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Bay & Workshop Management

Overview​

The Bay & Workshop Management feature is the heart of your garage's daily operations. Think of bays as the physical workstations in your workshop -- each bay represents a spot where a vehicle can be serviced. This feature lets you see at a glance what is happening across your entire workshop: which bays are busy, which are free, who is working on what, and how long each job has been running.

Why it matters: Without a clear picture of your workshop floor, jobs slip through the cracks, bays sit empty when they could be earning revenue, and your team loses time figuring out what to work on next. Bay management brings order to your workshop so you can serve more customers, keep your team productive, and track every job from start to finish.

Key things you can do:

  • Set up bays that match your workshop layout
  • Assign confirmed bookings to available bays (which automatically starts the job)
  • Track how long each job has been in progress with live timers
  • Assign one or more technicians to each job
  • Put jobs on hold when waiting for parts or customer approval
  • Complete jobs and free up bays for the next customer
  • Place bays into maintenance mode when equipment needs servicing
  • Search across all active jobs by customer name, vehicle, or service type
  • Review bay utilization data in your analytics dashboard
  • Open a dedicated TV Display mode for wall-mounted workshop screens

How to Access​

  1. Log in to your autoGMS dashboard.
  2. From the left sidebar, select your garage.
  3. Click Workshop (or Bays) in the garage navigation menu.

You will land on the Workshop page, which is your real-time view of every bay in your garage.

Good to know: Technicians who log in will only see the bays and jobs they have been assigned to. Owners and managers see the full workshop view. Good to know: Technicians access this through the autoGMS web app (desktop or mobile browser). There is no separate technician-only native app.

Key Features​

Real-Time Workshop Dashboard​

A live view of all your bays displayed as cards on a single page. Each card is colour-coded so you can instantly tell what is happening:

  • Green -- Bay is available and ready for a new job
  • Blue -- Bay is occupied with an active job (and pre-inspection is complete or not required)
  • Orange -- Bay is occupied but a required pre-inspection has not been completed yet
  • Amber -- Bay is occupied but the job is on hold (waiting for parts, customer approval, etc.)
  • Red/Amber -- Bay is in maintenance mode and cannot accept jobs

Summary Stats​

At the top of the page (on desktop), you will see two key numbers:

  • Active Jobs -- How many bays currently have a vehicle being serviced
  • Free Technicians -- How many of your technicians are not currently assigned to a job, alongside how many are busy and the total on your team

A search bar at the top of the bay list lets you quickly find a specific job. You can search by:

  • Bay name
  • Customer name
  • Vehicle make or model
  • License plate or VIN
  • Service type

TV Display Mode​

For shared workshop monitors, you can switch the Workshop page into TV mode.

How to open it:

  1. Open Workshop.
  2. In the page header, click TV Display.

What changes in TV mode:

  • Simplified, larger bay cards optimized for distance viewing
  • A top status bar with current time and bay counts
  • Auto-refresh every 30 seconds
  • Fullscreen toggle and quick exit controls

Status cues in TV mode:

  • Blue active jobs
  • Orange on-hold jobs
  • Red overdue active jobs (elapsed time beyond the service duration)
  • Green available bays

Bay Types​

Each bay can be categorized by the type of work it handles:

  • General Service Bay -- For all-purpose work
  • Oil Change Bay -- Dedicated to oil services
  • Tire Service Bay -- For tire fitting and balancing
  • Brake Service Bay -- For brake repairs and inspections
  • Diagnostic Bay -- For electronic diagnostics and fault finding
  • Quick Service Bay -- For fast-turnaround jobs

Bay types help you organize your workshop and make it easier to match the right job to the right workstation.

Step-by-Step Guide​

Setting Up Your Bays​

When you first access the Workshop page for a new garage, you may be guided through a Setup Wizard. You can also add bays at any time.

Using the Setup Wizard (First-Time Setup)​

  1. The wizard will ask: "How many bays does your garage have?" Enter the number.
  2. You will see a preview of the bays that will be created (e.g., "Bay 1 - General Service Bay", "Bay 2 - General Service Bay").
  3. Choose one of two options:
    • Quick Setup -- Creates all bays with default names and the General Service type. Great for getting started fast.
    • Customize Bays -- Takes you to a second step where you can rename each bay and choose a specific type for each one.
  4. Click Complete Setup to finish.

What you'll see: Your bays will appear on the Workshop page as cards, all showing a green "Available" status and ready for jobs.

