From first sign-in to a finished, paid job.

What you need

• A HoodHero account with a Garage Pro Monthly or Annual membership, starting with a 7-day free trial.
• Access to the email, Google or Apple sign-in used for your HoodHero account.
• A modern desktop or tablet browser. Chrome, Edge, Safari and Firefox should be kept current.
• Internet access. Workshop records are cloud-backed; some local drafts remain in the current browser until saved.

Sign in for the first time

1. Open app.hoodhero.co.uk.
2. Sign in or choose the email Sign Up option to create your HoodHero account.
3. Choose Garage Pro Monthly or Annual and complete the hosted Stripe checkout.
4. Return to the browser and choose Check membership if the workspace does not open automatically.
5. When access is confirmed, the Mechanic Desk opens on the Dashboard.

Important truth-in-workflow rules

HoodHero distinguishes a prepared action from a completed external action. For example, copying a message does not prove it was delivered, and a manual payment record does not mean a payment provider processed a charge. Check the status shown on the record before relying on it.

The Create button and top actions

Use Create in the sidebar, or the plus action in the compact top bar, to start common records without first opening their workspace. The adjacent workshop-tools and business-profile actions provide fast access to configuration.

1. Complete the business profile

1. Select the storefront/business-profile action in the header, or open Settings → Business profile.
2. Enter the trading name, address, phone, email and any customer-facing business details.
3. Add the logo that should appear on supported PDFs.
4. Set the default currency, tax/VAT behaviour, invoice terms, payment instructions and document notes.
5. Set normal workshop opening hours. Appointment capacity uses these hours when suggesting availability.
6. Save, then preview a quote or invoice later to verify every public detail.

2. Add the team

1. Open Settings → Team.
2. Select Add team member.
3. Enter the name, role and any optional contact or capacity information.
4. Keep active the people who should appear in technician filters and assignment controls.
5. Deactivate a person who should no longer take new work; existing historical assignments remain meaningful.

3. Review workshop tools and integrations

Open the hub/workshop-tools action. Review vehicle lookup, communication, payment, accounting, parts and labour providers. A provider may be shown as available, configured, connected, manual-only, unsupported or unavailable.

4. Create reusable labour and repair templates

Use labour templates for repeat line items such as diagnostic time, MOT preparation or common servicing work. Templates speed up jobs and documents, but applying one creates editable working data—it should not silently change the original template.

A. Add the customer

1. Open Customers and select Add customer.
2. Enter the name and the contact details the workshop genuinely needs.
3. Add useful notes, but keep private/internal detail out of customer-facing fields.
4. Save and leave the customer record open for the vehicle.

B. Add and verify the vehicle

1. From the customer record, choose Lookup vehicle, or open Vehicles → Add vehicle.
2. Enter a UK registration or VIN where supported, then start the lookup.
3. Review returned make, model, year, engine and available MOT details before saving.
4. Correct any inaccurate or incomplete field. A lookup assists the record; it does not replace workshop verification.
5. Confirm the customer is linked as the owner or contact for the vehicle.

C. Book the appointment

1. Open Appointments and choose the view that best shows capacity.
2. Select New appointment or the plus action inside an available time slot.
3. Choose the customer and vehicle.
4. Record the customer’s concern in their own words, plus appointment type, date, time and technician where known.
5. Save and confirm the booking appears at the correct time with the intended status.
6. When the work is accepted or the vehicle arrives, convert or carry the appointment into a job.

D. Control the job through the workshop

1. Open the job from the appointment, Dashboard or Workshop Board.
2. Assign the responsible technician and confirm the expected time.
3. Move the status to the stage that describes the real situation—never to the stage you hope it has reached.
4. Add findings, internal notes, checklist items, tracked parts and proof evidence as the work progresses.
5. Use Jax or the Guide Library when useful, review the result and save only accurate, workshop-approved content.
6. Use the activity timeline to confirm handoffs and important changes are recorded.

E. Quote and get approval

1. Select Create quote from the job.
2. Add labour, parts, fees, quantities, unit values, discount and VAT/tax as applicable.
3. Check the customer, vehicle, expiry date, notes and totals.
4. Preview the PDF and verify the business branding and page layout.
5. Mark the quote sent only after completing the customer handoff.
6. When the customer confirms, record Accepted or Declined truthfully. Use the customer message tools to prepare an editable record of communication.

F. Complete, prove, invoice and record payment

1. Move the job through parts and in-progress stages, keeping notes and proof current.
2. Complete quality control and move the job to QC / ready when it is genuinely ready for handover.
3. Create the invoice from the accepted quote where possible, then verify line items and totals.
4. Preview/download the invoice PDF and hand it to the customer through the chosen channel.
5. Record payment method, reference, date and note only when payment has actually been confirmed.
6. Create the appropriate proof-pack variant and preview it before sharing.
7. Mark the job complete. Confirm it leaves active work and appears in Job History.
8. If follow-up work is expected, create a service reminder or repeat job from the completed record.

