Setting Up a Shop Logo for Reports Your Shop Management system (version 6.0 and greater) is able to display your custom logo on printed reports. To set this up you will need to take the following steps: First, you'll need to create a logo in a... Read More

Question How can we email estimates, repair orders, or invoices from the Shop Management software?   Answer Install and configure an email client software on your computer with your email account. We recommend Mozilla Thunderbird or Microsoft... Read More

The attached PDF document includes 2013 samples of all printed output. This includes EST, RO, INV, Counter Sale, Technician Worksheet templates as well as all of the reports found under the Client, Management Accounting, Followup and Inventory tabs.... Read More

Symptoms A recent Microsoft Windows Update is causing printing issues in the Shop Management program. The update appears to be causing the Windows Print Spooler to crash. The update is affecting both Windows 8 & 10 operating systems.  More... Read More

Been paying for this for months ,what good is it if you have no idea how to use? John, Thank you for contacting us! If you‘ve never used our software before, it is recommended to view our Manager Training Videos to learn everything from basic... Read More

How to Enable a Catalog and Link a Vendor in Manager For a video on how to set up your Vendor settings, click here.      Step 1: Turning the catalog on Navigate to Configurations (SE) or Setup (5.9) along the top of the program. Next go to... Read More

How Late Fees are assessed: When the Late Fees Assessment is run, all of the information pertaining to customers, and their overdue balances is displayed. The entries listed in black fit within the 30-90 day window for assessing fees. Any names shown... Read More

Question: Is there a way to change the payment type in the “Apply Payments Dialog Box”? We have a need to include “Electronic” payments. Answer:1) Go to Setup, Standard Tables and select Income/Payment Types tab.2) Change... Read More

  Due to upgrades in the most recent version of Mitchell 1 Manager SE and ManagerPlus SE, your service history records will no longer automatically be shared with CARFAX. This change will not have any impact on your workflow or user... Read More

Sometimes you need something from a vendor that is not integrated to the shop mgmt software for electronic parts ordering & automatic Purchase Order generation. Here are the steps to manually create a Purchase Order as needed.1. Go to the... Read More

The shop management software includes a Profit Wizard (F12) to see at a glance how your shop’s profit picture looks on the particular order being viewed. We know there are other factors beyond part, labor or sublet cost, so a couple additional... Read More

Under Reports / Followup tab, select *MM - Create Data Export File by double-clicking on it. Select your search criteria based on service date, category, vehicle make, zip code, recommendations, inspections and more, click on Search and then click... Read More

To add a new service writer to your shop management program, follow these steps.1. Go to the Configurations menu, select Technician Setup.2. Click on Add to open the technician setup window. 3. Enter the technician's information. Click OK to... Read More

Attached is a document (shortcuts_se.pdf - download link below) that displays all of the keyboard shortcuts per screen in the shop management software. It applies to the newer 6.x SE versions. It is organized by 'Common to Most Screens'... Read More

How to Change Ownership. A text transcription of the video instructions follows: When necessary, it is possible to change the ownership of a vehicle in your database and still keep its repair history intact. It may be a case of your customer selling... Read More

The following are instructions on how to restore a local database backup (.bak or .zip files) into the Shop Management program for version 6.x or higher. It is highly recommended that a backup is created prior to restoring a local backup as the... Read More

To activate your license please follow these steps:  1. Go to “Help” along the top of Manager SE > “Activate Products.”      2. Confirm or Enter Your Account Number by Clicking the Edit button next to Account Number area: Note: ... Read More

The management software includes a list of Referral types to define how a customer became part of the database. Users may customize the list from any Customer screen Open any EST, RO or INV and go to the Customer screen.1. Click on the Market button... Read More

You can set up Windows Live mail to work with GMAIL, YAHOO and many others - which then allows a user to email from ManagerSetting up Yahoo Mail in Windows Live MailLaunch Windows Live Mail.Click Add e-mail account.Enter the following information:E... Read More

Symptom: Customers are reporting that the printer is switching without notice in windows 10.  This applies to Propack users in particular because of the Windows setting in the screen shot below.  Turning the “Let Windows manage my default printer... Read More

Selecting the Florida Tax Calculation Method will modify tax rates to the attached Florida sales tax chart. To switch to the Florida Tax Calculation Method, go to Configurations > Standard Tables > Tax Rate in the Shop Management software.... Read More

The Manager SE program does not have an official refund function; however there are several workarounds. Every shop is unique and choosing the proper refund method will depend on how the management software is configured and overall shop objectives.... Read More

See attachments below for following documents: ProSpect User Guide (updated May 2020) ProSpect Quick Start Guide (updated May 2020)   ProSpect is available for Manager SE version 8.0 or higher.  Note: if the attached documents do not match the... Read More

TIP: To find a customer by first name, type a comma (",") then a few letters of the first name. All of the first names that match those characters will be listed for you to select from.  Read More

