Fleet & Business Account Management
A complete guide to managing corporate clients, fleet vehicles, and business invoicing in autoGMS.
Overview
Many garages serve business customers -- companies with multiple vehicles that need regular servicing. autoGMS makes it easy to manage these corporate relationships with dedicated tools for:
- Business Accounts -- Separate profiles for companies, with a named contact person and business name
- Fleet Vehicle Tracking -- Keep a record of every vehicle in a business customer's fleet
- Batch Bookings -- Book multiple fleet vehicles for service in one go
- Consolidated Invoicing -- Generate a single invoice covering all unbilled work for a business
- Internal Fleet Management -- Track your own garage vehicles like tow trucks and courtesy cars
- Vehicle Lookup -- Instantly pull vehicle details using a UK registration number or US VIN
- MOT Tracking -- Monitor MOT expiry dates and history for UK-registered vehicles
- Mileage Tracking -- Record and update odometer readings for every vehicle
Whether you manage a handful of local business clients or service large corporate fleets, this guide walks you through everything you need.
How to Access
Business Accounts Page
- Open the autoGMS dashboard.
- Select your garage from the sidebar.
- Go to Customers in the navigation menu.
- You will see two tabs at the top of the page: All Customers and Business Accounts.
- Click Business Accounts to view only your corporate clients.
Customer Vehicle Management
- From the Customers page, click on any customer row to open their profile.
- Their vehicles are listed within the customer profile, where you can add, edit, or remove vehicles.
Internal Garage Fleet
- Go to your Garage Profile (click your garage name in the sidebar).
- Look for the Fleet tab.
- This is where you manage your own garage vehicles (tow trucks, courtesy cars, service vans, etc.).
MOT Dashboard (UK Garages)
- From the garage navigation menu, find the MOT Dashboard.
- This shows all UK-registered vehicles across your customer base with their MOT status, expiry dates, and test history.
Key Features
Business Account Dashboard
When you open the Business Accounts page, you will see four summary cards at the top:
- Total Businesses -- The number of active business accounts linked to your garage
- Fleet Vehicles -- The total vehicle count across all your business customers
- Total Bookings -- How many bookings have been created for business accounts
- Invoiced -- A progress indicator showing how many bookings have been invoiced versus total bookings, along with any unbilled revenue
Below these cards is a searchable table listing every business account. Each row shows:
- Business name and contact person
- Fleet size (number of registered vehicles)
- Booking count
- Invoice status (e.g., "3 / 5" means 3 out of 5 bookings invoiced, with a note showing how many are pending)
- Revenue breakdown (invoiced amount versus total, with any unbilled amount highlighted)
- Date the account was created
Good to know: You can click on any business row to expand it and see a breakdown of bookings by status (pending, confirmed, in-service, completed, cancelled). This gives you a quick snapshot without leaving the page.
Vehicle Types
autoGMS supports a range of vehicle types to cover every kind of fleet:
| Type | Examples |
|---|---|
| Sedan | Saloon cars, company cars |
| SUV | 4x4s, crossovers |
| Truck | Pickup trucks, flatbeds |
| Sports Car | Performance vehicles |
| Van | Delivery vans, service vans |
| Bus | Minibuses, coaches |
| Motorcycle | Motorbikes, scooters |
| Other | Anything else |
Van, Bus, and Motorcycle types are available when fleet mode is enabled in your garage settings, or when managing your internal garage fleet.
Multi-Country License Plate Support
autoGMS understands license plate formats from many countries. When adding a vehicle, you select the country first, and the plate input fields adjust automatically:
- UAE -- Emirate-specific formats (Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, etc.) with separate letter and number fields
- Saudi Arabia -- 4-digit number plus 3-letter format
- Qatar -- Prefix and suffix number format
- Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman -- Country-specific number formats
- United Kingdom -- Standard UK format (e.g., AB12 CDE)
- Ireland -- Year-county-number format (e.g., 231-D-12345)
- Germany -- Region-letter-number format
- Egypt, Jordan -- Regional formats
The system validates the plate format as you type, so you will know immediately if something looks incorrect.
Good to know: For UAE plates, you will first choose the emirate (Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, etc.), and the input fields will adapt to match that emirate's plate format.
