Driveline vs paper and spreadsheets
The bill book and the Excel sheet got you here. They won’t get you to ten bays.
Here is how a workshop day looks on paper, in a spreadsheet and in Driveline, task by task.
about 1.5–2 hrs/day
saved on billing and GST
about 30 min/day
saved hunting for parts and job cards
1–2 days
off month-end payroll
Estimates for a typical 3–5 bay workshop. Your numbers depend on how you work today.
Side by side
12 jobs every workshop does.
| Task | Paper | Excel | Driveline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Job cards | Paper card, gets greasy or lost | One sheet per day, no photos | On the technician’s phone, with photos and status |
| Estimates & approvals | Phoned through, nothing signed | Typed, then printed or sent as a file | Customer approves from a WhatsApp link |
| GST invoices | Bill book, tax worked out by hand | Formulas break when someone edits a cell | CGST/SGST/IGST split by GSTIN, HSN/SAC per line |
| Parts stock | Counted when it runs out | Updated when someone remembers | Drops the moment a part goes on a job |
| Payments & dues | Udhaar register | A “pending” column | Pay links, UPI, part-payments and overdue list |
| Service reminders | Depends on memory | Manual filter every week | Appointment and payment reminders on WhatsApp |
| Inspections | Checklist sheet, no photos | Rarely kept | Photo report the customer opens on their phone |
| eWarranty | Printed card the customer loses | Not practical | QR certificate anyone can verify |
| Staff attendance & payroll | Muster register and a calculator | Monthly sheet, easy to dispute | Attendance, incentives and payslips in one place |
| Customer reviews | Hope they post one | Not tracked | Star rating link after each invoice, happy ones sent to Google |
| Reports | End-of-month guesswork | Pivot tables, if someone builds them | Sales, parts margin and collections, live |
| Works from anywhere | Only at the counter | One laptop, one copy | Any phone or laptop, with staff permissions |
A day at the workshop
Before and after.
9:00
Car arrives
BeforeAdvisor writes a paper job card. Photos stay on someone’s phone.
With DrivelineJob card opened on the phone with photos, in under 2 minutes.
11:30
Estimate
BeforeCustomer is called. Nobody writes down what was agreed.
With DrivelineEstimate goes on WhatsApp. The customer taps Approve.
2:00
Parts
BeforeSomeone walks to the shelf to see if the filter is in stock.
With DrivelineStock is on the screen. The part comes off as it goes on the card.
6:00
Billing
BeforeBill is written by hand, the GST is checked on a calculator.
With DrivelineJob card becomes a GST invoice in one tap and goes on WhatsApp with a pay link.
Next day
Follow-up
BeforeNobody asks how it went.
With DrivelineCustomer gets a star rating link. Happy ones are sent to Google.
Switching
Switching takes one afternoon.
We set it up with you on a call. Your first GST invoice goes out the same day.
Switching from another software? We move your data free →- 1Add your workshop details, GSTIN and logo
- 2Import or type your parts list (Excel works)
- 3Add your team and their roles
- 4Open your first job card while a car is in the bay
- 5Raise the first GST invoice from it and send it on WhatsApp
Questions
Questions before switching.
See how your workshop day looks on Driveline.
Thirty minutes, on a call, with your kind of workshop in mind.