1) What is Cloud Auto?
Cloud Auto Service is a comprehensive, all-in-one management software built by mechanics, for mechanics. It is designed specifically for automotive repair shops that streamlines operations. PayCompass has payment processing exclusivity with Cloud Auto with the preferred payment terminal being the Dejavoo P1.
2) Who is a good fit for Cloud Auto?
Any auto repair shop that focused primarily on passenger vehicles and pickup trucks.
3) Who is NOT a good fit for Cloud Auto?
- Shops that focus primarily on commercial vehicles (Semi-trucks, busses, trailers)
- Power sports centric repair shops
- Car dealerships
- Businesses outside the auto repair industry. Example: Not a good fit for restaurants needing inventory management.
4) Why is Cloud Auto not a good fit for the businesses mentioned above?
Cloud Auto pulls data, repair guides, and part listings exclusively for passenger vehicles and pickup trucks. It does not accommodate parts and guides for the three bullets listed above.
5) Who are the direct competitors of Cloud Auto?
- Auto Leap
- Shop Ware
- Shop Monkey
- Shop Boss
- Tekmetric
- Winworks
- FastTrak Auto
6) Why should shop owners choose Cloud Auto vs their competitors?
- 30+ years in the industry. Cloud Auto started as a SaaS company in the 90s where the service was provided to shop owners on a 3.5" floppy disk.
- Not only does Cloud Auto pull and present more data than the competition, they also do it much faster than the competition.
- Transparent monthly pricing with no additional costs. Some of their competition will tack on additional fees if the shop requires labor guides and/or diagrams
- Built-in digital inspections, scheduling, estimates, invoicing, and integrated payments
- It pulls part numbers and specifications on virtually every consumer vehicle
- It allows shop owners to create canned jobs for all services that they provide. Example: A canned job could be an oil change. Cloud Auto will automatically pull the correct oil weight along with the quantity of oil needed for a particular vehicle. It was also provide a part number for the oil filter from the shop owner's preferred manufacturer.
- There has been only one outage in the past eight (8) years. Cloud Auto prides themselves on their private server infrastructure that doesn't rely on Google or AWS. This helps lessens the chances of outages significantly.
- Unlimited storage in the cloud for shop owners
- It allows for a full inventory audit from multiple locations
7) What can Cloud Auto do?
- Detailed work order status and quick job summaries
- Accurate labor guides and wiring diagrams from original manufacturers
- Automotive repair scheduling tools for effective appointment planning
- Two-way text communication with customers for improved service updates
- Inspection reporting and documentation directly in the system
- Customer record tracking
- Inventory management
- Provide access to accurate factory information
- Schedule jobs for employees on the business's internal scheduling calendar
- Multi-user log-ins to the platform at no additional cost
- OBD Code 2 look up and suggestions (Similar to an airplane black box where it will tell the mechanic what's wrong with the vehicle)
- Interchange Plus and Cash Discounting
- It can accept fleet cards
- It can accommodate mobile payments via payment links
- It has a one-way QuickBooks Integration that will send daily summary data to the user's chosen QuickBooks account
- It has an integration with PartsTech which allows shop owners to submit orders being purchased through PartsTech. Purchases via PartsTech will automatically attach to corresponding Cloud Auto work orders
8) What can't Cloud Auto do?
- It does not support dual pricing or surcharging.
- It does not support ACH transactions.
- OBD Code 1 (OBD Code 1 refers to cars manufactured prior to 1997. Cars pre-1997 don't have standardized numbers for troubleshooting codes)
- Cloud Auto does not have RepairLink which is a Tekmetric offering. RepairLink is a community based forum where mechanics can communicate with each other and offer insight with specific repairs
- The Cloud Auto accounting system is limited to internal accounting information only. It doesn't work with any external accounts nor does it have ACH capabilities
9) How does Cloud Auto Manage cash discounting?
- Inventory Management: Tracks cost, wholesale, retail, and supports custom markups for wholesale and retail values.
- Labor Tracking: Default labor rate can be set at shop level. Custom labor rates can be applied per customer. Labor rates appear as separate line items.
- Customer Estimates & Invoicing: Customers see a single total on estimates. Shops may apply a cash discount at checkout. Cash discount is aligned with the shop’s credit card processing fee percentage.
10) What is the best way for sales agents to build interest with prospective auto repair shops?
Sales agents are encouraged to share the Cloud Auto video library with their prospects. The library walks through almost the entire platform in a series of short videos. Cloud Auto Video Library
11) What if a prospect wants a live demo after reviewing the video library?
Sales agents can schedule a demo directly with the Sales team by sending an email to sales@paycompass.com When sending an email, they are encouraged to provide the following information:
- A few days and times that work best to schedule the demonstration
- Merchant DBA
- Web address, if applicable
- Merchant contact name & email address:
- Agent's name, phone number, and email address
- What type of auto repair does the business do? (Body repair? Engine repair?)
- Average Monthly Card Volume (if known)
- Current software/technology in place. If the business does not use software currently, respond with "Manual processes/pen and paper"
- Why is the business looking into a new solution? What do they like with current software/technology? What would they change with current software/technology?
Link for Sales Ops to book Cloud Auto demo: Andrew Murray's calendar
12) What happens after the yes?
Sales agent's initial responsibilities with submission:
- Complete the PayCompass application.
- Agent must include pricing method which will be either Interchange Plus or Cash Discounting. (Surcharging and dual pricing are not available.)
- Select which Dejavoo P-Series device will be provided to the shop owner.
Cloud Auto's responsibilities:
Account activation email sent to shop (confirm shop information, set up login and submit card for auto-billing)
Optional, but preferred customizations
A list of most common jobs with labor and part pricing
Spreadsheet format of shop’s customer information and history
Spreadsheet format of shop’s inventory information
Setup and activation of PartsTech account for parts ordering
Connect QuickBooks account for accounting information export
Set up employees with access to software
Sales agent's responsibilities with payment terminal installation and go live:
Confirm optional setup customizations are completed and configured correctly if desired
Configure CC Processing Fee and adjust labor and parts pricing accordingly if desired
Provide in-person assistance for the first few days
Vitally important to give the shop the push to break old habits from old system and stick with our system