Dashboard
Welcome to autoGMS. This guide walks you through your first login, helps you understand the main dashboard, and shows you how to get the most out of it every day. Whether you are a garage owner, manager, or staff member, the dashboard is your home base for everything happening in your garage.
Overview
The dashboard is the first screen you see after logging in. It gives you a single-page view of what needs doing today, what you have invoiced, your bookings, and your stock. Everything loads independently so you can start reading data as soon as it is available.
Here is what the dashboard helps you do at a glance:
- See the money and tasks waiting on you in the Action center
- Compare what you invoiced with your expenses, month by month
- See how this month's invoicing and invoiced jobs compare with last month
- View booking counts and amounts broken down by status
- See your best-earning services and catch low-stock items before they cause delays
- Get real-time notifications when new bookings come in
If you manage more than one garage, you can switch between them without logging out.
How to Access the Dashboard
- Open your web browser and go to the autoGMS login page.
- Enter your email address and password.
- Click Log in.
- You will land on the Garage Dashboard for your default garage.
If you have access to multiple garages, you will first see the Garage List screen (more on that below). Click on the garage you want to view to open its dashboard.
First Login: The Welcome Experience
When you log in for the very first time -- or when a brand-new garage has just been created -- you will see a Welcome popup.
What you will see
A popup window with:
- A personalised welcome message using your garage's name
- A short checklist of recommended first actions:
- Set up your services -- Add the services your garage offers (oil change, tyre fitting, full inspection, and so on).
- Configure your opening hours -- Let autoGMS know when your garage is open so bookings land in the right time slots.
- Start taking bookings -- Once services and hours are in place, you are ready to accept your first booking.
Click the Get Started button at the bottom of the popup to close it and begin exploring the dashboard. You will only see this welcome message once.
The Setup Checklist
If your garage still has basic setup steps to complete, a Setup Progress checklist appears in the sidebar layout. It tracks three milestones:
- Business location -- Your garage's physical address
- Opening hours -- The days and times your garage operates
- Service menu -- The list of services you offer
Each step shows either a green checkmark (complete) or is clickable to take you directly to the right settings page. Once all three are complete, the checklist disappears automatically.
Good to know: You can complete these steps in any order. Your progress updates in real time as soon as you save changes.
Dashboard Sections
Once setup is complete, the dashboard shows, from top to bottom: the welcome header, the Action center, and six summary cards. On wide screens the cards sit two side by side; on smaller screens and phones they show one per row:
| Row | Left | Right |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Invoiced vs expenses | Bookings by status |
| 2 | Invoiced this month | Jobs invoiced |
| 3 | Top services | Low stock |
Each card loads independently so you can start reading data as soon as it arrives. The top cards load first; the cards further down the page load as you scroll to them, which keeps the first screen fast.
1. Welcome Header
At the very top of the page you will see a banner that says "Welcome back, {your name}" with a subtitle: "Here's what's happening at {garage name}." This gives you immediate context about which garage you are viewing.
2. Action Center (Today's Action List)
Directly below the welcome header sits the Action center, a full-width white card. Instead of showing more charts, it groups the work that needs action today, so you know exactly where to start your day. It opens expanded. If you hide it, autoGMS remembers that choice next time.
What you will see:
- Money waiting on you with the total amount, plus your number of Urgent tasks and All tasks. When no money is involved, it shows Waiting on you and a number of tasks instead.
- A coloured bar showing where the money is waiting
- Up to four groups of tasks, such as "Invoice 3 completed jobs" or "Chase 3 overdue invoices". Each group shows:
- A coloured dot
- An Urgent flag when its tasks are urgent, or a count such as "360 urgent" when only some of them are
- A short reason
- The amount involved
Working with your tasks:
- Tap a group to open it in place and see its items. Tap an item to open that job, invoice, or estimate.
- Each opened group has a button that opens the full filtered list, for example Invoice jobs.
- If there are more than four groups, tap Show all to see the rest.
- Owners and admins can use the … menu on an item to snooze it (until tomorrow or for a week) or dismiss it. Snoozed and dismissed items appear under Hidden (n) in the card header, where you can restore them.