Adding a Single Bay Later​

  1. Look for the Add Bay button on the Workshop page.
  2. A dialog will appear with two fields:
    • Bay Name (required) -- Give it a clear, recognizable name like "Bay 3" or "Alignment Lift A."
    • Bay Type -- Select from the dropdown (General, Oil Change, Tire, Brake, Diagnostic, or Quick Service).
  3. Click Create Bay.

What you'll see: The new bay card appears immediately on your Workshop page in the "Available" state.

Good to know: Bay names must be unique within a garage. If you try to create a bay with a name that already exists, you will see an error message.

Editing a Bay​

  1. On any bay card, click the gear icon (settings) in the top-right corner.
  2. An Edit Bay dialog will open where you can change the bay's name or type.
  3. Click Save Changes.

Good to know: Only owners, admins, and garage managers can add or edit bays. Technicians and staff members cannot modify bay settings.

Assigning a Booking to a Bay​

This is the most important workflow in bay management. When a booking has been confirmed and the customer's vehicle is ready for service, you assign it to a bay to start the work.

Important: Assigning a booking to a bay automatically transitions its status from Confirmed to In-Service. You do not need to manually change the booking status -- the system handles it for you.

From the Workshop Page​

  1. Find an available bay (shown in green with a checkmark icon).
  2. Click the Assign Booking button on the bay card.
  3. You will be redirected to the Bookings page, filtered to show only Confirmed bookings.
  4. From the bookings list, select the booking you want to assign and choose the bay.

From the Bookings Page​

  1. Navigate to Bookings and find a booking with the Confirmed status.
  2. Open the booking and use the Assign to Bay action.
  3. A Bay Assignment dialog will appear, showing you:
    • The customer's name, service type, and vehicle details at the top
    • A dropdown listing all available bays in your garage
  4. Select a bay from the dropdown. You will see a preview confirming the assignment.
  5. Click Assign to Bay to complete the assignment.

What you'll see: The bay card immediately changes from green (available) to blue (occupied). It now displays:

  • The job/booking number
  • Customer name and contact details
  • Vehicle information (make, model, license plate)
  • Service type and price
  • A live timer showing how long the job has been in progress
  • The assigned technician(s)

Good to know: The assignment happens in real time. If another team member is looking at the Workshop page on a different device, they will see the bay status update automatically -- no need to refresh.

Assigning Technicians to a Bay​

Once a job is assigned to a bay, you will want to assign the technician(s) who will do the work.

Assigning a Single or Multiple Technicians​

  1. On an occupied bay card, find the Technician section (visible to owners and managers).
  2. Click the gear icon next to the technician section.
  3. The Manage Technicians dialog will open, showing:
    • A list of all technicians in your garage
    • Any technicians already assigned to this job
  4. For each technician you want to assign:
    • Select the technician from the dropdown
    • Choose their role: Primary (lead technician), Secondary (supporting), or Assistant (junior)
  5. You can add multiple technicians by clicking the Add Technician button.
  6. To remove a technician, click the delete icon next to their name.
  7. Click Save to apply the changes.

What you'll see: The bay card updates to show the assigned technician names. If there are more than two technicians, the card will show the first two names plus a "+X more" indicator.

Good to know: When a technician is assigned to a bay, they will see that job in their personal dashboard when they log in. This keeps everyone on the same page about who is responsible for what.

Viewing Bay Details​

For a deeper look at any bay, you can open the Bay Details panel.

  1. Click on an occupied bay card (clicking anywhere on the card body, not on a button).
  2. A side panel (drawer) slides in from the right, showing:
    • Current Status -- Available, Occupied, or Maintenance, with the last updated timestamp
    • Current Booking Information -- Customer name and avatar, vehicle details (make, model, colour, license plate), service type, bay type, and assigned technician
    • Job Timeline -- Key dates including when the booking was created, when it was assigned to the bay, when work started, and how long the job has been active
    • Recent Activity -- A log of actions taken on this bay (if available)
  3. From the panel footer, you can take quick actions:
    • Complete Service (if occupied) -- Finishes the job and frees the bay
    • Mark as Available (if in maintenance) -- Returns the bay to service
    • Set Maintenance Mode (if available) -- Takes the bay offline

Completing a Job and Releasing a Bay​

When the work on a vehicle is finished, you complete the job to free up the bay for the next customer.

