Getting Started
A step-by-step guide to setting up your garage on autoGMS, from creating your account to receiving your first booking.
Overview
When you sign up for autoGMS, the system walks you through a structured setup process. There are two phases: the initial sign-up flow where you create your account and garage, and the in-dashboard onboarding checklist that guides you through configuring your service menu and going live with online bookings.
This guide covers both phases in order, plus the recommended configuration steps in between.
What you will have when finished:
- A configured garage with correct business details, address, and operating hours
- A service catalog with pricing per vehicle type
- A live booking link you can share with customers
- Your team invited and assigned to roles
- Service bays set up for scheduling
Phase 1: Account Creation
How It Works
- Select a plan from the autoGMS pricing page. A 14-day free trial is included with all plans.
- You are directed to the sign-up form. The system detects your country automatically to set the correct currency and regional pricing.
- Complete the five setup steps:
| Step | What you provide |
|---|---|
| Garage Information | Garage name and billing plan (monthly or annual) |
| Owner Information | Your full name, email address, and phone number |
| Address | Street address, city, country, and region/emirate |
| Authorized Domains | At least one domain where you will embed the booking widget (for example, your website domain) |
| Review | Confirm all details before proceeding |
- After review, you are redirected to Stripe to enter your payment details.
- Once payment is confirmed, your garage and user account are created automatically.
- You receive a welcome email with your login credentials.
Tip: You can enter your authorized domains later if you do not have your website details ready. The booking widget will only work on domains you whitelist here, but you can also share a direct booking link that does not require domain authorization.
Phase 2: Initial Configuration
After logging in for the first time, take these steps to configure your garage before going live. You can complete them in any order, but this sequence works best.
Step 1: Review Garage Settings
- Click Settings at the bottom of the sidebar.
- Select Garage Settings.
- Walk through each tab:
| Tab | What to configure |
|---|---|
| General Information | Verify your garage name, phone, email. Upload your logo. |
| Address | Confirm your address is correct. |
| Operating Hours | Set your opening and closing times for each day of the week. Mark any days you are closed. |
| Billing & Currency | Verify your currency and set your tax rate. |
- Click Save on each tab after making changes.
For full details, see the Garage Settings guide.
Step 2: Add Your Services
Your service catalog defines what customers can book. You need at least one service before your booking link works.
- Go to your garage dashboard.
- Click Services in the sidebar.
- Click Add Service or use the service template catalog to bulk-add common services.
When adding services, you will set:
- Service name and description
- Pricing per vehicle type (sedan, SUV, truck, sports)
- Estimated duration
- Required technician proficiency level
Tip: The onboarding checklist (covered below) also has a shortcut for adding services from the master catalog. It walks you through selecting services and setting prices in a two-step flow -- useful for getting started quickly.
For full details, see the Service Catalog guide.
Step 3: Configure Booking Rules
- Go to Booking Settings from the sidebar or from Settings.
- Configure:
| Setting | What it controls |
|---|---|
| Auto-confirm | Whether new bookings are confirmed automatically or require manual approval |
| Same-day bookings | Whether customers can book for today |
| Daily capacity | Maximum bookings per day (prevents overbooking) |
| Time-slot scheduling | Whether customers choose specific time slots or just a date |
| Vehicle types | Which vehicle types your garage accepts |
| Customer notifications | Which booking events trigger customer emails |
For full details, see the Booking Rules & Settings guide.
Step 4: Set Up Service Bays
Service bays control how many vehicles you can work on simultaneously and feed into the scheduling calendar.
- Go to Service Bays from the sidebar.
- Click Add Bay.
- For each bay, set a name (for example, "Bay 1 -- General Service") and optionally assign service types.
Step 5: Invite Your Team
- Go to Settings then Garage Settings.
- Open the Team & Access tab.
- Click Add Team Member.
- Enter the person's name, email, and select their role:
| Role | Access level |
|---|---|
| Garage Admin | Full access to all garage features and settings |
| Technician | Access to assigned jobs, job cards, and pre-inspections |
| Service Advisor | Front-desk access for managing walk-ins, bookings, and customer communication |
- The team member receives an email invitation with login instructions.
For full details on what each role can access, see Roles & Access Control.
Step 6: Set Up Online Payments (Optional)
If you want customers to pay invoices online via credit card:
- Go to Payments then Settings.
- Click Enable Payments to start the Stripe Connect onboarding.