Symptom: Customer reports receiving the following error when attempting to run a Parts Ordering - Price Check using First Call Online: No Internet connection, or remote server failed to respond.     Cause: The most common cause for this failure is... Read More

Sometimes specific work within a repair order get completed at different times and information like tech hours and commission totals must be calculated. Using Special Order is a great way to extend and separate work from a repair order. Since... Read More

This article explains how to use the Export Report option visible on the print preview with any selected document or report. If you prefer to use filters to build your own custom export data file look at this entry: https://mitchell1.com... Read More

Symptom: Unable to open records from the Work in Progress (WIP) in Manager SE. Versions Affected: 6.x Problem: When trying to open a record, the error "An unknown error of type System.InvalidOperationException has occurred. Unable to determine the... Read More

You need to take the item down to ZERO QOH so that it is forced to start calulating Avg Cost all over again.   1. Go to Inventory List screen, enter the part number and click Search.2. With the selected part highlighted, click on Edit to open the... Read More

  V 6.5.52 Improved Purchase Orders Screen Loading hundreds or thousands of P.O.s now takes seconds compared to minutes Can now select multiple P.O.s and delete as many as are selected 'Delete' Button can be configured as a security... Read More

Symptom: When running any financial report (such as Revenue by GL Code or Business Summary) the following error occurs:   Error Title: String or Binary data would be truncated. The statement has been terminated   Solution: Shorten the... Read More

Symptom: Error when printing "The ‘Odometer In' value is required by the system manager. Please enter a value greater than or equal to the ‘Previous Odometer'.”   Solution:   Go to Shop Data, and then Screen View, change ... Read More

Not every customer solicited through CRM will present the shop with the coupon(s) sent, but the mailing did it’s job. People may call or drop by asking about their 112,500 mi. service. That doesn’t happen all by itself! If you want to... Read More

Question: How would you handle/remove a charge account amount for a person that never intends to pay that you want to write off as bad debt?   Answer: To handle this, create a new payment option called Bad Debt (Write Off, etc) and assign it to... Read More

Insert USB drive in computer and determine which drive letter has been assigned to that device. Note: Local database backups can only be performed on the Host\Main PC. To determine which Drive letter has been assigned to the USB drive open My... Read More

Manager SE: Steps to Filter Your Own Data for Custom Export File 1. Click on the Reports icon to open the report selection screen. 2. Change the ‘Report to’ output selector to ‘Screen’ as needed. 3. Double-click on *MM –... Read More

The Comeback flag is established on the Symptoms screen. It includes a checkbox to establish the linkage between this second RO and the original RO where the problem was believed to be fixed. When the box is checked, a field for entering the ORIGINAL... Read More

Lube Sticker Printer is available for Manager SE version 7.5.x or higher. For the Lube Sticker Printer User Guide, see attachment below.       Read More

ProSpect User Frequently Asked Questions See the ProSpect User Guide for detailed instructions on how to set up and use ProSpect. What does ProSpect bring to Manager SE? ProSpect brings mobility to Manager SE by providing tablet and phone... Read More

We have found the AVG antivirus program blocks many features of our Manager SE application including updates to the client/workstation computers.  Below are general instructions to exclude our software from AVG virus scans and instructions on how... Read More

If you have to "un-sell" a job,  just highlight all the line items transferred from the Revision, click on 'Edit' then select 'Cut'. Open a blank Revision and click 'Edit' once more, then select 'Paste' to... Read More

How to Set Up FirstCall Online Parts Catalog    Step 1: Navigate to Configurations menu along the top of the program. Select Special Maintenance (you must be on the SE program “splash” HOMESCREEN in order for full Special Maintenance menu to... Read More

Q: Getting ready to do annual inventory; are there reports to use during the actual inventory process? When finished, is there a faster way to update the item QOH (quantity on hand) than using Inventory search screen and opening one record at a time... Read More

The attached documentation explains how to export data from the SQL database to Microsoft Excel.  NOTE:Tech Support cannot assist with questions regarding configuring or installing these third-party programs; it is up to the user to possess the... Read More

NOTE: For SE version, the Mfg Date must not be blank or 00/00/0000. Enter a valid date and the process works.   To remove a license plate from a vehicle record, follow these steps: 1. Access the vehicle record on the Vehicle screen. 2. With... Read More

There may be occasions where it becomes necessary to remove a previously assessed Late Fee from a customer's balance. This is accomplished in the (F5) Batch Payment window with a Remove Fee button. Here are the steps:1. Go to Utilities menu,... Read More

To add a new technician to your shop management program, follow these steps.1. Go to the Configurations menu, select Technician Setup.2. Click on Add to open the technician setup window.3. Enter the technician's information. Click OK to save. ... Read More