Step-by-Step Guide
Setting Up a Business Account
Business accounts are created when you book a service and mark the customer as a business:
- Go to Reception (your booking page) and start creating a new booking.
- When entering the customer details, set the Account Type to Business.
- Enter the Business Name (e.g., "Al Fahim Transport LLC").
- Fill in the contact person's first name, last name, and phone number.
- Complete the booking as normal.
The customer is now registered as a business account and will appear on the Business Accounts page.
Good to know: You do not need to create a business account separately before booking. The account is created automatically during the first booking. Any future bookings for the same phone number will be linked to the same business account.
Adding Vehicles to a Customer Profile
Every customer (business or individual) can have multiple vehicles on file:
- Navigate to the customer's profile by clicking their name in the Customers list.
- In the Vehicles section, click Add Vehicle.
- Select the Country where the vehicle is registered.
- Fill in the vehicle details:
- Make (e.g., Toyota, Mercedes-Benz) -- choose from the searchable dropdown
- Model (e.g., Camry, Sprinter) -- the list updates based on the make you selected
- Year of manufacture
- Color
- Vehicle Type (Sedan, SUV, Truck, etc.)
- License Plate -- the format adapts to the country you selected
- VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) -- optional but useful for tracking
- Click Save to add the vehicle to the customer's profile.
What you'll see: The vehicle appears in the customer's vehicle list with its make, model, year, plate number, and any other details you entered. One vehicle can be set as the customer's default (primary) vehicle.
Using UK Vehicle Lookup (DVLA Integration)
If your garage is in the UK, or if you are adding a UK-registered vehicle, you can look up vehicle details instantly using the registration number:
- When adding or editing a vehicle, set the country to United Kingdom.
- A registration number field and a Lookup button will appear.
- Enter the UK registration number (e.g., "AB12 CDE").
- Click the Lookup button.
- autoGMS will query the DVLA database and automatically fill in:
- Make (e.g., "Volkswagen")
- Year of manufacture
- Color
- Review the details, add the model manually if needed, and save.
What you'll see: After a successful lookup, the form fields update with the DVLA data. A confirmation message appears saying "Vehicle details found."
Good to know: The system automatically normalizes manufacturer names. For example, "VW" from DVLA becomes "Volkswagen," and "MERCEDES" becomes "Mercedes-Benz," so your records stay consistent.
Using US Vehicle Lookup (VIN Decode)
For US-registered vehicles, you can look up details using the 17-character VIN:
- When adding a vehicle, enter the VIN (must be exactly 17 characters).
- The system will decode the VIN using the NHTSA database.
- Vehicle details like make, model, and year are populated automatically.
Additionally, for US vehicles, autoGMS can check for:
- Safety Recalls -- Any open or past recalls for the specific VIN
- Complaints -- NHTSA complaints filed for that make, model, and year
- Investigations -- Active safety investigations
Good to know: VIN lookup is useful even for non-US vehicles, as VINs are standardized internationally. However, the recall and complaint data is specific to the US market.
Checking MOT History (UK Vehicles)
For UK-registered vehicles, you can pull the full MOT test history:
- Go to a customer's profile and find the vehicle in their list.
- If the vehicle is UK-registered, you will see a Fetch History button.
- Click it to pull MOT data from the DVSA (Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency).
- The system will display:
- Latest test result -- Passed or Failed, with the test date
- MOT expiry date -- When the current MOT certificate expires
- Odometer reading -- The mileage recorded at the last test
- Defects -- Any advisories, minor, major, or dangerous defects found
What you'll see: A status banner shows the latest result (green for passed, red for failed). Below it, any defects are listed with color-coded severity labels:
- Advisory (amber) -- Items to monitor but not a failure reason
- Minor (yellow) -- Minor issues noted
- Major (orange) -- Serious issues that caused or would cause failure
- Dangerous (red) -- Immediate safety concerns
You can click Refresh at any time to fetch the latest data.
Using the MOT Dashboard
The MOT Dashboard gives you a bird's-eye view of MOT status across all your UK customers' vehicles:
- Open the MOT Dashboard from the garage navigation.
- Use the filters to view:
- All vehicles -- Every UK vehicle on file
- Due within 30 days -- Vehicles whose MOT expires soon
- Overdue -- Vehicles with expired MOTs
- Missing -- Vehicles with no MOT data on file
- Use the search bar to find specific vehicles by customer name, registration, or make/model.
