Mitchell One is software that auto repair shops use to run jobs and access repair info. It helps service teams organize work and manage paperwork more efficiently.
Manager SE is Mitchell One’s shop management software product mentioned as the guest’s starting point. The discussion frames it as a widely used “flagship” system in large numbers of shops.
Job view containers are like folders inside the repair order. They let the shop group related items together so it’s easier to manage and understand the job.
Mitchell Manager SA is software that auto repair shops use to keep track of estimates and repair work. It helps shops organize paperwork so customers can see what each part of the bill is for.
Tire rotation is a maintenance procedure that moves tires from one position to another to promote even tread wear. In the segment, it’s listed as another clear line item in the job breakdown shown to customers.
At one point, the software only allowed a limited number of saved service entries (like nine). Shops asked for more room because some cars need lots of history tracked over time.
Sometimes a car can’t be finished because the shop is waiting on parts. If the parts take a while to arrive, the repair can take much longer than expected.
A comments column is a place in the paperwork/software where the shop can write extra notes. It helps everyone stay on the same page about what changed and why.
A recommendation is the shop telling you what they think needs fixing and explaining it in a way you can understand. It’s the part that helps you decide what to approve.
This is about how well the shop keeps track of what’s happening with your car. When the shop organizes the details, repairs tend to go smoother and faster.
It’s basically the car’s service log—what work was done and when. If you know the last time something like the brakes was serviced, it’s easier to plan the next repair and avoid guessing.
“Year, make, model” are the key identifiers used to specify exactly which vehicle is being serviced. The segment highlights a workflow decision: whether to collect those details directly from the customer or rely on other identifiers like the license plate.
File attachment is a feature that lets the shop add files—like pictures or test results—to the job record. That way, the information stays connected to the right repair.
Repair order history is the shop’s past record of what they’ve done to your car. It’s useful because it lets future visits reference what was found before.
A multi-point inspection is a checklist the shop uses to look at several parts of your car. It helps them find issues and explain them clearly instead of guessing.
“Digital Engine” sounds like a code name for a software platform the shop is building. The goal appears to be streamlining the inspection-to-approval workflow using digital communication and media (video/phone/photos) so customers can decide what work to authorize.
Concept
AI
AI is basically smart computer software. Here, it’s being used to help the shop understand what’s going on with the car and make the approval process easier for the customer.
An alternator is what keeps the battery charged and powers the car’s electrical system. If it fails, the battery can run down and the car may not start.
“Did You Mean?” is a computer feature that guesses what you meant if you type something wrong. In a repair shop program, it can help you pick the right options even if you miss a letter.
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This next segment of The Car Doctor, thanks for being here,
is all about information, management of, coordination of and efficient use of.
And we've reached out to none other than our good friend Tim McDonald over at Mitchell One.
And Tim's here today with us to talk about it and some of the changes upcoming over at Mitchell.
What they're doing to keep us on our toes and keep us on the cutting edge of this industry
that's always evolving and always changing.
And it's always fun to talk with Tim.
Tim, welcome aboard, sir.
Hey, Ron, nice to be back with you.
So, right, information.
I, we always start the conversation here every year about management and expectations.
And, you know, where we want to start, we want to talk about, you know,
how we're managing the shop, repair information.
You tell me what's, what's new and exciting in the world of manager and, and, and Mitchell repair.
What's going on over there?
Well, thank you.
Top of mind for me, for my daily experience here at Mitchell One is going to be the shop management software.
So, we're making progress always on several fronts.
Typically, I would lead off with manager SE.
That's our flagship product.
It's in tens of thousands of shops.
And, you know, we're always making incremental changes and improvements.
And we've really been successful in the last 18, 24 months in introducing some major changes,
figuring out how to do new things to make it possible.
The first I would want to mention is the job view function and set of features.
So, what it does is it organizes on your order screen.
If you're a service advisor, instead of considering all those grid line items that you're looking at,
parts, labor, sublet, no, it's all those things.
Instead of treating that as one monolithic item, we have introduced job view containers.
And by doing that, it means that I've always been able to check profit on the whole order.
Now I can check profit per job.
With the job containers, I can control the shop supplies, hazmat, fees, discounts,
first time multiple discounts are possible now.
And with the right click, if they decline, I can push it to the revision screen.
I can say, hey, make this one into a canned job.