There are times where a shop may wish to restrict access to functions that are available within their Shop Management program. Some users may need access to areas of the program that others do not. Program Security is designed to provide a mechanism... Read More

Here's how to use the part mechanism to handle unusual tax or fee items; Fields  highlighted are category and account.  These can be set to use reports to track sale of these fees: Part item taxation window.  From here, you can edit whether... Read More

The following is a list of protected areas and their functions in the shop management software: Read More

Florida Shop Management Users: To comply with the "Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Service Division of Consumer Services” all aftermarket shops must configure their software in the following manner. Please Note: Disclaimer text... Read More

To ensure that any changes you make to the column width(s) or display order on the Work-In-Progress or Order screens are saved, make sure that there is at least one name in User List. (If program displays DEFAULT USER in the lower RH corner, your... Read More

Symptom The following are symptoms after attempting to send an email using the Shop Management program: The Shop Management program crashes or freezes shortly after sending or closing an Outlook email. Ability to send an email once, but then receive... Read More

Summary: In Michigan parts are taxable, however a change  in 2017 Michigan law mandates taxes  no longer be collected on cores. However the core activity must still be recorded on the final invoice as TWO LINES, <core> AND <core return>... Read More

     QuickBooks Integrator (QBI) Frequently Asked Questions Why is it mandatory to create a New QuickBooks company file at initial install of QBI?  It allows the QBI Specialist to select the preferences during the setup interview that work best... Read More

When ordering multiples of a single part, you can receive or cancel a portion of the order total. P.O.s can be used to track the status of individual parts that are on order. Items can be placed on back order, partial totals can be received, or... Read More

The attached document will explain how to toggle into Demo Mode: Quick version: From Home (splash) screen, click Configurations - Special Maintenance menu, then select Toggle Demo Mode. Click OK and re-start SE; it will open as Demo... Read More

IF THE TECH HAS INVOICE OPEN, SERVICE WRITER CAN NOT MAKE CHANGES TO THAT INVOICE. THE MESSAGE STATES “ THE RECORD IS CURRENTLY LOCKED FOR EDITING BY ANOTHER USER YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO MAKE CHANGES TO THIS RECORD UNTILL IT’S RELEASED BY... Read More

Problem: In the labor item edit window, clicking the down arrow to select a technician crashes Manager without any error.  Versions affected: 5.9.x, 6.4.x Solution: Issue is caused by Comcast Constant Guard software by Xfinity. The program... Read More

This is a process to lock-in specific markup settings on certain parts in your inventory. This should only be done in cases where you do not want the Markup Matrix to apply to a specific set of inventory parts and wish to set a price on multiple... Read More

In versions 8.0.3 and higher shop owners can set taxes on Purchase Orders (P.O.s). To retain the setting, the tax rate must be set on a manually created Purchase Order. If it is done on a Purchase Order generated through an electronic parts catalog... Read More

Click on Inventory menu and then select Purchase Orders; use Search on Purchase Orders by Vendor, Part #, date range, etc. For Shop Management v5.9: click -> For Shop Management 6.5 SE: click ->   Or click "Inventory" and then click ... Read More

This article (and the attached PDF file) is intended as a general conversation about the value of reports generated inside Manager SE or ShopKey Management SE programs. it explains terms used on reports and suggests that shops build a strategy around... Read More

The attached document shows the step-by-step process to generate a file within Manager SE 6.x to be used during a Mail Merge process. Word 2010 is used throughout this example. A brief overview of the steps for Mail Merge on the Word side are also... Read More

This article is intended for Shop Management program users in Canadian provinces with more than one tax value. The Shop Management program provides accurate tax data when Purchase Order (P.O.) parts received matches P.O. parts ordered. The following... Read More

Version Affected: 6.6.X / 7.0.X Symptom: Customer may receive the following error if attempting to Confirm All Parts from Order Options: Error: An unknown error of type System.Data.RowNotInTableException has occurred. This row has been removed from... Read More

How to change\remove Spellcheck Items in SE   Custom.VTD is the file that stores the custom words when using F2 from certain areas in Manager SE.  This file may show up in several locations, but these are the correct location.   Windows7:  ... Read More

Symptom: Attempting to create a new entry in Technician Setup gives an error similar to the following: Error: An unknown error of type System.InvalidOperationException has occurred. ExecuteReader requires the command to have a transaction when the... Read More

Symptom:  Vehicle loaded into parts catalog does not match vehicle sent from Manager SE.   Solution:  Vehicle needs to be re-qualified. 1.  Save VIN if used.  Manually change vehicle’s Year Make and Model using drop down menus to a... Read More

Read More

How to Enter Vendor Invoice # Once in P.O. Worksheet to Show in Each Part Ordered for Warranty Later When vendors need to warranty a part, they will ask for their invoice # as the record of when it was purchased. It can be a tedious exercise to copy... Read More