Results / Switching Guide
Switching From Repair Shop Software When the Shop Becomes a Van
Switch by reading your current term first, then running Mobile Service Sync's 14-day trial, which asks for no card, beside the old system while you set up customers, vehicles and fleet terms, and cancel when the term allows. It is worth doing once most of your work happens in driveways: shop software sells the van's needs as add-ons, and none of the repair shop systems here documents routing by drive time or work with no signal.
What Shop Software Leaves Out Once the Work Moves
Four criteria separate a van from a bay. Here is how each product's own site answers them.
| Product | Stops in drive order | Works with no signal | Booking that knows your area | Stock per van |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mobile Service Sync | Included One click orders each tech's day on real drive times, on every plan | Included Status, inspections with photos, completion, line items, cash and check and the clock all work offline and sync later | Included Hosted page or embed, gated by hours, service area and how many techs and vans are working | Included Counted per van and per shop, deducted when the job closes |
| Tekmetric | Not stated No routing on pricing or feature pages | Not stated No offline mode documented; its help center says to keep a backup connection for outages | Add-on Marketing add-on, $345 a month per shop, daily and slot limits, no service area | Partial Inventory per shop, transfers only between Multi-Shop locations |
| Shopmonkey | Not stated Mobile mechanic page names no routing | Not stated Only speed recommendations, no offline mode documented | Add-on CRM Essentials add-on, $349 a month, per day and per slot caps, no service area | Partial Per shop only, from Clever at $399 a month |
| AutoLeap | Partial Mobile page claims jobs sequenced by location, no drive time ordering or plan stated | Not stated App page says data syncs, nothing on working offline | Partial Online booking in unpriced Marketing Suite add-on, no area or capacity limit stated | Partial Stock per shop location, truck stock claimed but not per van |
| Steer | Not stated no dispatch or routing on its pages | Not stated nothing said about offline use | Included Booking Tool, caps per day and per slot | Not stated no inventory on its pages |
| ServiceTitan | Add-on Dispatch Pro routes by drive time, price on request | Included techs can close out jobs offline | Add-on Scheduling Pro, zones and capacity, price on request | Included truck stock and replenishment, no plan named |
| Orderry | Not stated No routing named, its own comparison lists map view as coming soon | Not stated App listing and help center say nothing on offline use | Higher plan From Startup, $69 a month, booked slots blocked, no service area | Partial Stock per warehouse, nothing per van |
Before You Cancel, Read the Term
The cost of leaving is set by what you signed with the old vendor, not by the new software.
| Product | Paid once | Term and trial |
|---|---|---|
| Mobile Service Sync | None | Month to month, no contract, no onboarding fee. 14 days free, no card. |
| Tekmetric | None published | Month to month. Free demo, no free trial. |
| Shopmonkey | One-time $500 data migration fee | Term set by agreement. Demo, no free trial stated. |
| AutoLeap | One-time setup fee, amount not published | Minimum annual commitment in its terms. No free trial. |
| Steer | None published | Billed monthly. Demo, no free trial. |
| ServiceTitan | Onboarding fees invoiced separately | Contracts typically 12 to 36 months, per its annual report. Demo only. |
| Orderry | None published | No contract. 7-day free trial, no card. |
What to Move, in Order
A list for the week before you switch. Everything here fits in the 14 days of the trial.
Customers
Ask your current vendor how to export the customer list before anything else. Every vehicle, invoice and fleet account hangs from it.
Vehicles
Keep the plate and state, or the VIN, for each one. In Mobile Service Sync that is all a vehicle needs, because the decode fills in year, make, model, trim and engine.
Service history and due dates
Note what each vehicle had done last and the date. Mobile Service Sync counts due dates in days, not miles, so the date of the last visit is the figure to bring.
Your price list
Rebuild your services and their prices. It is a good moment to price the call-out itself, since the drive is now part of every job.
Fleet accounts
Each fleet's pricing, PO rule and net 15 or net 30 terms go on its account, on every plan. The fleet manager's portal needs Growth or Pro.
Stock in each van
Count what rides in each van. Mobile Service Sync keeps stock per van and per shop and deducts it when a job closes, so the first count is the one that matters.
Open invoices
Collect what is still owed in the old system before you move, so no customer is billed twice.
What Changes When the Shop Becomes a Van
Written around what Mobile Service Sync does on its first plan. Mobile Service Sync for mobile mechanics has the rest.
The day is a route
With each technician's jobs set for the day, one click orders that technician's stops on real drive times. It works one technician per click, so a crew of five is five clicks.
Bookings know where you drive
The booking page, hosted or embedded on your own site, offers only the times that fit your hours, your service area and how many techs and vans are working.
The office rides along
The technician app runs on iPhone and Android. With no signal, status, inspections with photos, completion, line items, cash and check and the clock keep going and catch up later; cards and texts wait for a bar.
Customers answer texts
Two-way texting with photos is on every plan, with 1,000 texts a month on Core, 5,000 on Growth and 10,000 on Pro, and a review request goes out after every job.
Payment happens at the car
Card processing runs through Rainforest at a published 2.9% + $0.30 on standard cards, and ACH is $0.20 a transaction.
What Does Not Come With You
Better to know before the trial than after it.
- No parts ordering and no labor guide. If you quote from a labor guide today, keep that subscription.
- No fluid specs from the VIN. The decode fills year, make, model, trim and engine, and oil weight and capacity are saved on the vehicle after its first visit.
- No Tap to Pay and no inspection video.
- If you keep a bay, shop jobs live on the web app and the booking page; the technician app does not show them yet.
Run Both for Two Weeks
The trial is 14 days and asks for no card, which is long enough to book, drive and close a fortnight of real jobs in Mobile Service Sync while the old system still holds your history.
Cancel the old one when its term allows and the first invoices have gone out of the new one. Because Mobile Service Sync has no contract, that is the only date in the switch you do not control.
Questions About Switching
- Can I keep my old system while I try Mobile Service Sync?
- Yes. The 14-day trial asks for no card, so you can run it beside your current system and cancel nothing until you have decided.
- Do I have to retype every vehicle?
- No, a plate and state or a VIN is enough: Mobile Service Sync fills in the year, make, model, trim and engine from it. Keep the date of each vehicle's last visit, since due dates count days rather than miles.
- What do I lose leaving Tekmetric or Shopmonkey?
- Check two things first: Mobile Service Sync has no parts ordering and no labor guide, so keep those tools if you rely on them. In return you get stop order by drive time, work with no signal, stock per van and booking held to your service area on the first plan, none of which Tekmetric or Shopmonkey documents.
- Do I sign a contract with Mobile Service Sync?
- No. It is month to month with no onboarding fee, so the only term in the switch is the one with your current vendor.