- Use Show tasks / Hide tasks to open or collapse the list.
What it can catch:
- Completed jobs that were never invoiced
- Approved estimates that were never booked
- Jobs stuck in service or confirmed bookings that never started
- Paid deposits not yet applied to the job's invoice
- Failed or stuck accounting syncs
- Stock that is reserved for jobs but no longer on hand
- Overdue invoices with unpaid balances
- Sent estimates with no customer reply and overdue lead follow-ups
The card never changes anything on its own -- it only detects and explains. Every fix happens on the existing page it takes you to, where the normal confirmation steps still apply. If nothing needs your attention, the card shows All clear.
3. Summary Cards
Below the Action center are six summary cards, two side by side on wide screens and one per row on smaller screens and phones.
How every card reads. All six cards share one layout, so once you can read one you can read them all:
- A title. Some titles have a small info icon; hover or tap it to see how the numbers are worked out.
- A short story: a small label saying when (for example "October so far" or "Right now"), one big number or answer, and one line saying whether that is good news.
- A thin line, then one chart or list.
- One blue button at the bottom that takes you to the full page.
If a card cannot load its numbers, it says so and offers Try again instead of showing zero.
Invoiced vs expenses (row 1, left)
A line chart with one line for what you invoiced and one for the expenses you recorded, month by month. The line under the title says it plainly: Amounts include tax. This is not your profit. It is a reconciliation view; the Profit & Loss report works out profit. On a phone that line is left out to save space; tap the info icon next to the title for the same note.
What you will see:
- A totals strip across the top of the card (one row per total on a phone):
| Metric | What it tells you |
|---|---|
| You invoiced | Invoice value for the period, including tax, after credit notes |
| Your expenses | Expenses recorded for the period, including tax |
| Invoiced minus expenses | What you invoiced minus your expenses. When expenses were higher it shows in red with a minus sign |
The colour square next to You invoiced and Your expenses matches their lines in the chart. Amounts are never cut off: on narrower screens they get slightly smaller instead.
- Two lines across the full width of the card. On a computer, hover over a month to see what you invoiced, your expenses, and invoiced minus expenses for that month.
- Month labels along the bottom, with the year shown where it changes. On narrow screens fewer months are labelled, counting back from the month you are in. On a phone, swipe to see earlier months.
- A period selector in the header: This year, Last year, Last 6 months, or Last 12 months
- A See the full money report button that opens the Financial Summary (when Financial Reports is switched on)
Tap You invoiced or Your expenses to show that series on its own. Tap the other total to switch the chart to that series, or tap Invoiced minus expenses to show both again.
Clicking a month replaces the chart area with its detail, in three bands: the month's record counts and its actions, then its gross invoice value, gross expenses and gross difference, then its expense categories and vendors with the amount and record count for each. Each list says whether you are seeing all of it or the top three. Export downloads the month as a CSV file, Invoices and Expenses open that month's records, and the X closes the detail and restores the chart.
The current month is still in progress and will keep rising until the month ends, so it is drawn in a lighter colour with an open point. That way a part-finished month is not mistaken for a drop.
The info icon next to the title explains the basis in full: invoice value is net of credit notes, expenses use their recorded amounts including tax, and cash and raw expense records also remain gross.
Bookings by status (row 1, right)
A summary of bookings whose current status was entered in a selected period, broken down by status.
What you will see:
- The title Bookings by status and, on wider screens, the line Each booking is counted in the month it reached its status. (not shown for All time, which has no period)
- A period picker next to the title: This month, Last month, This year, Last year, Last 7 days, Last 30 days, Last 90 days, and All time. On mid-size screens it shows as tabs for This month, Last month, and All time
- The number of bookings, with a Job price / Invoiced / Paid switch that changes the amounts in the list. It opens on Invoiced
- A distribution bar showing the proportion of bookings in each status, in the same colours as the bookings calendar:
- Amber -- Pending
- Blue -- Confirmed
- Violet -- In service
- Green -- Completed
- Red -- Cancelled
- A status list below the bar with five rows (one per status), each showing:
- A coloured dot, which doubles as the bar's key
- The status name
- The booking count (in Invoiced and Paid, how many of them are invoiced or paid)
- The amount for that status in the chosen view
- On a phone, each row shows the amount with the booking count under it
- Click any status row to open the Bookings page with that matching status chip and the same dashboard date period already applied
- Click See bookings for the selected period to open the Bookings page with the same dashboard date period applied across every status
- If no bookings match the selected period, the card shows a clear empty message and keeps a button to open the filtered bookings page
- Hover over any row to see its share of the total amount
- The info icon explains how each view is counted: the current-status entry date for Job price, and invoice and payment rules for Invoiced and Paid
Invoiced this month (row 2, left)
Shows how this month's invoicing is going against last month.
