Import Automotive Parts & Accessories Magazine

GenesisFour, a 15-year mainstay of automotive shop management systems, has released Service2000, an all-new new program with a fresh look and a consistent graphical interface. Al Cath, GenesisFour’s CEO, says that while features and appearance are important, core technology comes first. “It’s a classic shopping error to focus on features and appearance, while completely ignoring the platform on which the software is built.” Cath cited an automotive analogy: “When you perform a Pre-Purchase Inspection for a customer, how much can you determine about the vehicle without putting the car up in the air and examining the undercarriage?” Evaluating business software is not different.

Cath pointed to two core technology issues that should never be overlooked. The first is the integrity of the database. The database is where all your data is stored, and will become your company’s most valuable and irreplaceable asset. Cath states “Database stability is critically important. Did the developer provide an industrial-grade database? Good databases cost the software company money, so they are frequently compromised. Freebee databases are often unstable and the root cause of constant problems with crashing, error messages, and data corruption. “First thing in the morning, the only thing that should be scrambled is your breakfast.” The database must be able to handle multiple, simultaneous data requests from multiple users. It also must be able to store large amounts of data without becoming unstable. “Many such systems will remain stable for the first year or so, but once a any significant amount of data has been entered, they simply fall apart. Ask what the database is. And if you don’t know how to interpret the answer, find out.”

The second core technology issue – also frequently overlooked - is that of good interface design. Many shop management system designers have made no attempt to adhere to modern Windows interface design conventions. Screens that are unique, unfamiliar, and non-intuitive, and as a result, prior knowledge of Windows programs is of little or no value in learning them.

Throughout Service2000 GenesisFour has gone to great lengths to adhere to modern Windows interface design standards. As a result, PC users familiar with common Windows applications (office suites, email and web browsers) Service2000’s screens will make immediate sense. “In this regard, Service2000 is as much of a work of art as it is a technological achievement.”

In the features department, Cath says Service2000 is bursting with fresh new thinking and creativity.

The service invoices print portrait or landscape, in color. Labor lines are unlimited-length with font control and spell check. They are also fully associated, both on screen, and on the printed invoice; parts, sublets, additional items, tech time, and tech notes are added to each line. Each line is therefore a complete, reportable operation to which you can assign reportable labor categories.

Industry trainer Ned Tomarchio (founder of the Automotive Leadership Institute) assisted in the design of another feature Ned calls "Menu Pricing". Sixteen different menu-pricing configurations allow you to precisely control the display of labor hours, part numbers, part prices, subtotals, and totals on both estimates and invoices. Show as much, or as little detail as you like. Ned places tremendous emphasis on the profit-boosting potential of menu pricing, and even conducts an entire class on this topic, at the end of which he leads a responsive rally: “What are you doing to do as soon as you get home?” “Menu price everything.”

Service2000 also includes a sophisticated matrix pricing system, which allows the user to precisely control parts markup on a per Inventory Group basis. For each group you can set up an unlimited number of matrices, and have a fairly high markup for the low priced parts within the group that gradually taper of as the cost of the parts increases. For example, for a given Inventory Group you could specify that for all parts with a cost from $0.00 to $.99, the markup will be 300% over cost; then, for all parts with a cost $1.00 to $4.99, the markup will be 150% over cost; then, for all parts with a cost from $5.00 to $19.99, the markup will be 60%% over cost, and so on. Typically, by the time the cost of the part reaches a certain high point (say $500, for example), the markup aligns with suggested list or MSRP. Like matrix pricing, tremendous gains in profitability can be achieved through the judicious use of matrix pricing.

Service2000 also supports file attachments – a previously unheard of but highly useful shop management feature. It works just like attaching files to emails – just click on the paper clip icon! Electronic files can be attached to customers, service invoices, estimates, and parts. Attach digital photos, alignment and scan tool reports, even scanned images. When you view history, a bright yellow icon tells you to check for file attachments.

Service2000 updates itself over the internet, dramatically reducing the time between new releases, as well as the effort required by the end user to install them.

Service2000 integrates with QuickBooks 2001 and 2002, and GenesisFour actively supports this integration, which means that you can actually expect the integration to work!

by Steve Relyea, Editor
Reprinted with permission from the Oct/Nov issue of Import Automotive Parts & Accessories magazine
©2002  Import Automotive Parts & Accessories