User Input Drives Successful Software Update
New Features Benefit Shop Owners and Service Reps Alike
How do you improve the industry’s leading software for independent tire dealers? By asking the users themselves. TireMaster 8.9 Software, released by ASA Automotive Systems, includes a large number of requested enhancements that increase user efficiency and enhance the dealer’s return on investment.
The latest update to TireMaster includes text messaging and alerts, service interval data, declined service management and more. Key new features, especially for shop owners and managers, ensure that invoices are not generated when data is missing; provide control for minimum threshold pricing; track core credits by vendor; check inventory stock at major warehouses; support national accounts; and allow promotional or limited-time sale pricing to expire without having to manually reset prices in the system.
Additional changes were made to mirror how a service representative thinks, rather than a software developer. “Programmers are very task oriented. To schedule something, they expect you to go to the schedule,” said Dave Vogel, vice president of Sales for ASA Automotive. “But our users focus on productivity. If an estimate is approved, it’s faster to simply convert that to an appointment.” A number of insights like these helped make the latest TireMaster update the most popular one yet, according to the company. These include:
Converting an estimate to an appointment
Converting an appointment to a work order
Searching work orders by status
Triggering internal work order “time promised” alerts
Despite its success, the company isn’t planning to take a break from further software development. “Our user group meeting in September will include a preview of the next TireMaster release,” said Ken Halle, President of ASA Automotive. It is also an opportunity for the company to sit down with current users and discuss the features they would like to see in future updates.
“ASA has worked hard to build the industry’s best software for the independent tire dealer,” said Halle. “We intend to continue in our leadership role thanks to the interest and involvement of our dedicated users.”
About ASA Automotive Systems
Headquartered in Merrimack, NH, ASA Automotive Systems is part of the Friedman Corporation, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Constellation Software, Inc. (“Constellation”, TSX: CSU). ASA develops and builds on-premise and Cloud-based software solutions, delivers support and services, and enables leading independent tire dealers and automotive repair shops to achieve a maximum return on their information technology investment. ASA’s software tools help tire dealers and auto repair shops manage all facets of their businesses and can be tailored to suit the order processing, accounting, e-commerce and business management needs of any size retail, commercial, wholesale, or retread operation.