So who are we? / The System / TRIM /
Booking System / SMS Text /
Links /
Broadband / Evolution On-line / What's next? / How much? / How am I trained?
BMS has been at the forefront of supplying professional bodyshop management systems for the past 24 years making us not only the oldest but one of the largest. As many of you will know, our roots are well and truly planted in the bodyshop industry and we have been successfully owning and running our own shops since 1974. It's only natural then that the BMS system grew from this real need and today we supply systems to many of the best known bodyshop's in the country. Not only that but we also supply some pretty big corporate names such as the Royal Bank of Scotland, all the Churchill and Direct Line shops run on BMS, Gefco (Peugeot Citroen) in 9 countries, DuPont and Mercedes Benz.
Service is the name of the game so there is now a brand new dedicated support and development centre based in Dartford. Most of the development work is done here in the UK and the chances are that you will end up talking and meeting the people that write the software.... Not a call centre in sight!
Creating software that's as comprehensive as the BMS Evolution system is not done simply by programmers sitting in a dark room. The software must be written from the perspective of the end user that's you. It needs to work in the way that bodyshop's do and not just in the land of theory. Its easy to use, powerful and extremely practical. It does what it says on the tin!
This all sounds great but you are looking for a professional system for your bodyshop not someone else's. It needs to deal with your problems and your needs to really get to grips with streamlining or eliminating as much of the non-revenue activity as possible. So we ought to tell you a bit about it............
Your bodyshop needs a system that not only does the job, but does it reliably and efficiently 100% of the time. You should also be able to have all the bells and whistles that doing business in 2008 demands. Below is a list of the highlights that we consider essential in our own shops but, of course, you don't necessarily run your business the same as ours and that's the great thing about BMS - it's modular. You can have as many or as few Lego© Bricks as you like and you only pay for those you use.
We'll start with the very heart of BMS, the famous TRIM© system.
Most bodyshop's that we know of are really into the 'Buying and Selling of Time' business. The Time Recording Input Module is our REAL TIME barcode driven workshop data capture tool that allows your guys to simply clock on and off jobs and record their efforts against the sold hours. Before your ask, YES it does allow your guys to be on more than one job at a time because that's how bodyshop's work!! Especially painters!
It also has just one button on the entire system so there are no keyboards or keypads to go wrong and you don't have to stand there entering your user ID or job numbers etc... Its 100% reliable and 100% accurate and has literally millions of scans under its belt to prove it!
Apart from knowing exactly who is doing what and for how long, the TRIM© system is also working out wages, efficiencies, audits and providing background data for our other modules including diary and planning. All this data is displayed on clear and easy to understand screens that alert you to the jobs that are potentially in trouble and allows you to take corrective action whilst the vehicle is still in the repair bay!
It takes minutes to master and although many have tried to copy it, there is only one TRIM© and it is a copy of nothing!.
At the front end we have full CAPS compliancy that allows job data to be injected straight into BMS without you having to type it in. This technology is now beginning to filter in but everyone's guess is that it will be the standard very soon.
Having loaded just a few bare facts you can then ask the BMS system to book the job in for you with the optimum start date and give you the predicted return date..... all without you even having to do an estimate! As you begin to quantify the job the system will reschedule if it needs to. That's clever! It means that your bodyshop is loaded based on hard facts and science rather than "we'll take it in on Monday and get it out by Friday..."
If you don't believe us, listen to our customers:
Bill Pollard - General Manager Bodytechnics, Slough
"We had been in desperate need of a booking system for some time as our manual efforts seemed unable to cope with the peculiarities of our business. Since introducing the booking system last year we have seen a noticeable improvement in our efficiencies, in meeting our completion dates and in courtesy car utilisation. No longer do we have a yard full of non-started repairs and a barrage of customer complaints. Today we are organised, less stressed and utilising the workshop more effectively. Now, we wouldn't be without it!"
Neilson Jones - Managing Director RC Jones (Motorbodies) Ltd, Barnsley
"The booking system is a fantastic addition to the BMS software. Not only does it give our admin staff an accurate indication as to when they should book a vehicle in, but it also summarises exactly how many more hours are required each day in each or the disciplines (MET, PANEL & PAINT). This information is incredibly accurate as it is not only looking at the number of staff we have and their own efficiencies, but it also knows when they are booked to be off on holiday or training, hence removes their hours, therefore keeping the booked work balanced with that of our resources.
We have experienced a marked difference in the way in which we book in vehicles. We now book in the correct amount of work based on our staff resources (hours available), rather than booking in a set number of jobs per day. Hence our staff keep busy all the time, whereas before, there was always the chance that all the jobs booked in one day were all 2 hour jobs!"
If you want to know more give us a call and we will tell you and explain exactly how it does it if you are interested! click here to Contact Us.
The front end admin system will deal with automated web tracking that links to your website to let your customers look at the status of their job 24/7 getting rid of a lot of the annoying phone calls.