From this dashboard you can:
- Send a WhatsApp reminder -- Tap the message icon to send a pre-written MOT reminder to the customer via WhatsApp
- Book an MOT -- Tap the calendar icon to open the booking form, pre-filled with the customer and vehicle details
- Edit vehicle details -- Click a vehicle row to update its information
Good to know: The MOT Dashboard auto-generates reminder messages that include the customer's name, registration number, and expiry date. You can send these with one click.
Tracking and Updating Vehicle Mileage
Keeping mileage records up to date is important for service scheduling and vehicle history:
- Go to a customer's vehicle list in their profile.
- Find the vehicle and look for the mileage display.
- Click the edit (pencil) icon next to the mileage reading.
- Enter the current odometer reading.
- Choose the unit -- Kilometers (km) or Miles (mi).
- Press Enter to save, or Escape to cancel.
What you'll see: The mileage updates immediately, and the date of the last mileage update is recorded. For UK vehicles, the odometer reading from the most recent MOT test is also displayed when MOT history is fetched.
Good to know: Mileage can also be updated automatically when a pre-inspection report is completed for a booking. The odometer reading from the inspection is saved to the vehicle record.
Booking Multiple Fleet Vehicles at Once
When a business needs several vehicles serviced, you can create bookings in batch:
- Go to the Business Accounts page.
- Find the business in the table.
- Click the green Book button next to the business name.
- A side panel opens titled Fleet Booking, showing the business name.
- You will see a list of all vehicles registered to that business. For each vehicle:
- Click to select it (a checkmark appears)
- Choose a service from the dropdown that appears beneath the vehicle
- The service price is shown based on the vehicle type
- If you want to book all vehicles, click Select all at the top.
- Set the Booking Date using the date picker.
- Optionally add Notes that will apply to all bookings.
- Click Create X Bookings (where X is the number of selected vehicles).
What you'll see: Each selected vehicle gets its own separate booking, all linked to the same business account. A confirmation message tells you how many bookings were created successfully.
Good to know: Each vehicle can have a different service assigned. For example, you might book three cars for an oil change and one van for a full inspection -- all in the same batch operation. The footer shows a count of how many selected vehicles still need a service assigned.
If some vehicles fail during batch submit: autoGMS still creates the successful bookings first. Failed rows stay selected with error details so you can correct and retry only those rows. Bulk submit also has duplicate-submit protection to reduce accidental double booking after retries.
Generating a Consolidated Invoice for a Business
Instead of invoicing each booking separately, you can create one invoice covering all unbilled work for a business:
- Go to the Business Accounts page.
- Find the business you want to invoice.
- Look at the Invoice button on that row:
- If it shows Invoice (X) in amber -- there are X unbilled bookings ready to invoice
- If it shows View Invoices in green -- all bookings are already invoiced
- Click the amber Invoice button.
- The system fetches all unbilled bookings for that business and opens the invoice generator.
- The invoice is pre-populated with:
- The business name as the client
- Each booking as a separate line item, showing the service name, vehicle details, and date
- The total amount calculated automatically
- A 30-day default payment due date
- Your garage details as the seller
- Review the invoice, make any adjustments, and generate it.
What you'll see: After generation, the bookings are linked to the invoice. The business account's invoice status updates automatically -- the "Invoiced" column reflects the new count, and any previously shown unbilled revenue decreases.
Alternative method -- Business Invoice Modal:
You can also generate invoices from a more detailed selection view:
- When the invoice modal opens, you see all unbilled bookings listed with checkboxes.
- All bookings are selected by default. You can deselect any you do not want to include.
- Each booking shows its status, date, vehicle, service, and price.
- Set the Due Date using the calendar picker (defaults to 30 days from today).
- The total updates in real time as you select or deselect bookings.
- Click Next to proceed to the invoice generator.
Good to know: The invoiced versus total ratio is visible at a glance on the Business Accounts page. The "Invoiced" column shows a fraction like "3 / 5" with the number of pending bookings highlighted in amber below it. The Revenue column shows invoiced revenue versus total revenue, with any unbilled amount called out.
Managing Your Internal Garage Fleet
Your garage likely has its own vehicles -- tow trucks, courtesy cars, service vans. autoGMS lets you track these separately from customer vehicles:
- Go to your Garage Profile (click your garage name in the sidebar).