All I got to do is put a name on it.
So, there's lots of continuously applied shortcuts that are now possible with job view.
But the kicker is the document that we hand the customer.
It's now perfectly delineated with subtotals for each job.
So, they can clearly see what each item is going to cost.
Say yes or no.
It's easy to read in simple English.
It's not that confusing.
I'm not sure what I bought, but I spent $1,200.
Exactly.
It's not that driveway moment of trying to explain the work.
Right.
And I've had people do that.
They'll bring me an invoice from, sometimes it's the dealer, sometimes it's another shop.
You can't read it.
It doesn't decipher well.
Doesn't compute.
Right.
So, your pictures don't matter.
You're breaking it down into different...
Because really, as a consumer out there, listen, our shops love hearing this stuff that
listen to this radio show.
But for the consumer out there, they're going, why do I care about this?
I think they care about this conversation because the shop that's using Mitchell Manager SA
is an efficient shop, is an organized shop, and they're able to manage history.
I always go back to one of the things I really enjoy about Manager, as we use it in the shop
every day, is it's got the same feel.
It always reminds me of when I go to the doctor.
Yeah, you ever go to the doctor and how they run their schedule and they take you in and they
sign you up for various tests and various things to do.
That's really what Mitchell Manager has become over the years.
And now the job view function breaks it down into such simple language
that I can tell Mrs. Jones, you know what?
Here's the oil change.
Here's the brake check.
Here's the tire rotation.
You know, we don't want to do the brake check this time.
That's fine.
And it's simple.
I'll use your word, delineation, right?
Say the word, Tim.
It's delineation.
That's it.
There you go.
Got a little stutter today.
But it's the same breakout.
It's that simple breakout of what I'm not doing versus what I'm doing.
And that's what I think Manager does so well in that use with job view.
Right.
So the thing about the relationship with the customers is just building that confidence and
trust.
And if it is a significant ticket, you know, a high dollar item that had happened,
that they can come away from that and know exactly what you did and see the value of it clearly.
Right.
And then if they don't do something, you know, hey, I want to put that off till next time.
Now we can transfer that over to a revision and it sits there.
Now it used to be one of the things that I found kind of got to be a blockade.
I only had nine revisions at one point.
And it's very easy in this day and age for somebody to have, you know, nine revisions
or sometimes we use the revision function for storing certain history if we want on hand up
close and personal.
But now you've changed the revisions around, right?
Tell me about that.
Yes.
So since we laid the groundwork with job view, which by the way, won two p 10 awards, that's
an industry organization that both experts and people choice was stunned to hold that trophy
just the other day for a photo.
But that laid the groundwork for the rework that we did on the revision screen.
So yeah, we had shops saying, you know, I really need to have more than nine slots.
Well, we agree with you.
So what we did is we changed the architecture of the screen, taking what we built into it
with job view and used a plus one approach.
So now it's just hit the plus sign, add another one, add another one, add another one.
So if you have a car that I mean, I think the phrase theology is it's a lift hog if it's
been around the shop for a long time.
And maybe, maybe it was supposed to be there for three days and it's been like four weeks
because you're waiting for parts or who knows what.
So the idea is you need more revisions to address those other needs or repairs as they come up.
So this allows you to do that.
You can have as many revisions as you care to do that.
And when we open up a screen to make changes, we try to put in other user requests and we
added a comments column so that the shop could put in their own notes addressing those revisions.
Do this one first.
Talk to Joe.
This is a special tool.
You've got to have those type of things.
And then also in the process was tightening up the revisions to the recommendations.
Remember, the recommendation is that customer language that's important
to explain what the repair is and what needs to be done.
And then the revision supplies those details, parts, labor, etc.
Tim, we've talked about this over the years and we've been doing this a long time.
You and I both here and in our careers.
The shop that's most efficient, the shop that manages the information,
sure, they're going to be more profitable.
And obviously, you know, listen, I go to a doctor and I hope that he's doing well and
he's going to stay in business and he's there for my next physical.
And I don't know anybody that walks into a doctor says,
gee, I hope this guy goes out of business next year.
He's he's making too much money.
You know, I'm hoping people, you know, walk into my shop and go,
gee, I hope he's here next year because I want him to be profitable enough to be here
to take care of my problems next year.
That's what manager, you know, the shop that's using a manager program,
the odds are they're going to be there because they're organizing and managing
their information, right?
