Analytics & Reporting Guide
Your garage generates valuable data every single day -- from bookings and revenue to customer behaviour and technician workloads. The Analytics dashboard in autoGMS turns all of that raw activity into clear, visual insights so you can make smarter business decisions without crunching numbers yourself.
This guide walks you through every section of the Analytics dashboard, explains what each metric means, and shares practical tips for getting the most out of your data.
Table of Contents
- Overview
- How to Access Analytics
- Navigating the Dashboard
- Setting Your Date Range
- Revenue Tab
- Operations Tab
- Customers Tab
- Jobs Tab
- Inventory Tab
- Technicians Tab
- Expenses Tab
- Exporting Your Data
- Tips & Best Practices
- Frequently Asked Questions
Overview
The Garage Analytics dashboard is your command centre for understanding how your business is performing. At a glance you can answer questions like:
- How much revenue did we earn this month compared to last month?
- Which services bring in the most money?
- Are customers coming back, or are we losing them?
- Which technician completed the most jobs?
- Are our service bays being used efficiently?
- How are our expenses trending over time?
All data updates automatically as bookings move through their lifecycle (pending, confirmed, in-service, completed), so you are always looking at the latest picture.
Good to know: Only completed bookings count toward revenue figures. Pending, confirmed, or cancelled bookings are tracked separately so you always have an accurate financial picture.
How to Access Analytics
- Log in to your autoGMS dashboard.
- From the left-hand navigation menu, select Analytics (or Garage Analytics).
- If you manage multiple garages, you will first be asked to select an organisation and then a specific garage.
Who can access Analytics?
- Organisation owners
- Garage owners
- Garage admins
Technicians and customer accounts do not have access to the Analytics dashboard.
Good to know: If your organisation has only one garage, autoGMS will automatically load that garage's analytics -- no extra clicks needed.
Navigating the Dashboard
When the dashboard loads you will see a header bar at the top of the page with the following elements:
- Page title -- "Garage Analytics"
- Date range picker -- on the right side, lets you choose the time period for all data on the page
- Export button -- downloads an Excel report of your analytics
- Tab navigation -- a row of tabs just below the header
The seven tabs are:
| Tab | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Revenue | Income, growth trends, service breakdown, month-over-month comparisons |
| Operations | Booking activity, conversion rates, bay utilisation |
| Customers | Retention rates, new vs. returning customers, vehicle makes, booking sources |
| Jobs | Completed job profitability, parts costs, labour costs, service performance |
| Inventory | Stock value, item counts, low-stock alerts, vendor performance |
| Technicians | Technician workload, revenue per tech, efficiency scores, detailed analysis |
| Expenses | Expense summaries, trends, and financial breakdowns |
Click any tab to switch views. Your selected date range carries across all tabs so you can compare different aspects of the same time period.
Good to know: The URL in your browser updates when you switch tabs. You can bookmark a specific tab or share the link with a colleague and they will land right on that view.
Setting Your Date Range
Almost every chart and metric on the dashboard responds to the date range you select. The date range picker is located in the top-right area of the page header.
Preset Ranges
For quick access, autoGMS provides these presets:
- Year to Date (YTD) -- from January 1 of the current year through today (this is the default)
- Last 7 Days
- Last 30 Days
- Last 90 Days
- Custom Range -- pick any start and end date you need
How to Change the Date Range
- Click the date range picker in the header.
- Choose a preset, or select a custom start and end date from the calendar.
- The entire dashboard will refresh to show data for the new period.
Good to know: Some charts (like Month-over-Month analysis) need at least two months of data to display meaningful comparisons. If your selected range is too short, autoGMS will show a helpful message letting you know.
Revenue Tab
The Revenue tab is your financial dashboard. It tells you how much money your garage is making, where it is coming from, and whether you are growing.
What You Will See
Revenue Metrics Summary Table
At the top of the tab you will find a summary table with key financial figures:
- Total Revenue -- the sum of all completed booking income for the selected period
- Average Order Value -- the average amount earned per completed booking
- Revenue Growth -- the percentage change compared to the previous period
- Revenue Per Customer -- total revenue divided by the number of unique customers
- Total Transactions -- the number of completed bookings
- Booking Conversion Rate -- the percentage of all bookings that were completed (not cancelled)
Revenue Charts
Below the summary table you will find several interactive charts:
- Daily Revenue Line Chart -- shows your revenue day by day, making it easy to spot peak days, quiet days, and seasonal patterns
- Monthly Revenue Chart -- breaks down revenue by month so you can see long-term trends at a glance
- Revenue Growth Line Chart -- plots month-over-month growth as a percentage, so you can see whether your business is accelerating or slowing down
- Revenue by Status Chart -- shows how revenue is distributed across booking statuses (completed, in-service, confirmed, pending, cancelled)
- Top Services Bar Chart -- ranks your services by the revenue they generate, so you know which services are your biggest earners
Month-over-Month (MoM) Analytics
At the bottom of the Revenue tab, the MoM section provides a deeper comparison:
- Revenue MoM Comparison Table -- a month-by-month table showing total revenue, booking count, average order value, and growth rate for each month
- Booking MoM Comparison Table -- focuses on booking volume changes month to month
Each row highlights whether the month grew or declined compared to the previous month, using clear up/down indicators.
