pads (Ceramic)
× 2$189.00
Rotor Resurface
1.0 hrs$195.00
Shop supplies + Tax (13%)$1,976.00

DIGITAL INSPECTIONS

Photo-documented, color-coded DVI with customer-facing approval. Build trust and sell more work with visual evidence.

Traffic-light findings: GOOD / FAIR / POOR with priority sorting
14 inspection categories with custom finding creation
Photo and video capture with auto-compression to 2MB
Customer approves or declines per finding from their phone
Inspection summary embedded in estimate and invoice emails
app.garageex.com/admin/inspections/new
2023 Honda Accord3 / 6 checked
Engine Oil Level
GOOD
Front Brake Pads
FAIR — 4mm
Rear Brake Pads
POOR — 2mm
+ ADD PHOTO
SEND TO CUSTOMER

ONLINE BOOKING

5-step booking wizard with real-time availability, VIN decode, and 11 theme presets. Embed on your website or share via unique booking links.

Service → Vehicle → Date/Time → Contact → Confirm flow
11 visual themes (5 dark + 6 light) with customizable colors
Real-time slot availability with booked-slot detection
VIN decode, file upload, configurable required fields
Email and SMS confirmation on booking
book.garageex.com/franco-garage
3
4
5
Select a date
MTWTFSS
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
9:00 AM
10:30 AM
1:00 PM

CUSTOMER CRM

Complete customer profiles with lifetime metrics, vehicle history, fleet accounts, vendor management, and purchase orders.

Total spent, visit count, VIP/Active/Inactive status tracking
Fleet management for commercial accounts (6 fleet types)
Color-coded tag segmentation for marketing targeting
Vendor profiles with direct purchase order creation
Brevo contact sync for marketing campaigns
app.garageex.com/admin/customers/sarah
SP
Sarah Patterson
(613) 555-0147 • VIP
ACTIVE
$8,420
Total Spent
12
Visits
2
Vehicles
LoyaltyFleetReferral

STRIPE CONNECT

Seamless Stripe Connect onboarding — each shop gets its own connected account with direct deposits and real-time sync.

Per-shop Stripe Connect accounts with guided onboarding
Cash, Check, Credit Card, Debit, ACH, Other payment methods
Auto balance tracking — partial payments update status automatically
Saved customer payment methods with auto-default selection
Full payment history with method, amount, and timestamp audit trail

ANALYTICS DASHBOARD

Mission-control dashboard with today's appointments, revenue trends, customer reviews, and campaign performance.

Today's schedule feed with status-coded appointments
Revenue metrics with month-over-month change indicators
Review panel with star ratings and reply status
Quick stats: Total Customers, Average Rating, VIP Count
Personalized greeting with animated card reveals
app.garageex.com/admin
$12,480
Revenue
+18%
34
Orders
+5
8
Appts
today
4.9
Rating
32 reviews
Monthly Revenue — Last 12 months

CUSTOMER PORTAL

Self-service hub where customers view vehicles, check appointments, access service history, and manage their profile.

My Vehicles — complete vehicle records on file
Appointment history with upcoming and past views
Service history and past work records
Separate auth flow from admin panel

MARKETING CAMPAIGNS

Drive repeat business with email and SMS campaigns, 6 automation triggers, and real-time engagement analytics.

Email and SMS campaigns with recipient targeting
6 automation triggers: Service Reminder, Win-back, Welcome, Birthday, Post-Service, Mileage
Full funnel analytics: Sent → Delivered → Opened → Clicked → Converted
Revenue attribution and ROI tracking per campaign
Powered by Brevo for bulk delivery

TWO-WAY SMS

iMessage-style conversations with quick-reply templates, segment calculator, delivery tracking, and customer linking.

7 quick-reply templates: Vehicle Ready, Work Started, Approval Needed, etc.
SMS segment calculator (160/153 char breakpoints)
Conversation history linked to customer profiles
Media support for MMS with image attachments
Powered by Twilio for two-way messaging
app.garageex.com/admin/messages
JM
John Martinez
(613) 555-0199
Your 2021 BMW X5 is ready for pickup! Total: $2,150.00
2:34 PM • Delivered
Great, I will be there by 4pm. Can I pay with card?
2:41 PM
Vehicle ReadyPayment Link

PARTS & LABOR

Advanced pricing engine with 3 labor rates, multi-tier parts markup matrices, shop supplies fees, and compound tax support.