- Open the Fleet tab.
- You will see the Garage Fleet workspace with controls for search, add, edit, status changes, and mileage history.
What you will see
- Operational summary cards with total vehicles, status split (Active, In Service, Retired), and data quality indicators (missing VIN, plate, fleet ID, mileage)
- Search by make, model, plate, VIN, or fleet ID
- Quick-add form for rapid entry
- Vehicle list with labeled metadata (Plate, VIN, Fleet ID, Type, Mileage)
- Always-visible row actions (buttons stay visible; no hover-only controls)
- Pagination for larger fleets
Fleet status reference
| Status | What it means | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Active | Vehicle is available for normal operations. | Use this for vehicles currently in use. |
| In Service | Vehicle is temporarily unavailable. | Use this when the vehicle is in maintenance/workshop. |
| Retired | Vehicle is no longer active in your fleet. | Use this instead of deleting when you want to keep history. |
Adding a vehicle to your garage fleet
- Click the Add Vehicle button.
- A quick-add form appears with fields for:
- Make -- Searchable dropdown (e.g., Ford, Mercedes-Benz)
- Model -- Updates based on the selected make (e.g., Transit, Sprinter)
- Type -- Sedan, SUV, Truck, Van, Bus, Motorcycle, Sports Car, Other
- Year -- Year of manufacture
- License Plate -- The vehicle's registration
- VIN -- Vehicle Identification Number
- Fleet ID -- Your own internal identifier (e.g., "TOW-01", "COURTESY-03", "A-07")
- Current Mileage (optional; recommended)
- If you need to add multiple similar vehicles, set the Quantity (up to 50) and click Add X Vehicles. Only the first vehicle gets the plate, VIN, and fleet ID -- the rest are created as blank copies for you to fill in later.
- Click Add Vehicle to save.
What you'll see: The form stays open after each addition, so you can keep adding vehicles quickly. Each vehicle appears in the list below with its make, model, year, plate, VIN, fleet ID, type, and mileage.
Validation behavior: VIN, license plate, and fleet ID are checked for duplicates within your internal garage fleet. If an identifier is already in use, the save is blocked and you will see a conflict message.
Duplicating a vehicle
Click the copy icon to pre-fill the add form with that vehicle's make, model, type, and year. The plate, VIN, and fleet ID are cleared so you can enter unique values for the new vehicle.
Editing a fleet vehicle
Click the edit icon to open the full edit dialog. You can update:
- Make, model, type, and year
- License plate and fleet ID
- VIN and color details
- Fuel type
- Engine size and engine number
- Interior details (type/material)
- Current mileage and mileage unit (km or miles)
- Fleet status and retirement reason (when retiring)
Fleet status lifecycle
- Active -- Vehicle is available for normal operations.
- In Service -- Vehicle is temporarily in workshop/maintenance.
- Retired -- Vehicle is no longer in active fleet use.
Use the row action buttons to move a vehicle between statuses:
- Wrench icon toggles Active and In Service
- Rotate icon toggles Retired and Reactivated
Changing a vehicle status (step-by-step)
- Find the vehicle in the fleet list.
- Use the row action button:
- Click the wrench icon to switch between Active and In Service.
- Click the rotate icon to switch between Retired and Reactivated.
- Wait for the confirmation message.
- Confirm the status text next to the vehicle name has updated.
What you'll see: The status updates immediately in the row and summary cards refresh to reflect the new status counts.
Fleet row actions reference
| Action | What it does |
|---|---|
| Edit | Opens the full vehicle edit dialog. |
| History | Opens mileage history for that vehicle. |
| Retire / Reactivate | Toggles retired status on or off. |
| Mark In Service / Mark Active | Switches operational availability state. |
| Duplicate | Copies the vehicle into quick-add form with unique IDs cleared. |
| Remove | Deletes the vehicle after confirmation. |
Mileage history
Click the history icon to open mileage history for a vehicle.
The history shows previous and new mileage entries with timestamps, helping track mileage changes over time.
What you'll see: New mileage updates appear at the top of the history list with date/time and old-to-new value.
Removing a vehicle
Click the trash icon. Confirm the removal in the dialog that appears. This action cannot be undone.