And this, all the things we've just talked about helps them do that so much more.
Exactly.
I mean, the fact that you just have any of the vehicle repair history,
one click away in the history tab and that I can print a tech worksheet to give the technician
that has dates and category of service that, hey, when did we do the brakes last time?
Oh, there it is.
And there's the mileage with it.
So having that kind of information ensures that we give that proper customer experience.
You know, I think everybody that uses manager SE has something that, you know,
hits their button more than something else for me.
And everything you're talking about here, I've been using, it's phenomenal stuff.
But I go back a couple of years when you did the, you know, I can, I do it like this, you know,
oh, hey, I need an appointment.
Sure, send me an email.
I give out my email to the new client and, you know, send me name, address, phone number,
and just send me the license plate of your vehicle.
Well, don't you want to know?
Oh, yeah.
Don't you want to know the year make model?
Nope.
I don't need that because I can plug it into Mitchell.
I can plug it into manager SE and manager will not only tell me your make model,
it will tell me Vin.
It will give me engine choices.
It will help me break down what that is because, you know, it's dialing out to the,
in my case, I guess the New Jersey motor vehicle database and, you know, it's bringing it up.
And to me, now when I order parts, because it's not just impressing the new customer,
but now when I have to order parts for that new customer,
everything is Vin based.
I don't have to enter the Vin.
I don't have to enter in the 17 digits.
And yeah, that saves time and saving time makes money.
And exactly.
And then there's no second guessing.
Right.
No return parts because that when you push the catalog button, that Vin is visible in
that title bar.
You know that you're going to see the right categories and choices.
Right.
And I just found that button, by the way, I think it was the button that lets you put
the license plate at the top of the vehicle screen.
Yeah, exactly.
And lead off with that because that's the first thing you'll put in.
That's the first thing you put in.
And it just, it's just so many improvements.
It's just, it's just efficient use.
And I think that's what strikes me as the most important benefit.
I always tell everybody, I'm not really fixing cars.
I'm managing time and expectations.
And, you know, and that's right.
So true.
And that's what manager helps you to do.
And that's, that's really the takeaway.
Let's pull over and take a pause, Tim.
When we come back, can I pry out the future?
Like I always try to wheedle that out of you.
What's coming next?
We can share some things.
Okay.
Tia, I'm Ron Anini in the car doctor here with Tim McDonald of Mitchell Manager SE.
And we'll both return right after this.
Don't go away.
In 2023, former bachelor star Clayton Eckerd found himself at the center of a paternity scandal.
The family court hearings that followed revealed glaring inconsistencies in her story.
This began a years-long court battle to prove the truth.
You doctored this particular test twice in cell insurance, correct?
I doctored the test once.
It took an army of internet detectives to crack the case.
I wanted people to be able to see what their tax dollars were being used for.
Sunlight's the greatest disinfectant.
They would uncover a disturbing pattern.
Two more men who'd been through the same thing.
Greg Gillespie and Michael Marantini.
My mind was blown.
I'm Stephanie Young.
This is Love Trap.
Laura Scottsdale Police.
As the season continues, Laura Owens finally faces consequences.
Ladies and gentlemen, breaking news at Maricopa County as Laura Owens has been
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Well, we've reached that part in the program, and thanks for returning.
Where I usually say to Tim, okay Tim, I've got four, four and a half minutes.
What do you want to talk about now?
And Tim will go, well, and I really kind of, right Tim?
But you know, what's new and exciting coming up at Manager SE?
What can you share with us?
All right, well then let's look in the crystal ball for Manager SE 9.3,
which is probably going to be about April when that comes out.
First feature already finished is file attachment.
What the heck, what's the value?
All right, so when you're on the order screen,
and you will hover your mouse over the lines,
there'll be a new column in there that'll say,
do you want to add a document?
And so this gives the user the opportunity to store photos, a video,
or maybe even a diagnostic result that's stored in Altus Drive.
What we're doing is we're associating it to that repair order item,
so that once we've even put it in history,
two years later it's still there.
That's what we saw at that time, so that's the value of it.
There's going to be a gallery,
so they'll have some existing images that could be reused.
So we're excited about that, that's in the can already done.
And then we also have an upgraded inspections program,
the multi-point inspection.
Manager SE inspections will come out,
and that will be performed on a mobile device.