- The big number is what you have invoiced so far this month, including tax and minus credit notes. Drafts, void, pro forma, and deposit invoices are not counted. The info icon explains this.
- The line under it compares you with the same day last month, for example "AED 5,329 ahead of this day in September". On the 31st of a month that follows a 30-day month, it compares with all of the previous month.
- The chart shows a running total, day by day: this month in blue and last month in orange.
- Open invoices opens this month's invoices that make up this total, so the list adds up to the card.
Jobs invoiced (row 2, right)
Shows how many completed jobs you have invoiced this month.
- The big number is the number of completed jobs invoiced this month. A job with several invoices counts once.
- The line under it compares you with the same day last month, for example "11 more than by this day in September".
- The chart shows a running total, day by day: this month in green and last month in orange.
- See invoiced jobs opens this month's invoices for completed jobs.
Top services (row 3, left)
Shows which services earn you the most.
- Pick the period (This month, Last month, This year, or Past year) and whether to rank Main services or Sub-services.
- The big answer is your best-earning service, with the line "Your best earner" followed by the amount it earned and how many jobs it came from.
- Below it, each of your top five services has a coloured bar sized by the money it earned, with its job count and amount.
- See all services opens the revenue report. It only shows for people who can open Analytics.
Low stock (row 3, right)
Shows the stock that needs action right now. This card only appears once you track inventory.
- Your stock right now and how many items you need to reorder, for example "4 items to reorder", with a line such as "2 out of stock and 2 running low". Items you can bring from the warehouse are not in this number. When only warehouse items are left, the card says Nothing to reorder.
- A coloured bar showing the three groups, then the items listed under:
- Out of stock -- none left
- Running low -- below the minimum you set
- In the warehouse -- none in the shop, but some in the warehouse
- Each group names up to two items, with "+N more" when there are others.
- Open inventory opens your Inventory page filtered to these items.
If every item is above its minimum, the card says All stocked.
Good to know: Minimum stock levels are set per item. To change when an item counts as low, go to your Inventory page and edit its minimum for that item.
Refreshing Your Data
Dashboard data is cached for performance and refreshes periodically in the background. The Action center has its own refresh button (circular arrow icon) in its header if you want its latest tasks straight away.
If a card cannot load its numbers, it tells you and shows a Try again button. Cards load independently, so a problem with one does not affect the others.
Navigating the Dashboard
The Navigation Sidebar
On the left side of the screen (or accessible via a menu icon on mobile), you will find links to all major sections. The sidebar is organized into groups:
| Section | Menu Items |
|---|---|
| Overview | Dashboard, Analytics |
| Bookings & Jobs | Bookings, Estimates, Jobs (service bays), Reception Desk, Services, MOT Dashboard (UK only) |
| Customers | Customers, Lead Tracker, Reviews, Marketing |
| Inventory | Inventory, Purchase Orders |
| Finance | Invoices, Collections, Expenses, Accounting Entries |
| Payments | Overview, Settings (when Stripe Connect is configured) |
| Financial Reporting | Accounting, Profit & Loss, Financial Actuals & Planned Overhead, Balance Sheet, Cash Flow, Transaction Ledger, Account Balances, Aged Receivables, Aged Payables, Tax Report |
At the bottom of the sidebar, the Settings button opens two groups: Business, with Workshop settings; and Bookings, with Booking Settings and Booking page and form. Organization owners also see Organization Workspace.
Eligible users can also open Workshop settings and Booking Settings from the profile menu in the dashboard header.