Tip: Keep mileage current and use statuses consistently. This keeps your fleet summary cards and data-quality indicators accurate.
Good to know: The fleet ID field is entirely up to you. Use whatever naming convention makes sense for your garage -- "TOW-01," "LOANER-A," "VAN-NORTH" -- whatever helps your team identify vehicles quickly.
Troubleshooting Garage Fleet
I cannot save a vehicle because of a conflict error
This usually means the VIN, license plate, or fleet ID is already assigned to another internal fleet vehicle.
- Read the error message to see which field is conflicting.
- Search your fleet list for that value (VIN/plate/fleet ID).
- Edit either the existing vehicle or the new vehicle so the identifier is unique.
- Save again.
The status button is disabled
The status action can be temporarily disabled while another status update is still processing.
- Wait a few seconds for the previous update to complete.
- Refresh the page if needed.
- Try the status action again.
Mileage history is empty
Mileage history appears only after mileage is logged.
- Edit the vehicle and enter/update current mileage.
- Save the vehicle.
- Reopen mileage history -- the entry should now appear.
Some vehicles failed during batch booking
This can happen if one or more selected rows has invalid or missing booking data.
- Submit the batch booking.
- Review the error details shown for failed rows.
- Correct only the failed rows (they remain selected).
- Submit again to retry only those rows.
Managing Multiple Vehicles per Customer
Both individual and business customers can have any number of vehicles on file:
- Adding vehicles: Use the Add Vehicle button in the customer's profile. Each vehicle is stored with its own make, model, year, plate, VIN, color, fuel type, engine size, country, and mileage.
- Default vehicle: One vehicle can be marked as the customer's primary (default) vehicle. This is the vehicle that will be pre-selected when creating new bookings.
- Searching vehicles: Use the search bar in the vehicle list to filter by make, model, year, plate number, or VIN.
- Deleting vehicles: Click the delete button next to any vehicle. You will be asked to confirm before it is removed.
Good to know: When creating a booking, the system shows the customer's vehicles so you can pick the right one. For business accounts with large fleets, the fleet booking tool (described above) is the most efficient way to handle multiple vehicles.
Tips & Best Practices
For Business Accounts
- Use clear business names. Enter the company's official name (e.g., "Emirates Transport LLC" rather than just "ET") so your team can find accounts quickly using the search bar.
- Keep contact details current. Each business account has a contact person with a phone number. Make sure this is updated, because the fleet booking tool requires a valid phone number.
- Review unbilled revenue regularly. The Business Accounts page highlights unbilled revenue in amber. Make it a habit to check this weekly and generate invoices promptly.
- Use the expanded row view. Click any business row to see a breakdown of bookings by status. This helps you spot patterns -- for example, if a business has many pending bookings that have not been confirmed.
For Fleet Vehicles
- Record VINs whenever possible. VINs are the most reliable way to identify a vehicle across systems. They appear on invoices and help avoid confusion when a business has multiple vehicles of the same make and model.
- Assign fleet IDs to internal vehicles. Giving your tow trucks and courtesy cars simple IDs like "TOW-01" makes them easy to refer to in conversation and in reports.
- Keep mileage up to date. Accurate mileage records help with service scheduling, warranty tracking, and resale value documentation. Update mileage at every service visit.
- Use the duplicate feature for similar fleet vehicles. If a business has five Toyota HiAce vans, add the first one fully, then use the duplicate/copy button to quickly create the rest -- just update the plate and VIN for each.
For Vehicle Lookup
- Use UK lookup to save time. For UK vehicles, entering the registration number and clicking Lookup is faster and more accurate than typing details manually. It also ensures consistent naming.
- Fetch MOT history proactively. When a UK customer visits for the first time, pull their MOT history. It gives you insight into the vehicle's condition and helps you recommend services.
- Check US recalls for customer safety. When adding a US vehicle by VIN, take a moment to check for open recalls. Alerting customers to safety recalls builds trust and may lead to additional work.
For Invoicing
- Invoice promptly after completing work. The Business Accounts page makes it easy to see which bookings are uninvoiced. Do not let unbilled work pile up.
- Review the consolidated invoice before sending. The invoice generator pre-fills everything, but always check that line items, amounts, and the due date are correct.