Everyday customer actions

• Search by customer name or saved contact detail, then select a result.
• Use Call and Email actions only after verifying the displayed destination.
• Create a new job, quote, invoice or reminder with customer context already carried across.
• Review linked vehicles, active and historical jobs, quotes, invoices and communications before answering a status question.
• Archive or delete only after reading the confirmation. Historical linked records may need to remain for an accurate business trail.

Customer messages and communication history

Message templates help prepare status, approval, payment and handover communication. Edit every draft. Copying, opening email or opening SMS is a handoff—not proof of delivery. The communication history records what HoodHero actually knows about the action.

Registration and VIN lookup

1. Open a vehicle or start Add vehicle.
2. Enter the registration without relying on punctuation or spacing, or enter a valid 17-character VIN.
3. Choose lookup/refresh and wait for the review screen.
4. Compare the result with the physical vehicle and existing record.
5. Save only after reviewing. If refresh fails, do not overwrite good existing data with blank fields.

MOT and advisory context

Where DVSA information is available, inspect test dates, mileage and advisories. An advisory can inform or be linked to a workshop job, but it is not automatically resolved merely because work happened. Mark resolution deliberately and preserve the evidence.

Block unavailable time

Use block time for holidays, training, equipment downtime or any period that should not accept ordinary bookings. Give the block a clear label so another team member understands the constraint.

Filters and quick actions

Filter all active work by technician or unassigned status, and use attention views for today, approvals, parts, ready-to-invoice, MOT advisories or delayed parts. Open the card for the full record; use quick actions only when the visible context is sufficient.

What to maintain on the job

• Complaint and work details: preserve what the customer reported separately from confirmed findings.
• Status and timing: show the real stage and expected schedule.
• Technician: assign clear ownership; reassign when responsibility changes.
• Internal notes: keep operational detail internal and pin the most important note when supported.
• Checklist: break the work into reviewable items and update completion deliberately.
• Parts: record requirements and current supply/fitting status.
• Proof: add relevant, labelled evidence rather than an unstructured photo dump.
• Documents: link quotes, invoices and proof packs instead of creating unrelated records.
• Activity timeline: use it to understand what changed and when.

Internal versus customer-facing information

Internal notes, margins, private supplier detail and internal-only events must remain outside customer documents and messages. Preview every PDF and edit every generated draft before external use.

Create and share a proof pack

1. Add properly labelled proof photos and completion evidence to the linked job or repair record.
2. Open Proof Packs or use the proof action on the job.
3. Choose the correct repair record and pack variant.
4. Preview the PDF. Verify customer, vehicle, dates, business branding, image selection and any signature.
5. Confirm internal notes, margins, secrets and unselected technical data are absent from external variants.
6. Download or prepare the email handoff. Confirm the actual customer delivery outside HoodHero where appropriate.

Use dashboard reports

• Choose the report period and confirm the displayed currency.
• Review active jobs, approvals, parts delays, unassigned work, invoice status and profitability context.
• Select a count or action row to open the supporting records rather than relying on the summary alone.
• Resolve incorrect figures by correcting source jobs, documents or payment status.

Export accounting CSV

1. Open Accounting, or choose Export CSV from Invoices.
2. Select the date range and export type/provider format offered by the screen.
3. Review the included fields and generate the file.
4. Open the CSV in Excel, Google Sheets or the receiving accounting workflow.
5. Verify invoice numbers, customer names, dates, totals, tax, currency and payment status before importing or reconciling.

Search or generate repair guidance

1. Open Guide Library.
2. Search by vehicle, engine, complaint, repair or known terminology.
3. Open a suitable saved guide, or start generation with the exact vehicle and job context.
4. Review tools, steps, safety warnings and any uncertain values.
5. Edit or reject incorrect content. Verify exact torque, part, fluid and procedural data independently.
6. Save once, then link useful checklist or guidance context to the job where supported.

Workflow AI assistance

AI actions can draft job notes, summaries, quote/invoice descriptions and customer messages using the context already present. Review for accuracy, tone, privacy and promises. Never allow a generated draft to claim an inspection, completed repair, delivered message, exact part or successful provider action that the workshop has not verified.

Get support

When contacting support@hoodhero.co.uk, include the workspace area, approximate time, browser/device, what you expected, what happened and a screenshot with customer personal information redacted where possible. Never send passwords, OAuth codes, API keys or payment-card data.

Privacy and customer data

• Collect only the customer and vehicle information needed for the workshop relationship.
• Use internal notes for internal operations, and verify they remain out of external messages and PDFs.
• Obtain appropriate consent for proof photos, signatures and customer communication.
• Sign out on shared devices and keep the browser/operating system updated.
• Use workspace deletion tools cautiously and follow the workshop’s legal record-retention obligations.