Good to know: The sections and items you see depend on your role and which features are enabled for your garage. For example, the Inventory section only appears if inventory tracking is enabled. See Roles & Access Control for details on what each role can see.
Garage Switching (Multi-Garage Organisations)
If your organisation has more than one garage, you can easily switch between them.
The Garage List
When you first log in (or click the garage name at the top of the sidebar), you will see a table listing all your garages.
What you will see
A table with the following columns for each garage:
| Column | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Name | The garage's name |
| Status | A coloured badge -- Active (green), Inactive (grey), Maintenance (yellow), Suspended (red), or Pending (blue) |
| Location | Street, city, and emirate/region |
| Contact | Phone number and email |
| Services | Number of services offered |
| Bookings | Active bookings count and total bookings count |
| Revenue | Total revenue for this garage |
| Customers | Number of customers served |
How to switch garages
- From any page, click on the garage name at the top of the sidebar. This opens the Garage List.
- Click on any row in the garage table.
- You will be taken directly to that garage's dashboard.
If you have more than 10 garages, the list is paginated. Use the Previous and Next buttons at the bottom to move between pages.
Good to know: Each garage has its own independent dashboard, metrics, and settings. Switching garages updates everything on screen to reflect that specific garage's data.
Real-Time Notifications
When something important happens, you will know immediately -- even without refreshing the page.
What triggers a notification
- A new booking is created -- You will see the customer's name and the service they booked
- A booking status changes -- For example, when a booking is confirmed, started, completed, or cancelled
What you will see
A sliding notification banner appears on the screen. It includes:
- The notification type (new booking, status update)
- A brief description of what happened
- Action buttons:
- View -- Opens the booking details
- Confirm -- (For new bookings) Confirms the booking right from the notification
Notifications include a sound alert so you do not miss them even if you are not looking at the screen. They automatically disappear after a few seconds, but you can close them manually.
Good to know: Notifications are specific to the garage you are currently viewing. If you switch garages, you will only receive notifications for the new garage.
Step-by-Step Guide: Your First Day
Step 1: Complete the setup checklist
- Add your garage's address
- Set your opening hours
- Create your service menu (at least your most common services)
Step 2: Explore the dashboard
- Look at each section and get familiar with where information lives
- Hover over metrics and chart elements to see tooltips with additional detail
Step 3: Add your first booking
- Click the New Booking button in the top header
- Create a new booking with a customer name, vehicle, and service
- After saving, autoGMS opens the Bookings page and focuses the new booking
- Watch the dashboard metrics update in real time
Step 4: Set up your inventory (optional but recommended)
- Navigate to the Inventory section
- Add your most-used parts and supplies
- Set minimum stock thresholds so you get alerts before you run out
Step 5: Invite your team
- Go to Settings > Workshop settings > People > Team and click Add team member
- Add technicians, service advisors, managers, and admins as needed
- Each person gets their own login with permissions appropriate to their role
- See Roles & Access Control for a breakdown of what each role can do
Tips & Best Practices
-
Check the dashboard first thing every morning. It takes 30 seconds to see what is waiting on you, how this month compares with last month, and whether any stock needs reordering.
-
Start with the Action center. Open the urgent groups first. Snooze anything that can wait so the list shows only what needs you today.
-
Read the line under each big number. It tells you whether you are ahead of or behind the same day last month, so you can spot a slow month early.
-
React to notifications promptly. When a new booking comes in, confirming it quickly gives your customers confidence. Use the "Confirm" button right from the notification to save time.
-
Invoice finished jobs quickly. If the Action center shows completed jobs with no invoice, open the group and use Invoice jobs to clear them.
-
Use New Booking from the header. The New Booking button in the top header opens the booking panel from the dashboard. You do not need to go to the Bookings page first.
-
Review Invoiced vs expenses weekly. The two lines show your trajectory over time. A quick weekly glance helps you catch trends before they become problems.
-
Check Top services before you plan promotions. Your best earners show where your money comes from, so you know which services to push.
Create a Booking from the Header
On the garage dashboard, use the New Booking button in the top header. It opens the booking panel from the page you are already on; you do not need to open the Bookings page first.
