by Tim McDonnell

Scottsdale Workshop was Fantastic!

We’ve just wrapped up the first Shop Management Workshop for 2015, held in Scottsdale AZ on April 30 – May 2. It was our second time at the Scottsdale Plaza Resort, and it once again proved to be a magical venue. It’s a beautiful setting with the facilities, services and staff to pull off an event such as this. We had a dynamic sellout crowd, and as the saying goes, people came from everywhere. Folks from all over the U.S. and Canada came together to further unlock the potential of their Mitchell 1 or ShopKey shop management programs.

We were delighted to meet and welcome the winners of our “Shift into High Gear” sweepstakes, Jack Cooper Jr., general manager of Chesapeake Auto Repair Service in Centreville, MD, and his fiancée Donna Zane. Jack entered our Facebook contest in March and won an all-expense paid trip for two to attend the workshop and enjoy the amenities at the resort.

If you’re not familiar with our workshops, over the course of two days we deliver comprehensive training covering the functionality of the Mitchell 1 Manager™ SE 6.5 system. The training is led by John Dwulet, senior product manager, and me in my role as national training manager. Together, we’ve been working with and teaching the nuances of the Manager product for over 38 years. We cover everything from program flow, setup values and inventory, to reporting tips, advanced transactions and parts catalog integration. Helping our users increase confidence, efficiency and profitability is the name of the game. Attendees also have a chance to practice the skills they’re learning in the classroom in a hands-on computer lab staffed with product experts from Mitchell 1 headquarters.

While the primary mission of the workshop is to thoroughly review Manager SE and present new ideas and an improved set of skills attendees can take back to their shops and put into practice immediately, we also talk about ways to boost the power of the management system. In a casual reception Friday evening, Brian Warfield, senior product manager for SocialCRM, described details of how our shop marketing service integrates with Manager SE to help with reputation marketing, social media and customer reviews. He also shared information about new marketing trends and how to capitalize on shop management data to further grow the business.

A session on Saturday demonstrated how the integration of ProDemand repair information software with Manager SE helps streamline estimates and repairs. We also had some special guests on hand from Bolt-On Technology and X-Charge to demonstrate their products that integrate with Manager SE to enhance the user experience, increase efficiency and deliver deeper business insights.

Thanks to everyone who came and made this one of the most well-attended and energetic workshops we’ve ever held. And if you missed it, don’t worry – we’ll be holding another one in October in Orlando FL. Stay tuned for details.

• Read the press release about the Shift into High Gear sweepstakes winner