- Complete the Stripe verification process.
This is optional. You can always record manual payments (cash, card, cheque) without Stripe. See the Payments Setup guide for details.
Phase 3: Dashboard Onboarding Checklist
Once you are logged in and on your garage dashboard, a checklist appears at the top of the page during your trial period. It tracks three key milestones:
| Step | How it completes |
|---|---|
| Configure your service menu | Automatically marked done when you add at least one service. Clicking this step opens the service selector where you can browse and add services from the master catalog with pricing. |
| Share your booking page | Clicking this step opens a prompt with your booking link and sharing options (WhatsApp, copy link, etc.). Marked done when you share or copy the link. |
| Receive your first booking | Automatically marked done when a customer submits a booking through your booking page. |
The checklist shows a progress bar and highlights the next step you should take. You can dismiss the checklist at any time using the close button -- it will not block your use of the dashboard.
Once all three steps are complete, the checklist disappears and your garage is fully live.
Going Live Checklist
Use this as a final check before sharing your booking link with customers:
- Garage name, logo, and contact details are correct in Garage Settings
- Operating hours are set for each day of the week
- At least one service is added with pricing
- Booking rules are configured (auto-confirm, capacity, time slots)
- Service bays are created
- Team members are invited and have logged in
- Your booking link is tested (open it in an incognito browser and try making a booking)
- Invoice defaults are configured (bank details, tax rate, terms) if you plan to invoice customers
- Stripe Connect is set up if you want online payment links
What to Do Next
Once your garage is live and receiving bookings:
- Learn the booking workflow -- See Manage Bookings for how to confirm, assign, and complete bookings.
- Set up invoicing -- See Invoicing & Payments to configure invoice defaults and start billing.
- Configure smart dispatch -- See Smart Dispatch to let the system recommend the best technician for each job.
- Enable service reminders -- See Service Reminders to automatically bring customers back for scheduled maintenance.
- Explore your analytics -- See Analytics to track revenue, booking volume, and team performance.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does the free trial last?
14 days from the date your account is created. You will not be charged until day 15. You can cancel at any time during the trial.
Can I change my plan after signing up?
Yes. Go to Settings then Garage Settings then the Billing & Currency tab to view and manage your subscription.
I skipped a step during sign-up. Can I go back?
All information entered during sign-up can be updated later in Garage Settings. Nothing is locked after account creation.
The onboarding checklist disappeared. How do I get it back?
The checklist only appears during your trial period and is automatically hidden once all three steps are complete or if you dismiss it. If you dismissed it early, the checklist will not reappear, but you can complete the same steps manually (add services, share your booking link, etc.).
Do I need to add all my services before going live?
No. You need at least one service for the booking page to work. You can add more services at any time. Customers will only see the services currently in your catalog.
Can I set up multiple garages?
If you are on the Scale plan or have a multi-garage organization, you can add additional garages from the organization settings. Each garage goes through its own setup process.
My team member did not receive their invitation email.
Check that the email address is correct in Team & Access. Ask them to check their spam folder. You can resend the invitation from the team management panel.
Can I test my booking page before sharing it?
Yes. Open your booking link in an incognito or private browser window. You can make a test booking to see exactly what your customers will experience. Delete the test booking afterward from the Manage Bookings page.
Quick Reference
| I want to... | Go here | Do this |
|---|---|---|
| Complete setup checklist | Dashboard → setup cards at top | Click Configure on each incomplete item |
| Set garage name and details | Settings → Garage Settings → General Information tab | Enter name, phone, email, upload logo |
| Set garage address | Settings → Garage Settings → Address tab | Enter country, region, street, postal code |
| Set operating hours | Settings → Garage Settings → Operating Hours tab | Toggle days, set open/close times |
| Add services | Sidebar → Services → Add Services | Choose From Catalog, Import CSV, or Create Custom |
| Add team members | Settings → Garage Settings → Team & Access tab → Add Team Member | Select role, enter email and name |
| Configure booking rules | Settings → Booking Settings | Set auto-confirm, capacity, time slots, vehicle types |
| Set up payments | Sidebar → Payments → Settings | Click Connect with Stripe |
| Launch booking link | Settings → Booking Widget Setup → Booking Page tab | Copy link or customise hero |
| Set currency and VAT | Settings → Garage Settings → Billing & Currency tab | Verify currency, set tax rate |