- Click New Booking in the top header.
- Choose the customer type, customer, vehicle, service, date, and any required details.
- Click Create Booking.
After saving, autoGMS closes the panel, opens the Bookings page, and focuses the booking you just created.
Good to know: The button uses a plus-circle icon and is hidden for technician users.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: I just logged in and my dashboard shows all zeros. Is something wrong? A: No, this is perfectly normal for a new garage. The metrics will start populating as you create bookings, complete jobs, and process invoices. Complete the setup checklist first, then create your first booking to see numbers appear.
Q: How often does the dashboard data refresh automatically? A: Dashboard data is cached for performance and refreshes periodically in the background. The Action center has its own refresh icon if you want its latest tasks straight away. All cards load independently, so one slow card will not hold up the rest.
Q: I manage multiple garages. Can I see a combined view? A: The dashboard shows data for one garage at a time. To compare garages, use the Garage List view which shows key stats (bookings, revenue, customers) for every garage in a table. You can switch between individual garage dashboards by clicking on any garage in the list.
Q: How do I know which garage or warehouse location I am in?
A: The garage name at the top of the sidebar tells you which garage dashboard you are viewing. The Warehouse page, when enabled, is a separate organization workspace for central stock. In job and inventory flows, autoGMS may also show source labels such as Garage 2 + Warehouse 2 so you know whether stock is coming from the garage, warehouse, or both.
Q: What does the setup checklist check for? A: The checklist looks for three things: (1) a valid business address, (2) operating hours set for at least one day, and (3) at least one service added to your service menu. Once all three are in place, the checklist disappears.
Q: I heard a notification sound but missed the message. Where can I find it? A: Notifications slide in and auto-dismiss after a few seconds. While there is no notification history on the dashboard itself, you can check your Bookings page to see the latest activity and any bookings that need your attention.
Q: Why does the last month on Invoiced vs expenses look low? A: The month you are in is still in progress, so its amounts keep rising until it ends. That is why it is drawn in a lighter colour with an open point: it is not a drop.
Q: Can I change the currency displayed on the dashboard? A: Currency follows the garage's protected country setting. You can view it under Workshop settings -> Money -> Currency and tax. Contact autoGMS Support if the garage country was recorded incorrectly.
Q: What does "ahead of this day in September" compare against? A: Invoiced this month and Jobs invoiced compare what you have done so far this month with the same day last month. On the 31st of a month that follows a 30-day month, they compare with all of the previous month.
Q: Why can't I see the Low stock card? A: The Low stock card only appears once you track inventory. Add your items and set their minimum stock levels on the Inventory page, and the card will show on your dashboard.
Quick Reference
| I want to... | Go here | Do this |
|---|---|---|
| View dashboard | Click garage name in sidebar | Opens main dashboard |
| See what needs action today | Action center (top of dashboard) | Tap a group to see its items, then tap an item to open it |
| Snooze or dismiss a task | Action center → … menu on an item | Choose tomorrow, a week, or dismiss (owners and admins) |
| Bring back a hidden task | Action center → Hidden (n) | Restore the item |
| Change chart period | Invoiced vs expenses → period selector | Select This year, Last year, Last 6 months, or Last 12 months |
| See amounts by booking status | Bookings by status card | View the status list with counts and amounts |
| Check this month's invoicing | Invoiced this month card | Read the comparison line; click Open invoices |
| Check jobs invoiced this month | Jobs invoiced card | Read the comparison line; click See invoiced jobs |
| See your best-earning services | Top services card | Pick a period and main services or sub-services |
| Open the revenue report | Top services → See all services | Opens the revenue report (Analytics access needed) |
| Check low-stock items | Low stock card | See out of stock, running low, and in the warehouse |
| Navigate to inventory | Low stock → Open inventory button | Opens Inventory filtered to those items |
| Reload a card that failed | The card → Try again | Reloads that card's numbers |
| Quick-add booking | New Booking button (plus-circle icon in header) | Opens booking panel from the current page |
| Switch garages | Click garage name at top of sidebar | Opens Garage List |
| Complete setup | Setup checklist → click incomplete step | Takes you to the relevant settings page |