CRM

Auto shop CRM software for customers, vehicles, and service history

Auto shop CRM software connects a customer with their vehicles, appointments and service history. Vehicle history explains what happened to a particular vehicle; the customer record identifies the current contact for the visit. Strut keeps those records connected with repair and invoice context so advisors can review the right history before preparing the next job.

Book a demoSee current Pro pricing

In practice

Identify the customer and the vehicle separately

A returning caller may use a new phone number, own more than one vehicle or be booking for another driver. Find the customer, then verify the selected vehicle using the identifying details available in your shop’s process. A familiar name or phone number is not enough to establish which vehicle needs service. Treat uncertain or duplicate records as a review task rather than assuming they can be merged automatically.

Customer profiles

Vehicle history

VIN search

Invoice status

Returning-customer lookup

Identify the customer and the vehicle separately

A returning caller may use a new phone number, own more than one vehicle or be booking for another driver. Find the customer, then verify the selected vehicle using the identifying details available in your shop’s process. A familiar name or phone number is not enough to establish which vehicle needs service. Treat uncertain or duplicate records as a review task rather than assuming they can be merged automatically.

  • Check the customer contact used for this visit before sending a document.
  • Match the vehicle using its VIN and other recorded identifying details where available.
  • Keep notes about uncertain identity out of unrelated customer records.
Use the customer and vehicle history review guide

Useful vehicle history

Read service history in the context of the next repair

Review the prior visit’s date, concern, work record and relevant invoice context before proposing new work. Separate completed work from an earlier recommendation or declined item. This gives the advisor a more useful starting point than a list of names and phone numbers, while preserving the difference between a customer conversation, a repair record and a final bill.

  • Use a customer with two vehicles in the demo to check that histories stay distinct.
  • Ask how an advisor locates a previous repair without relying on memory.
  • Review the current visit separately from old unpaid or disputed documents.
See how repair-order context carries forwardKeep the three repair documents distinguishable

History across locations

Verify what changes when a customer visits another shop

For a multi-location group, test a returning customer at a second shop with the roles that will actually use the records. Confirm company boundaries, the selected location and the visibility of prior service history. Do not infer access to all invoices or former-owner contact details from the existence of a shared vehicle record. The demo should make any limitation visible before the next branch is configured.

  • Identify the receiving advisor and the location responsible for the new work.
  • Check staff access separately from customer and vehicle matching.
  • Record data import and duplicate-record handling as requirements to confirm.
Review multi-location record and staff boundariesPlan the handoff between two repair shops

Buying questions

Fast answers before a demo.

Short answers to the questions shop owners usually ask before they book a walkthrough.

How much does Strut Platform cost?

Strut Platform is $49 CAD/month for the full platform, including booking, scheduling, repair orders, invoices, payments, CRM, reporting, and multi-location controls.

Is Strut built for Canadian auto repair shops?

Yes. Strut is built in Calgary for Canadian repair shops and is priced in Canadian dollars. It is designed around appointment booking, shop capacity, repair orders, invoices, customer records, and payment collection.

Can Strut store multiple vehicles for one customer?

Yes. Strut customer profiles can keep multiple vehicles and service history connected to the same customer record.

How does a repair shop CRM handle a customer with multiple vehicles?

The customer record and each vehicle’s service history need to remain distinguishable. In Strut, customer and vehicle context are connected to appointments, repair work and invoices. In the demo, select two vehicles for one customer and check that the advisor retrieves the intended vehicle and visit before preparing new work.

What should we do when a returning customer record looks duplicated?

Compare the recorded customer and vehicle identifiers, confirm the current contact and ask an authorized person to review the discrepancy. Keep a checked source record. Ask the vendor to demonstrate supported correction or merge procedures; this page does not promise automatic deduplication or unrestricted access to another shop’s records.

Keep comparing

Related Strut pages

Auto Shop CRM: How to Track Customers, Vehicles, and Service History

Review auto shop CRM with returning-customer examples. Separate customer, vehicle, visit and invoice records, then check history and access across locations.

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Multi-Location Auto Repair Workflows

Standardize the meaning of statuses and the handoff process across shops, while keeping booking capacity, staff access and work ownership specific to each location. Test the boundaries before adding another shop.

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Repair Order Management Software

Track auto repair orders from check-in to pickup with bay visibility, priority flags, technician context, and invoice handoff.

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