Frequently Asked Questions

If you were to sum it all up in a short paragraph, what would you say about ServiceShop?
An absolute triumph. By the standards of those who have had a chance to review it, ServiceShop is a work of art. It has been independently reviewed, and is now endorsed by industry trainer Ned Tomarchio (Automotive Leadership Institute) as his personal pick for the best ever shop management product offering.
 

How does ServiceShop compare to Senior Service Manager?
Blows it away. Completely obsoletes it. There is no longer any reason to stay on SSM.

How do I determine if it’s time to upgrade yet?
For most SSM users, that time has come.

When should I start the evaluation process?
You should start evaluating Immediately, as there is usually a long wait for the trainer.

What time frame is required?
GenesisFour’s capacity to handle upgrades must be taken into consideration. Although this can very, you should allow 8-10 weeks from purchase date to deployment date.

What's involved in the deployment process?
First, the quoting and purchase process must be completed. During this phase, we review your hardware. Usually changes are necessary. We generally configure all new computers before they are shipped. After the new equipment and software is installed and configured, a "dry run" update, is performed, which allows you to practice on the new software with your data. During this time you continue to operate on SSM. Training can be scheduled at this point. After a few weeks of practice with the dry run, you can go live under a trainer's supervision, at which point the SSM data must be re-imported into ServiceShop.

ServiceShop is modularized. Which ones do I get?
Usually all of them will be included in your quote. QuickBooks integration is extra if you did not have SSM's G/L.

What are the some of the most key differences between the two programs?
Appointment Scheduler: For technical redesign reasons, the appointment scheduler will not import old data. Appointments will have to be re-entered into the new system.
Matrix Pricing (also called "Special Price Ranges in SSM"): For technical redesign reasons, special price range data is not imported from SSM to ServiceShop and will have to be re-entered into the new system.
Accounting: General Ledger, Banking, Payables, and even Payroll are now handled by QuickBooks*. ServiceShop’s only accounting functions are a cash register, and A/R. Accounting data from Senior Service Manager cannot be imported into QuickBooks. However, the export/import process is reliable and effortless, and QuickBooks offers an incredible array of accounting functionality that Senior Service Manager does not. Some examples are staggering reporting capabilities including the ability to customize any report, far more articulated G/L, Banking, and Payables functionality, support for on-line banking, payroll capability, and in QuickBooks Pro, the ability to export reports to Excel. As an additional point, the QuickBooks export file ServiceShop creates can be easily transported, making it possible to do accounting work from a machine not on the network. QuickBooks makes the delivery of accounting data to your accounting firm extremely easy. Another benefit of this solution is that local QuickBooks knowledge is readily available. Intuit maintains a huge national network of certified trainers, which can be accessed from within the program. Most accountants are familiar with it, and many prefer that their clients use it so that data can be easily transferred to them. QuickBooks has become the mainstream accounting solution for small business, eclipsing the other popular accounting packages by orders of magnitude. And lest you think your business is too large for QuickBooks, consider that integration to QuickBooks has been the chosen accounting solution for many other credible software vendors coming to market with Windows versions of their legacy applications. In the overall sense, the ServiceShop/QuickBooks combined package is a huge leap forward.
Look & Feel: Although one is clearly derived from the other, the look and feel is quite different. Take the time to get a handle on how ServiceShop flows. It does flow, and it flows beautifully. But if Senior Service Manager is what you're used to, the user experience is really quite different.
Reduced Learning curve: New employees tend to learn faster and adapt more easily.
Serialized inventory: As of 1/04, ServiceShop does not have this feature.
Bar coding: Inventory only (no time clock or service desk, neither of which are relevant or necessary in a Windows environment).

*How does my support change?
Pricing: No change.
Coverage: GenesisFour Support Access includes support for the QuickBooks Integration module only. This includes setting up the QuickBooks interface screens in ServiceShop and the cashout export/import process. Support Access does not include support for the use of QuickBooks itself- you must obtain support from QuickBooks from Intuit or any other source you wish (there are many QuickBooks certified trainers nationally; see www.intuit.com.

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