  1. On the occupied bay card, click the Complete Job button (green button with a checkmark).
  2. The system will check for any blockers before completing the job:
    • Pre-inspection required: If your organization requires a pre-inspection and it has not been done yet, you will be prompted to complete it first. The button will show as an orange Start Pre-Inspection button instead.
    • Pending inventory items: If parts or inventory items have been assigned to this job but usage quantities have not been confirmed, an Inventory Confirmation dialog will appear. Confirm how much of each item was actually used before the job can be completed.
  3. Once any blockers are resolved, the job is marked as Completed, the booking status updates automatically, and the bay returns to the green "Available" state.

What you'll see: The bay card transitions smoothly from blue (occupied) back to green (available). The completed job may briefly appear in the History section.

Good to know: Only completed bookings count toward your revenue calculations. Making sure jobs are properly completed (not just abandoned) keeps your financial reporting accurate.

Putting a Job on Hold​

Sometimes a job needs to be paused -- maybe you are waiting on parts, or the customer needs to approve additional work.

  1. On an occupied bay card, click the Hold button (amber/yellow button with a pause icon).
  2. The Put Job On Hold dialog will appear, asking you to:
    • Select a reason (required): Choose from common reasons such as:
      • Waiting for parts
      • Waiting for customer approval
      • Technician unavailable
      • Bay needed for another job
      • Customer request
      • Other
    • Add notes (optional): Provide any additional context.
  3. Click Put On Hold.

What you'll see: The bay card changes to an amber colour scheme with a pause icon badge, making it immediately visible that this job is paused. The job still occupies the bay -- the vehicle has not moved.

Resuming a Held Job​

  1. On a held bay card, the primary action button changes to Resume Job (green button with a play icon).
  2. Click Resume Job to continue the work.
  3. The bay card returns to its normal blue occupied state.

Good to know: Putting a job on hold is a great way to communicate across your team. Anyone looking at the Workshop page can immediately see which jobs are paused and why, without needing to ask around.

Using Maintenance Mode​

When a bay needs to be taken offline -- for equipment maintenance, cleaning, or any other reason -- use maintenance mode.

Turning Maintenance Mode On​

  1. On an available bay card, you will see a Maintenance toggle switch in the card footer.
  2. Flip the switch to enable maintenance mode.
  3. Confirm if prompted.

What you'll see: The bay card changes to an amber/red colour scheme with a wrench icon and the label "Maintenance." The bay will not appear in the list of available bays when assigning bookings.

Turning Maintenance Mode Off​

  1. On a bay that is in maintenance mode, flip the Maintenance toggle switch off.
    • Alternatively, open the Bay Details panel and click Mark as Available.
  2. The bay returns to the green "Available" state and can accept new jobs.

Good to know: You cannot put a bay into maintenance mode while it has an active job. Complete or reassign the current job first, then enable maintenance mode.

Tracking Bay Utilization​

Understanding how efficiently your bays are being used helps you make better decisions about staffing, scheduling, and capacity.

Live Timers​

Every occupied bay card shows a live elapsed-time counter. This tells you exactly how long the current job has been running, updated every minute. Look for the blue timer badge in the top-right area of the card.

Bay Utilization in Analytics​

If your organization has the analytics feature enabled, you can access detailed bay utilization data:

  1. From the Workshop page header, click Job Analytics (if available).
  2. In the Analytics dashboard, look for the Bay Utilisation section.

What you'll see:

  • Overall Bay Utilization -- A percentage showing how much of the time your bays are actively in use, displayed as a progress bar
  • Peak Hours -- The busiest times of day across your workshop
  • Peak Days -- The busiest days of the week
  • Per-Bay Breakdown -- Individual utilization percentages for each bay, so you can see which bays are overworked and which are underused

Bay Utilization Table​

In the Financial Dashboard, there is also a Bay Utilization Table that shows:

  • Bay name and type
  • Total number of job assignments
  • Total service time

You can sort this table by any column and paginate through the results.

Good to know: If one bay consistently has much higher utilization than others, it might be time to add another bay of that type or re-balance how you assign jobs.

