Suggestions For Customer Information To Recall Previous Services

[Costa]

Hello,

I run an 8 store automotive chain that has 10,000 + customers annually. We use the standard Square POS at every location. We have a thermal printer, cash drawer and bar code scanner that we use when we sell some of our products with SKU's.

Everyones vehicle has a VIN and that VIN has a scannable barcode. I was wondering if there were any third party apps where we could use the VIN as a customer identifier so we can keep a better history of that customers vehicle maintenence history. We are a quick oil change shop so we don't have long form customer reciepts, because the service is usually 10 minutes or less with someone waiting behind them. Some people are hesitant to give personal information anyway. Currently our database is customers who use a debit/credit card that Square has retained the information, but that doesn't help with service history, often parents pay for their kids oil changes with the same credit card.

It would also be great if there were a way to import data somehow using the vin. This particular website we use: http://showmetheparts.com/primeguard/ can pull up part information based on the VIN, and another website: https://www.autodna.com also pulls up all the cars specifics based on the VIN. 

Any suggestions would be great. The biggest value we provide is time, so the service time cannot be slowed, that would be the only thing I would keep in mind.

Thank you!

[Chad]

Hello @Costa! This is an interesting concept. 

Right now I don't have a solution for you that wouldn't slow down the check out process. Currently, a barcode scanner can only be used for pulling up items vs. a customer profile. Also I don't know of any 3rd party apps that have this ability.

You could add the VIN under the notes section of the customer profile, but this field isn't searchable. Hence it would slow down the check out process. 

Another seller on the Community might have a better suggestion since I've run into a few mechanic shops that use Square. 😀

[Costa]

I want to bump this to see if anyone else has a suggestion for a way to keep track of service history via the VIN (barcode)

Even if I got a bluetooth scanner for Square Stand, I don't think the vin will transfer to the notes section on the ipad. 

Right now the only option is to add the vin long form.

[Chad]

Hey @airfishauto, @Alsaffordable1, and @nospinin! Any ideas or suggestions for @Costa? 

[Costa]

I want to follow this up, because as of right now my barcode scanner still will only transmit information into the SKU box, I am hoping there is something where in the future the information behind a barcode can be put into any text field not just the SKY text field.

[kellyj]

@Costa

Thanks for reiterating this! We'll be sure to get eyes on this feature request.

[Costa]

Bumping this again.

I bought my first 

Socket Bluetooth 1D Barcode Scanner

We are now up to 12 locations each using Square. It is getting increasingly difficult to avoid non -automotive specific software as a value-add to our customers. 

I am going to try with one location to create a $0 item using the barcode that is on every cars windshield that shows the VIN. If we scan he VIN barcode and the item doesn't pop up then its a new customer. If the car pops up then its an existing customer and we can create a very crude customer database around the VIN of the car. We can also recall receipts based on the VIN number this way.