How to Use Revenue Data
- Spot trends early: If the Revenue Growth chart shows two or three months of declining growth, investigate before it becomes a bigger problem.
- Identify your best services: The Top Services chart shows where your money comes from. Consider promoting your highest-revenue services or exploring why lower-revenue services are underperforming.
- Track seasonal patterns: Use the Monthly Revenue chart across a full year to understand busy and quiet seasons, then plan staffing and promotions accordingly.
Operations Tab
The Operations tab helps you understand how efficiently your garage is running day to day.
What You Will See
Operations Metrics
A summary of key operational numbers:
- Total Bookings -- every booking created in the selected period
- Completed Bookings -- bookings that reached the completed stage
- Completion Rate -- percentage of bookings completed vs. created
- Cancellation Rate -- percentage of bookings that were cancelled
- Average Service Time -- how long a typical job takes
- Bay Utilisation -- how effectively your service bays are being used
- Average Time to Completion -- the average time from booking creation to job completion
Operations Charts
- Daily Bookings Line Chart -- shows how many bookings come in each day, helping you spot busy periods
- Booking Conversion Funnel -- visualises how bookings move from pending through confirmed, in-service, and finally to completed, so you can see where drop-offs happen
- Services Bar Chart -- shows which services are most frequently booked (different from the Revenue tab, which focuses on the money each service brings in)
Bay Utilisation Table
A table showing each of your service bays with:
- Bay Name -- the name you have given the bay
- Bay Type -- general, oil, tyre, brake, diagnostic, quick service, etc.
- Assignments -- how many jobs were assigned to this bay
- Service Time -- total time vehicles spent in this bay
You can sort the table by any column to find your busiest or quietest bays.
How to Use Operations Data
- Reduce cancellations: If your cancellation rate is high, look at where in the funnel bookings are dropping off. Are customers cancelling before confirmation, or are confirmed bookings being cancelled later?
- Optimise bay usage: If some bays have far more assignments than others, consider rebalancing workloads or specialising certain bays for high-demand services.
- Staffing decisions: The Daily Bookings chart reveals your busiest days of the week, which helps you plan shift schedules.
Customers Tab
The Customers tab helps you understand who your customers are, how often they return, and where they come from.
What You Will See
Customer Metrics
- Total Customers -- unique customers who had bookings in the selected period
- Average Customer Lifetime Value -- the average total spend per customer over their history
- Customer Retention Rate -- the percentage of customers who return for a second (or more) visit
- New Customers -- first-time customers in the selected period
- Customer Growth -- the percentage increase in your customer base
- Average Visits Per Customer -- how many bookings the average customer makes
Customer Charts
- Customer Retention Chart -- a line chart tracking retention rate, new customers, and returning customers over time; this is one of the most important charts for understanding customer loyalty
- Customer Source Chart -- shows where your customers are coming from (walk-ins, online bookings, referrals, etc.)
- Top Vehicle Makes Chart -- reveals the most common vehicle brands visiting your garage, which can help you stock the right parts and target your marketing
How to Use Customer Data
- Build loyalty: If your retention rate is below 40%, consider launching a loyalty programme, follow-up reminders, or post-service check-ins.
- Target marketing: The Top Vehicle Makes chart tells you which brands your garage is known for. Use this to tailor advertising and stock the most-needed parts for those makes.
- Grow strategically: Watch the New Customers metric alongside Customer Growth. A healthy garage should see a steady stream of new customers while keeping existing ones coming back.
Jobs Tab
The Jobs tab gives you a detailed, job-level view of profitability for completed work.
What You Will See
Profitability Summary Cards
At the top, you will see cards summarising:
- Total Revenue -- income from all completed jobs
- Total Parts Cost -- how much you spent on parts across all jobs
- Total Labour Cost -- labour charges across all jobs
- Total Net Profit -- revenue minus all costs
- Average Gross Margin -- the average percentage of revenue that remains after deducting parts costs
- Average Net Margin -- the average percentage of revenue remaining after all costs
Profitability Distribution
A visual breakdown showing what share of your jobs fall into each margin category:
- Negative -- jobs that lost money
- Low (0--10%) -- barely profitable
- Acceptable (10--30%) -- healthy margins
- Good (30--50%) -- strong performance
- Excellent (50%+) -- highly profitable
Completed Jobs Chart
A line chart showing the number of jobs completed per day (or week, or month depending on the date range), so you can track throughput over time.