- Use the 30-day default wisely. The system sets a 30-day payment due date by default. Adjust this based on your agreement with each business customer.
Frequently Asked Questions
Business Accounts
How do I convert an existing individual customer to a business account? Currently, the account type is set when the customer is first created during a booking. To convert an existing individual customer, edit their profile and change the account type to "Business," then enter the business name.
Can a business account have multiple contact people? Each business account has one primary contact person (first name, last name, phone number, email). If a business has multiple contacts, you can add notes to the customer profile with additional contact details.
How do I search for a specific business account? On the Business Accounts page, use the search bar at the top of the table. You can search by business name, contact person's name, or phone number.
What happens if I delete a business account? Deleting a customer removes their profile, but their booking history is preserved in the system. Exercise caution -- it is usually better to mark an account as inactive rather than deleting it.
Fleet Vehicles
Is there a limit to how many vehicles a customer can have? No. A customer (business or individual) can have an unlimited number of vehicles registered to their profile.
Can I add vehicles in bulk? For internal garage fleet vehicles, yes -- the quick-add form has a quantity field that lets you add up to 50 vehicles at once. For customer vehicles, they are added one at a time through the customer profile, but the fleet booking tool lets you work with all of them in one view.
Can I mark a vehicle as inactive without deleting it? Yes. Use fleet statuses:
- Set to In Service when temporarily unavailable.
- Set to Retired when permanently removed from active use. This preserves history without deleting the record.
Can I see mileage change history for a fleet vehicle? Yes. Use the history icon on the vehicle row to view mileage history entries.
What is a Fleet ID? A Fleet ID is an internal label you assign to a vehicle for easy identification. It is entirely optional and free-form -- you might use codes like "TOW-01," "VAN-A," or "042." It is particularly useful for your garage's own fleet of tow trucks, courtesy cars, and service vehicles.
What vehicle types are available? Sedan, SUV, Truck, Sports Car, Van, Bus, Motorcycle, and Other. Van, Bus, and Motorcycle become available when fleet mode is enabled in your garage settings.
Vehicle Lookup
Is the UK DVLA lookup free? The lookup is included with your autoGMS subscription at no extra cost. There is a rate limit to prevent abuse, but normal usage will not be affected.
What details does the DVLA lookup return? It returns the vehicle's make, year of manufacture, and color. You will still need to enter the model manually, as DVLA data does not always include it.
Does the VIN lookup work for non-US vehicles? The VIN decode uses the NHTSA database, which is primarily for US-market vehicles. It may return partial results for vehicles from other markets. UK vehicles are better served by the registration number lookup.
Why does my MOT history show "No MOT history loaded"? You need to click the "Fetch History" button first. MOT data is not loaded automatically -- it is pulled on demand from the DVSA service. Once fetched, it is saved and displayed until you refresh it.
Invoicing
Can I invoice individual bookings instead of creating a consolidated invoice? Yes. The consolidated invoice feature on the Business Accounts page is a convenience for businesses with multiple bookings. You can still generate individual invoices from each booking's detail page.
What does "unbilled" mean on the Business Accounts page? Unbilled bookings are completed (or in-progress) bookings that have not yet been linked to an invoice. The amber indicators on the page help you identify revenue that has not been formally invoiced.
Can I select which bookings to include in a consolidated invoice? Yes. When using the Business Invoice Modal, all unbilled bookings are pre-selected with checkboxes. You can deselect any bookings you do not want to include in the current invoice.
What invoice number format is used for business invoices? Business consolidated invoices use the format "INV-B-XXXX" where XXXX is derived from the first booking's ID. This distinguishes them from regular individual invoices which use "INV-XXXXXX."
MOT Dashboard
Can I send MOT reminders to customers? Yes. From the MOT Dashboard, you can send a pre-written WhatsApp message to any customer with a vehicle approaching its MOT expiry date. The message includes the customer's name, registration number, and expiry date.
Can I book an MOT directly from the dashboard? Yes. Click the calendar icon next to any vehicle to open a pre-filled booking form with the customer and vehicle details already entered. Just select the MOT service and confirm.
How often should I refresh MOT data? MOT data does not change frequently -- once every few weeks is sufficient for most garages. The "Refresh" button on each vehicle or the bulk refresh on the MOT Dashboard lets you update whenever needed.