At a glance
General repair and mixed-service businesses evaluating a broad automotive workflow.
What does Shopmonkey do?
Automotive shop management covering estimates, inspections, customer communication, inventory, and payments.
- Estimates and digital inspections
- Customer texting and email
- Inventory, workflow, and payments
What to explore in the demo
Use a collision repair scenario as well as a mechanical service job. Demonstrate estimate imports, supplements, production stages, and insurer billing where required.
Details to confirm
General automotive estimating and collision database estimating solve different tasks. Validate collision-specific needs in a live demo.
Request current pricing, implementation scope, training, support, contract terms, and data export options for your shop. Validate capabilities in the package you would actually buy.
Build a useful shortlist
Compare tools by the work they need to do. A dedicated estimator, a collision management platform, and general automotive software can serve different roles. Use the demo checklist to ask consistent questions.
When to shortlist Shopmonkey
Prioritize Shopmonkey for a mechanical or mixed-service operation that relies on inspections, authorizations and regular customer contact. Count the users and identify the accounting tier before comparing its Basic price with a collision-specific package.
Pricing and licensing
Basic $239/month or $215/month on annual billing. Basic includes 3 users; additional users $20/month.
| Access and devices | Mobile app and online shop workspace |
|---|---|
| Production tracking | Shop workflow; tier varies |
| Parts management | Lookup and ordering |
| Customer messaging | Two-way text and email |
| QuickBooks and accounting | QuickBooks Online integration: Clever and above |
One repair to bring to the demonstration
Run a mechanical inspection and a collision supplement as separate jobs. Ask where approval is stored for each, then sync the invoice using the quoted plan. Check whether the shop would still need a separate collision estimating subscription.
A practical evaluation plan
Use the following scenarios as questions for a live demonstration. They describe what your shop should test, rather than a feature checklist to mark complete without seeing the work.
| Scenario | What to ask the vendor to show | What your team should learn |
|---|---|---|
| Collision fit | Demonstrate your collision estimate and supplement process. | How the general automotive workflow accommodates the shop’s collision requirements. |
| Mixed-service work | Run a mechanical service job and a collision repair separately. | Whether each team can follow its own useful workflow. |
| Parts and payment | Test a partial order, an approval, and the final payment record. | The link between the customer’s decision and the financial record. |
Record the role performing each step, any information entered twice, and the point where the next person is notified. A useful demonstration leaves your team with a repeatable process, a clear owner for exceptions, and a list of any items that still need confirmation.
Turn the demo into a decision
Ask the people who handle estimating, production, parts, customer service, and bookkeeping to review the same repair. A product can look straightforward to a manager while leaving a handoff unresolved for the person who receives parts or follows up on a balance.
Keep a short decision record: the workflow demonstrated, the product and modules quoted, the records to migrate, the staff training plan, and the named owner of each unanswered question. Compare that record with the other tools on your shortlist before deciding.
For a connected collision management approach, also explore AutoHound and the AutoHound workflow resource center. The estimating versus management guide explains when separate tools can serve complementary roles.
Common questions
What should I confirm before choosing Shopmonkey?
Confirm the current product, licensed features, integrations, commercial terms, migration scope, training, and support for the workflow your shop needs. Use sample records to validate the important handoffs.
How should I compare Shopmonkey with other tools?
Begin with the role the product needs to fill: estimating, collision management, or general automotive management. Then demonstrate the same repair and exceptions across the products in that category.
Have a correction or a detail to add? Suggest an update.