And then that will be fed back to the service advisor to price,
the faulty items identified.
And then they're going to push that out to the customer as a text message,
and that customer will review the items,
including any video, phone, or photos that we want to include,
and arrive at which things they want to have done,
and those that they'll decline for now,
push the approve button, goes back to the shop,
they can dispatch to perform the work that was approved,
and push the other work into revisions,
and then manager SE can do its job and remind you
of that future business the next time they come back in.
It sounds like we're shopping on Amazon.
I want this, I want this.
It is that user experience.
Yeah.
That's the desired goal, so we're going to hit it with it.
That's kind of cool.
And what else was there?
I didn't mean to cut you off, go ahead.
Yeah, no worries.
The big one that we're working on right now,
and the code name, what we're calling it,
refer right now as Digital Engine.
The name may change by the time it comes out.
But the premise is very simple, but kind of elegant in a way.
Leveraging a little bit of AI, what we can do is,
we can put all of the related parts and labor together
on the same screen.
You can use natural language, type in whatever you want,
and we're going to push all those choices to you.
It's like, hey, you're not going to forget the gasket.
You're not going to forget these other related parts.
We have also figured out 400, I think so far, 470
stored job templates.
So it's like you're replacing a water pump.
You're doing breaks, whatever it may be.
We're going to bring up all of the logical labor choices
with the part choices so that it just speeds up the process.
Shops make so many estimates every day,
and not all of those come to fruition.
What we want to do is reduce the time necessary
to get that right into the shop's hands,
where they can quickly turn that around to a customer
and get the approvals.
Wow.
And it's just, again, making shops more efficient.
One of the neat things that all of the Mitchell products do,
and obviously it's more than just manager,
is type the word alternator in on Repair
or type it in on Manager, right?
You guys will spell check it.
You'll help get us to it in Repair side.
You'll spell check it on the Manager side.
You'll help us to, so if we're not a good speller
and if we type with all thumbs, we can still somehow
put together a pretty neat, clean-looking Repair order, correct?
We can still save those users.
Yes, absolutely.
So we now have a new attribute when you're in the Repair
and estimating debt is called Did You Mean?
And so therefore, if you should happen to leave a few letters out,
we can still figure out what you're trying to get to
and get you there successfully.
And I got to tell you, Tim, it always amazes me,
and I always come back to the same conclusion.
It seems like you guys are looking at the medical industry
or maybe they're looking at you
and you're creating a similar management program
that the doctors are using.
And it's how efficient they are, right,
is what we want to be in order of Repair.
Exactly. Get through that process efficiently.
Yep.
Working the listeners, go get more information, my friend.
You can go to MitchellOne.com
and you can look at all sorts of product information
and helpful assets.
Cool beans.
We'll be back again, Tim.
You be well.
You too. Thanks.
I'm Ronan Aining in the car doctor.
We'll be back right after this.
In 2023, Bachelor star Clayton Eckard
was accused of fathering twins,
but the pregnancy appeared to be a hoax.
You doctored this particular test twice, Ms. Owens.
Correct?
I doctored the test once.
It took an army of Internet detectives
to uncover a disturbing pattern.
Two more men who'd been through the same thing.
Regulespie and Michael Mancini.
My mind was blown.
I'm Stephanie Young.
This is Love Trapped.
Laura Scottsdale Police.
As the season continues,
Laura Owens finally faces consequences.
Listen to Love Trapped podcast on the iHeart radio app,
Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
About this episode
Tim McDonald from Mitchell One breaks down how Mitchell Manager SE is evolving to help shops manage information, expectations, and workflow more efficiently. He highlights “job view” for breaking orders into clear job containers with per-job profit, easier customer-facing subtotals, and smoother handling of declined work via revisions. The revision screen now supports unlimited entries with added comments and tighter recommendation language. Looking ahead, Manager SE 9.3 adds file attachments, mobile multi-point inspections with customer text approvals, and “Digital Engine” AI-style estimating that bundles related parts/labor using natural language and job templates.
Ron welcomes Tim McDonnell from Mitchell 1 to discuss the latest updates and improvements to Mitchell’s repair and shop management software. They talk about how modern repair information systems are evolving to help shops work smarter, document repairs better, and keep up with the increasing complexity of today’s vehicles.
Good mechanics aren’t expensive — they’re priceless.
