You walk into the bay and see your tech three hours into a repair. You check the schedule. This job was supposed to start next Tuesday. The parts are not here yet, a ready bay is now blocked, and another customer just got delayed.
This is not a technician problem. It is a communication problem.
When estimators, schedulers, and techs are not working from the same information, jobs start too early, parts get rushed, and customers get frustrated. Most of the time, no one made a bad decision. They acted on incomplete information.
The mistake: verbal approvals
Here is what usually happens.
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An estimator says, “Yeah, we can fit that in.”
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The scheduler never hears it.
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A tech sees the car and assumes it is ready.
Now the job is open, parts are missing, and the schedule is broken. The real issue is simple. Job approvals live in people’s heads instead of one shared place.
What does this cost you?
One early-start mistake creates a chain reaction.
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Parts get overnighted, adding $50 to $75 per order.
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Three wasted labor hours cost $150 to $200.
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A ready job gets pushed, triggering customer calls and missed dates.
Even one mistake per week quietly costs thousands per year in rushed fees, lost labor, and damaged trust.
The fix: one system everyone can see
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Centralize job approval When a job is approved, it is logged immediately in one system. Everyone sees job status, parts status, and the scheduled start date. No texts. No whiteboards. No guessing.
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Use one shared schedule Estimators, schedulers, and techs all work from the same calendar. If parts are delayed, the job stays off the start list. Techs only pull jobs marked ready.
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Make status visible to techs Jobs clearly show whether they are waiting on approval, parts, or are ready to start. Techs check once and move on with confidence.
Bottom line
Miscommunication is not a people failure. It is a system failure.
One shared view of approvals, schedules, and status keeps the shop moving.