Service Performance Breakdown
A table showing each service type with its job count, total revenue, parts cost, labour cost, gross profit, and net profit. This tells you exactly which services are most profitable.
Individual Job Table
A detailed table listing each completed job with:
- Service name
- Customer name
- Vehicle
- Revenue
- Parts cost
- Labour cost
- Net profit
- Net profit margin
- Completion date
You can sort by any column and paginate through the results. Clicking a job row navigates you to the full booking details.
How to Use Jobs Data
- Find unprofitable services: Sort by net margin to identify services that consistently operate at low or negative margins. Consider adjusting pricing or finding more cost-effective parts suppliers.
- Track cost creep: If your average net margin is declining month over month, investigate whether parts costs or labour costs are increasing.
- Celebrate wins: Jobs in the "Excellent" profitability category show what your garage does best. Double down on those services.
Inventory Tab
The Inventory tab gives you a snapshot of your stock levels and helps you avoid running out of critical parts.
What You Will See
Inventory Summary Table
A metrics table showing:
- Total Inventory Value -- the total monetary worth of all parts and supplies in stock
- Total Items -- the number of different items in your inventory
- Low Stock Items -- items approaching their minimum stock level that need reordering soon
- Out of Stock Items -- items that are completely unavailable
You can sort this table by metric name or value.
Inventory Charts
Visual breakdowns of your inventory data, including stock distribution and category analysis.
Vendor Performance
A view of how your parts suppliers are performing, helping you identify reliable vendors and those causing delays.
How to Use Inventory Data
- Prevent service delays: Check the Low Stock and Out of Stock numbers regularly. A high number of out-of-stock items can delay repairs and frustrate customers.
- Manage cash flow: A very high Total Inventory Value might mean you are over-stocking slow-moving items. Look for items that have been sitting on the shelf for a long time.
- Evaluate vendors: Use the Vendor Performance section to compare suppliers on delivery reliability and pricing.
Technicians Tab
The Technicians tab helps you understand how your team is performing, both individually and as a group.
What You Will See
Team Overview Metrics
A summary table with:
- Total Jobs Completed -- across all technicians
- Total Revenue Generated -- revenue from all technician-assigned jobs
- Average Jobs Per Technician -- workload balance indicator
- Average Revenue Per Technician -- revenue contribution per team member
- Average Completion Time -- how long jobs take on average
- Efficiency Score -- a composite score reflecting speed, quality, and throughput
Technician Charts
Visual comparisons of your team, including bar charts showing jobs completed and revenue generated by each technician.
Detailed Technician Analysis
A deeper dive into individual technician performance, including:
- Job history and trends
- Revenue analysis per technician
- Vehicle expertise (which vehicle makes a technician works on most)
- Service specialisation (which services they handle most frequently)
How to Use Technician Data
- Balance workloads: If one technician has significantly more jobs than others, redistributing work can prevent burnout and improve overall throughput.
- Identify training needs: A technician with a lower efficiency score or longer average completion time might benefit from additional training on specific service types.
- Reward top performers: Use the revenue-per-technician metric to identify and recognise your most productive team members.
- Plan hiring: If all technicians are consistently at high capacity, it may be time to bring on additional staff.
Expenses Tab
The Expenses tab provides visibility into where your money is going beyond parts and labour.
What You Will See
Financial Summary Cards
Key expense metrics displayed in card format:
- Total Expenses -- the sum of all recorded expenses for the period
- Expense categories and breakdowns -- how spending is distributed across different cost categories
Expense Trend Chart
A visual chart showing how your expenses have changed over time within the selected date range, making it easy to spot increasing costs early.
Expense List
A detailed, paginated table of individual expense entries with amounts, dates, categories, and descriptions. You can scroll through historical expenses to review specific charges.
How to Use Expense Data
- Control costs: Compare your expense trends against revenue trends. If expenses are growing faster than revenue, you need to investigate.
- Budget planning: Use month-over-month expense data to set realistic budgets for future periods.
- Category analysis: Identify which expense categories are consuming the largest share of your budget and look for opportunities to negotiate better rates or find alternatives.
Exporting Your Data
autoGMS lets you download your analytics as an Excel file so you can share reports with partners, accountants, or investors.
How to Export
- Navigate to the Analytics dashboard.
- Set the date range you want to report on.
- Click the Export button (the download icon) in the page header.
- An Excel file will be generated and downloaded to your computer.
What the Export Includes
The Excel file contains multiple sheets, one for each tab of the dashboard:
- Revenue metrics, daily and monthly breakdowns
- Operations and booking data
- Customer analytics
- Job profitability details
- Inventory summaries
- Technician performance data
- Expense records
Each sheet is formatted with headers, currency formatting, and clear labels so it is ready to share or print.