Managing Multiple Bays​

As your garage grows, managing many bays becomes even more important. Here are some tips for staying organized:

Naming Conventions​

Give your bays clear, descriptive names that your team will recognize. Some common approaches:

  • Numbered: Bay 1, Bay 2, Bay 3
  • By location: Front Left, Rear Right, Upstairs Bay A
  • By equipment: Alignment Lift, 4-Post Lift, Quick Pit

Using Bay Types Effectively​

Setting the correct bay type helps you quickly match jobs to the right workstation:

  • If you have a dedicated alignment machine, create an "Alignment" or "Diagnostic" bay
  • If you have a quick-service pit for oil changes, mark it as an "Oil Change" or "Quick Service" bay
  • Use "General Service" for bays that handle a variety of work

Monitoring from the Workshop Page​

  • Use the search bar to quickly find a specific job or customer across all bays
  • The Active Jobs and Free Technicians stat cards at the top give you an instant health check of your workshop
  • The bay cards are displayed in a responsive grid -- on larger screens you will see 2-3 columns side by side for a broader overview

Tips & Best Practices​

  • Keep bay names short and clear. Your team will reference them constantly -- "Bay 3" is better than "Third Service Bay on the Ground Floor."

  • Assign technicians as soon as a job starts. This helps with accountability and ensures your team knows who is responsible for what. It also keeps the "Free Technicians" stat accurate.

  • Use the Hold feature instead of leaving notes. When a job is paused, putting it on hold with a reason is much more visible than writing a note that someone might miss.

  • Complete jobs promptly. When a vehicle leaves the bay, complete the job right away. This frees up the bay for the next customer and ensures your revenue numbers stay current.

  • Review utilization weekly. Check your bay utilization analytics at the end of each week. Consistently low utilization may mean you are overstaffed or underbooked; consistently high utilization may mean it is time to expand.

  • Put bays in maintenance mode during off-hours. If you are servicing equipment overnight, toggle maintenance mode on before you leave so the morning shift knows which bays are available.

  • Use bay types to prevent mismatches. If a particular bay only has equipment for tire work, marking it as a "Tire Service Bay" helps your team avoid assigning a brake job there by mistake.

Frequently Asked Questions​

What happens to the booking when I assign it to a bay?​

The booking status automatically changes from Confirmed to In-Service. You do not need to update the booking status separately -- the bay assignment takes care of it.

Can I assign a booking to a bay that is in maintenance mode?​

No. A bay must be in the "Available" state to accept a new booking. Take it out of maintenance mode first.

Can I move a job from one bay to another?​

To move a job, you would need to release (complete) the job from the current bay and then re-assign it to a different bay. Direct bay-to-bay transfers are not currently supported.

What happens if I complete a job but forgot to assign a technician?​

The job will still be completed successfully. However, it is best practice to assign a technician so your records accurately reflect who did the work. This also helps with technician performance tracking and utilization reports.

Can technicians complete jobs themselves?​

Yes. If a technician is assigned to a bay, they can complete the job from their view. They will see a prominent timer and a "Complete Job" button on their assigned bay cards.

Why is a bay card showing orange instead of blue?​

An orange occupied bay means that a pre-inspection is required by your organization's policy but has not been completed yet. The main action button on that card will prompt you to start or complete the pre-inspection before you can finish the job.

Why can I not see all the bays?​

If you are logged in as a technician, you will only see bays that have jobs assigned to you. Owners, admins, and managers see all bays. If you believe bays are missing, check with your garage manager.

How many bays can I create?​

The Setup Wizard allows up to 50 bays in a single setup. You can add more bays individually after that. There is no hard limit, but keep your bay list manageable for your team.

Does the workshop page update automatically?​

Yes. The Workshop page uses real-time updates. When another team member assigns a booking, completes a job, or changes a bay status, your view updates automatically without needing to refresh. You can also manually click Refresh in the page header if needed.

Can I show the workshop on a TV screen?​

Yes. Use the TV Display action in the Workshop header. TV mode provides larger cards, auto-refresh, and fullscreen controls for shared technician displays.

What is the "Inventory Confirmation" dialog that appears when I try to complete a job?​

If parts or inventory items were assigned to the job, the system needs to know how much was actually used before the job can be completed. This ensures your inventory levels stay accurate. Simply confirm the quantities used for each item and the job will complete.

Can I delete a bay?​

Yes. Owners and admins can delete bays. Deleting a bay removes it from your workshop view. The bay must be available (not occupied or in maintenance) before it can be deleted. Deleted bays are soft-deleted, meaning historical data tied to them is preserved.

Where can I see how efficiently my bays are being used?​

Check the Analytics section of your dashboard. The Bay Utilisation panel shows overall utilization percentages, peak hours, peak days, and per-bay breakdowns. The Financial Dashboard also includes a Bay Utilization Table with assignment counts and total service time per bay.