Some shop owners do as much maintenance on their computers as they do on the cars that come in their shops; an information technology checkup can help.
If you feel like you spend about as much time and energy fixing computers as fixing cars at your shop, it may be time for an information technology (IT) checkup. Here's some advice we've collected from computer experts familiar with body shops about ways to make sure you get the most use, and least hassle, out of your shop's IT investment.
- Do some basic housekeeping. Chris Schaefer, president of CS Consulting in Portland, Ore., helps a number of body shops with their IT and said that shops, more than other types of businesses he works with, tend to have more dust that can collect in and on computers.
"As that dust builds up, it can cause the machines to overheat and stop working," Schaefer says.
You can help extend the life of your computer hardware, he said, by periodically wiping off the machines and clearing the vents — and even opening up the computer cases and using canned air to carefully blow out the dust.
"Most of the newer CPUs and PCs have variable speed fans that adjust depending on how hot they are," Schaefer says. "If you hear the fans in the machine running full bore all the time, that's an indication you have a heat problem and probably need to clean the machine."- Upgrade your system software wisely. Make sure you've signed up to be notified about system software upgrades from Microsoft, but Schaefer recommends against allowing such updates to be made automatically. This allows you to choose which and when upgrades are made so you don't come in one morning and find all your machines updated — and perhaps having problems.
Schaefer also suggests that his clients do not rush to switch over to Microsoft's new Vista operating system.
"Vista is going to be a great operating system, but if you are buying new equipment, I'd buy it with Windows XP," he says. "Windows XP is finally to the point where it's stable and works well. Let the home PC users work all the bugs out of Vista for a year. I have no question it's going to be a good operating system, but unless you want to be a beta tester for Microsoft, the earliest I would recommend any shop consider Vista is late this year or early next year."
- Think DVD, not just CD. Fred Bersot, a senior product manager for Audatex estimating products, said his company now offers shops monthly ShopLink updates on a single DVD rather than multiple CDs. This speeds up the installation process and allows for higher-resolution graphics.
Audatex is not alone in the shift toward DVDs, so if you're in the market for new computer hardware, Bersot and Schaefer recommend getting a DVD drive in any new machine.
"Don't just buy a plain CD reader, buy a DVD reader because it will read both," Schaefer says. "I see a lot of people buy a CD-R-W drive so they can read and write CDs, but for very close to the same amount of money they can get a DVD-CD-R-W drive to read and write CDs or DVDs."
- Take some security precautions. One of the simplest things shops can do to ensure the security of their computer data is requiring user passwords on all machines. Change the passwords at least once a year, Schaefer said, and preferably every four or six months.
- Don't skimp on hardware. You get what you pay for when it comes to buying computers, Schaefer said. He cautions against trying to use a machine designed for home use as a business computer. A $300 machine, he said, will likely last less than half as long as one in the $600 or $700 range (which Schaefer sees as about the minimum for a business-ready computer) — and will likely end up costing you more for support.
Getting help with purchasing decisions may also help you get more for little or no more expense, Schaefer said. The difference in price, for example, between a 100-megabit network card and a 1,000-megabit (gigabit) network card is about $10, Schaefer said, but will allow for much faster processing when using large database programs like collision estimating systems.
"You need to be as productive as possible for the money," says Schaefer. "If your people are saying, 'I click on this thing and can go grab a coffee before it updates,' you're just losing money."
- Don't get lax about disaster recovery. There are too many easy and inexpensive ways to backup your computer data to not do it regularly, Schaefer said. Use a tape system or USB hard drive that allows you to also take a backup off-site so it won't be lost in a fire or flood at the shop. A good backup system will allow you to be up and running on new hardware with all your data intact within hours, even if all your existing hardware is destroyed.
- Boost your staff's productivity through training. Audatex's Bersot said that his company offers online support information that is available 24/7, and schedules online seminars for ShopLink users that don't require your staff to leave the shop.
The other major estimating system providers have similar online support and training offerings. Check it out at:
Audatex: www.support.audatex.us
CCC Information Services: www.cccis.com (click on "Support" or "Training")
Mitchell International: www.mitchell.com (click on "Support").