3 labor rates: Standard, Diagnostic, Specialty
SIMPLE or COMPOUND parts markup matrix modes
Configurable shop supplies fee with min/max bounds
Multi-rule compound tax engine with priority ordering
Canned job templates for one-click application

VEHICLE VISUALIZER

59,000+ vehicles from 1980–2027 with HD images, 556K+ factory paint colors, and full specs — automatically matched on the workboard.

4-step selector: Make → Year → Model → Trim
Factory paint color picker with 556K+ colors
Side and angled views with paint color tinting
Tire size, lug torque, drive type, engine specs
Batch-resolved images on workboard cards with 24h CDN cache

QUICKBOOKS SYNC

Eliminate double-entry with automatic QuickBooks Online sync for customers, invoices, and payments.

OAuth-based secure connection with encrypted tokens
3-way sync: Customers, Invoices, Payments
Account mapping for line item types to QB accounts
Sync dashboard with logs, retry, and manual trigger
Auto-sync toggle with bulk operations

CALLERID+ INTEGRATION

Incoming calls trigger instant customer lookup — full profile, vehicles, open orders, and service history pop up before you even answer.

Real-time caller identification with database matching
Instant customer profile card: name, tags, balance, notes
Vehicle list with year/make/model and last service date
Open orders and pending estimates surfaced immediately
Quick actions: Create Order, Schedule Appointment, Send to Voicemail
app.garageex.com/admin
Incoming Call
(613) 555-0147
MATCH FOUND
MC
Mike Chen
VIP Customer • 12 visits
Vehicle
2022 BMW X5
Open Order
WO-0089
AnswerNew OrderSchedule

LABOR INTELLIGENCE DATABASE

The industry's first crowdsourced labor times — real-world data from a network of shop owners, not outdated publisher book times.

Real shop data: labor times synced from actual repair orders across the network
Book Time vs Network Time comparison with percentage difference
Per-shop custom time overrides with inline spreadsheet editing
Smart search: type "f150 ford 2020" in any order — instant results from local index
Category filtering, sortable columns, and cost calculation at your labor rate
app.garageex.com/admin/labor
2019 Ford F-150 XLT
5.0L V8
BrakesEngineA/CElectrical
JobBookNetworkCustom
Front Brake Pads1.2h0.9h -25%
Rotor Resurface1.5h1.1h -27%
Caliper Replace1.8h1.5h -17%
Brake Fluid Flush0.8h0.5h -38%
Crowdsourced from 200+ shops

POPUP ORDER WINDOWS

Open multiple estimates, work orders, and invoices as floating desktop-style windows — drag, resize, minimize, and multitask.

OS-style floating windows with drag, resize, minimize, and close
Open multiple orders simultaneously — estimates, work orders, invoices
Click-to-focus z-index management, just like a real desktop
Taskbar shows all open and minimized orders with one-click restore
Full order detail in each popup — services, parts, totals, status actions
app.garageex.com/admin/orders
EST-0042Estimate
WO-0089Work Order
INV-0031Invoice

ADVANCED PAYMENTS

Complete payment ecosystem — Stripe Connect, instant pay links via SMS, saved card charging, one-click refunds, digital receipts, and Buy Now Pay Later.

Stripe Connect with per-shop accounts and direct deposits
One-click pay links sent via SMS — customers pay from their phone
Quick Charge from saved cards with auto-default selection
Instant refunds with reason tracking and audit trail
Digital receipt delivery via email and SMS with branding
app.garageex.com/admin/orders/pay
Payment Collection$2,150.00 DUE
💳
Card
•••• 4242
🔗
Pay Link
SMS ready
💵
Cash
Manual
Auto-send receipt after payment
SECURE • ENCRYPTED • RELIABLE

READY TO DEPLOY?

Initialize your shop management system. Full deployment in under 24 hours.

NO CREDIT CARD • 14-DAY TRIAL • CANCEL ANYTIME