Good to know: The export uses the same date range you have selected on the dashboard, so make sure the right period is chosen before clicking Export.
Tips & Best Practices
Review Analytics Weekly
Set aside 15--20 minutes each week to review your dashboard. Weekly check-ins help you catch problems early and celebrate wins while they are fresh.
Compare Periods
Always look at your metrics in context. A revenue figure by itself does not mean much -- but comparing this month to last month, or this quarter to the same quarter last year, tells a powerful story. Use the date range picker to compare different periods.
Focus on Trends, Not Single Data Points
A single bad day or slow week is normal. What matters is the direction of the trend. Is your revenue generally going up? Is your retention rate improving? Focus on the trajectory rather than any individual number.
Share Reports With Your Team
Use the Export feature to create reports for team meetings. When your staff can see how their work connects to business results, they become more engaged and motivated.
Use the Right Tab for the Right Question
| Question | Tab to Check |
|---|---|
| Are we making more money than last month? | Revenue |
| Which service earns the most? | Revenue (Top Services chart) or Jobs (Service Performance) |
| Are customers coming back? | Customers (Retention chart) |
| How busy are our bays? | Operations (Bay Utilisation) |
| Is a specific technician overloaded? | Technicians |
| Are our costs under control? | Expenses |
| Are we running low on any parts? | Inventory |
| How profitable are our jobs? | Jobs (Profitability Summary) |
Act on the Data
Analytics are only useful if they lead to action. Here are examples:
- Retention rate dropping? Launch a follow-up SMS or email campaign to bring customers back.
- One service has negative margins? Review your pricing or find a cheaper parts supplier.
- Bay 3 has half the assignments of Bay 1? Investigate whether scheduling or equipment issues are limiting that bay.
- Cancellation rate rising? Reach out to customers who cancelled to understand why.
Frequently Asked Questions
How often does the data update?
Analytics data updates in real time as bookings change status. When a booking is marked as completed, the revenue and job data reflect the change within moments.
Why does my revenue show a different number than I expected?
Revenue figures on the Analytics dashboard only count completed bookings. Bookings that are still pending, confirmed, in-service, or cancelled are not included in the total revenue number. Check the Revenue by Status chart to see amounts across all statuses.
Can I see analytics for all my garages at once?
Yes. If your organisation has multiple garages, the Organisation Analytics view shows aggregated metrics across all garages, including a side-by-side comparison of each garage's revenue and booking volume. From there, you can click into any individual garage for detailed analytics.
What date range should I use?
It depends on what you are looking at:
- Day-to-day monitoring: Last 7 or 30 days
- Monthly business reviews: Year to Date, or a specific month
- Seasonal analysis: Custom range covering the same period in different years
- Month-over-Month comparisons: At least 3--6 months for meaningful trends
What does "Average Order Value" mean?
Average Order Value is your total revenue divided by the number of completed bookings. It tells you how much a typical customer spends per visit. If this number is trending down, it could mean you are doing more small jobs, or your pricing may need a review.
What is the Booking Conversion Funnel?
The funnel shows how bookings move through each stage: pending, confirmed, in-service, and completed. A wide funnel at the top that narrows sharply means many bookings are being lost along the way. A healthy funnel keeps most bookings moving through to completion.
Can I export data for my accountant?
Absolutely. Click the Export button in the page header to download a multi-sheet Excel file containing all of your analytics data for the selected date range. The file includes revenue, jobs, expenses, and more -- everything an accountant typically needs.
What does the Month-over-Month (MoM) section show?
The MoM section compares each month's performance to the previous month. You will see revenue growth rates, booking volume changes, and average order value shifts. Positive growth is shown with an upward indicator, and declining months are shown with a downward indicator. This makes it easy to see at a glance whether your business is trending in the right direction.
Why do some charts say "Not enough data"?
Certain charts -- particularly Month-over-Month comparisons and retention trends -- require data spanning multiple months. If your date range is too short (for example, just one week), those charts cannot calculate meaningful comparisons. Expand your date range to at least two or three months and the charts will populate.
What is the Technician Efficiency Score?
The Efficiency Score is a composite metric that takes into account how many jobs a technician completes, how quickly they work, and the revenue they generate. A higher score means the technician is getting more done, faster, and at greater value. It is useful for comparing performance across your team.
I manage multiple garages. Can each garage manager see only their own data?
Yes. Analytics access is controlled by your role and garage assignment. A garage owner or garage admin can only see analytics for the garages they are assigned to. Organisation owners can see all garages within their organisation.
This guide covers the Analytics & Reporting features of autoGMS. If you have questions not answered here, reach out to your autoGMS support team for assistance.