You can also drag and drop images and documents and store them against the job. This is great for scanning in parts invoices and authority letters so that at invoicing time they are all there on your screen. After all... you could be at home doing this! In fact if you have a broadband internet connection you can log on anywhere and still use BMS as if you were at your desk!
We probably don't have to tell you that BMS systems allow you to fax or email documents straight from the screen and of course we were the innovators of automated text messaging which has proved to be so effective in communicating with customers. It keeps them up to date and besides..... its what people expect in 2008!
Then you have all the clever interfaces with external systems. ITAS, ClaimWatch etc. The bi-directional links with Audatex and Glassmatix means no more double typing allowing the estimator to concentrate on getting the job revenue correct and not being an overpaid typist!
It's a piece of cake to upload and download an Audatex assessment and the way in which we break jobs down into strip, repair, paint, (even down to prep and polishing!) and refit is legendary. The more you use it the cleverer it gets.
You get full parts ordering and tracking and can even link to the Sage purchase ledger if you like. We also have a full stock system that links to products like Würth Orsy Scan.
The list goes on and on.... There's a full HR module to keep your staff records on hand as well as planning holidays etc which links to the booking system.
Invoicing and other associated documentation are, of course, all integrated seamlessly with other modules. We have an excellent link to Sage Line 50 and other financial systems and a number of our management reports can be output to Excel if you want to.
All in all, BMS is a complete management package that you can benefit from by either using it 'pay-as-you-go' or a more traditional server based system. Remember we don't just supply the software and walk away.... we are a true 'one stop shop' offering hardware, networking installations and support, ADSL services and a whole range of management support packages..
All you need to do is decide which bits you need and then how you want to use them.
BMS is not a cut and run supplier. We view all of our customers as long term relationships and out of this comes our desire to help you out where we can. We run a series of management briefings and seminars throughout the year and the most popular is our Time Management Seminar (TMS) which takes an in-depth look at how to get the very best out of your workshop staff whilst still keeping them motivated and happy. Trust us it can be done and works very effectively in our own shops. Just ask us when we're running the next one.
EvoMax / EvoNet
To further enhance the one stop shop we can offer a fully managed broadband solution. The entry level solution, EvoNet, has the small office in mind and offers up to a 2Mb service. This is a fully managed network with the comfort of knowing you are supported by the same team that looks after your management system. 
Our EvoMax solution offers a high bandwidth service of up to 8Mb of connectivity, allowing for high bandwidth applications such as video streaming, real time office file browsing, large file sharing, connection to remote workers and software such as Glasses Online and AudaEnterprise. Again, EvoMax is a fully managed network.
To give you that added peace of mind we have a product called Border Scout which is a remote anti-virus and spam product. Unlike PC based software, viruses and spam are removed from your email before it reaches your PC network. Border Scout is 99% effective against known viruses and above 80% effective at dealing with known blacklisted spam.
Evolution Online - the plug and play option.
So what's great about the 'pay as you go' system? Most of our customers earn their money from fixing cars, not being IT experts. At the end of the day it's what the system does rather that what it actually is that's important. So we have invested heavily and put the entire BMS Evolution system on the Web! You use it in exactly the same way as you do with Audatex today. Simply download the client onto any of your PC's and you're off and running.
Evolution On-Line is not a cut down or 'lite' version of BMS. The functionality is the same as our server based systems except the server lives in Canary Wharf behind countless firewalls and you just log into it via your fixed IP broadband connection. Its very fast to use and you'd be hard pushed to tell the difference from using your server in the next room. But it's the flexibility that people like....... you can add or change the various modules you use, almost at will, paying only for the modules you need.
You can also access your system from anywhere you have a broadband connection using our NetScreen access software which can be installed onto each PC that needs to connect to the BMS bureau server.
Well the easiest thing to do is to call us and we'll happily come along to see you to show you all of this for real. On the other hand, if you fancy some peace and quiet, you're welcome to come to us. Either way you will have a chance to see as much of our products as you want to and as as many questions as you like.
The Evolution On-Line products are really easy to explain because they just like mobile phone packages. A typical cost for an Evolution system with say, 4 users, TRIM and a general mix of other modules works out to about £7 a day! Remember this includes your support and update fees! Of course there will be some set-up costs as you will need some install, training and maybe the odd bit of hardware like a Barcode Reader but its not scary.
A standard server based system is a bit more complex and may involve us setting up networks and cabling etc... In cases the running costs can be similar to the On-Line system when you finance it through one of our low cost partners. We can show you all the options and you can decide from there.
The most important thing is that it works for you.
We'd really like to think that as BMS was born in a bodyshop it's ready to go straight out of the tin and indeed many of our users find it so user friendly that the training acts as more of a confidence booster than anything else. However just to be on the safe side we include full on-site training for you in the package.
Further training can again be on your site or you may want to join one of the classroom sessions. Remember you are also supported by the on-line training guides, the training manual and of course your telephone and on-line support.
