by Tim McDonnell

We’re pleased to let you know that the first Shop Management Workshop for 2017 will be held in beautiful Scottsdale AZ on April 27-29. The venue is the lovely Scottsdale Plaza Resort, which describes itself as “an oasis of tranquility” with “warm desert breezes and views of Camelback Mountain in the distance.” For anyone on the East Coast or in the Midwest, that has to sound mighty good right about now. We’ve hosted events here a couple times in recent years, so we know what we’re talking about!

In addition to enjoying a desert retreat, you’ll get a comprehensive two-day training session on the new features and functionality of Mitchell 1 Manager™ SE  system led by John Dwulet, senior product manager, and me, senior product market manager. Together, we offer over 40 years of Manager product expertise. Workshop topics include program flow, setup values, inventory, reporting, tips, best practices, advanced transactions,  parts catalog integration and a detailed look at the new Scheduler module. Increasing users’ confidence, efficiency and profitability is the name of the game. You’ll also have a chance to practice the skills you are 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 review Manager SE and give you new ideas and an improved set of skills to take back to your shop, you’ll also learn about the powerful integration of our SocialCRM shop marketing service with Manager SE. During a relaxed evening reception, we’ll touch on the benefits of customer reviews along with other features in SocialCRM service, and also talk about new marketing concepts and how to capitalize on your shop management data to further grow your businesses.

Attendees will also have the opportunity to learn more about our other products during breaks and meal times. For instance, the new Manager SE Truck Edition extends the management system to medium and heavy trucks, and ProDemand with SureTrack provides technicians with both OEM information and real fixes from the expert technician community. Representatives from Bolt-On Technology will be available outside the general sessions to answer questions and demonstrate functionality of Mobile ManagerPro and ProPack.

If you’re an experienced Manager user, the workshop will provide comprehensive training that increases the value of your software investment. If you’re more of a beginner (using the product for at least 6 months is required), you’ll be amazed at how many workflow ideas you’ll take home to run your business more efficiently. The interaction between attendees sharing methods and tips, plus the new friendships everyone takes home, is priceless. We hope to see you in Scottsdale!

For additional information, click to visit the Shop Management Workshop website.