How long does the Workshop Health Score take?

The Workshop Health Score takes approximately 5 minutes to complete. It consists of 25 multiple-choice questions across five business areas.

What does the Workshop Health Score measure?

The Health Score measures your workshop performance across five pillars: profitability, productivity, management, customer experience and work-life balance. Each pillar is scored individually and combined into an overall score.

Do I need to be a Workshop Software customer to take the Health Score?

No, the Workshop Health Score is free and open to any automotive workshop owner regardless of what software they use.

What happens after I complete the Health Score?

After completing the quiz you receive your personalised scores across all five pillars plus an overall score. You also get tailored recommendations and links to relevant Workshop University guides to help you improve.

Workshop Health Score

Step 1 of 6

Profitability

Let’s look at how well you understand and optimise your profit margins.

How well do you know your gross profit margin?

No idea I don’t regularly calculate or track profit margins Roughly aware I have a general sense but don’t measure it regularly Review quarterly I check it with my accountant a few times a year Review monthly I check gross profit margin and breakdown by service type monthly

How does your effective labour rate compare to your posted rate?

Never measured I don’t track the difference between what we charge and what we actually earn 20%+ lower I suspect we’re earning significantly less than our posted rate 10-20% lower There’s a gap between what we quote and what we actually deliver Within 10% Our effective rate is very close to our posted rate

How do you manage your parts markup?

Flat rate Same markup on all parts, set and forget Occasional review I adjust markups now and then based on feelings Basic tiered approach Different markups for different part categories, reviewed annually Tiered strategy reviewed regularly Different markups by category and supplier, reviewed quarterly

How long does it typically take customers to pay you?

30+ days We often wait months for payment, especially fleet customers 2-3 weeks Payment typically comes in after invoice but with some delays Within a week Most customers pay within 7 days of invoice Payment at pickup Most customers pay when they collect their vehicle

How often do you review your financial performance?

Yearly with accountant I only look at numbers during tax time A few times a year I check in quarterly or when I’m concerned about cash flow Monthly I review key numbers like revenue and expenses each month Weekly dashboard I have a dashboard or system I check weekly for key metrics

Productivity

Let’s assess how efficiently your workshop utilises technician time and manages workflow.

What percentage of your technicians’ available hours are billed?

Under 60% Significant unbilled hours and downtime 60-70% Reasonable utilisation but still some inefficiency 70-85% Good utilisation with manageable gaps Above 85% Excellent utilisation with minimal downtime

How do you manage job workflow through your workshop?

Whiteboard or memory Jobs are tracked on a board or in people’s heads Spreadsheet or informal list Jobs logged in Excel or a basic list, manually updated Basic workshop system Using a workshop management system but not using all features Digital system with live tracking Jobs tracked in real-time system, visible to whole team

How often do jobs go over the quoted time?

Most jobs We’re consistently underestimating how long work takes Many jobs More than half of jobs run over, sometimes significantly Some jobs Maybe 20-30% of jobs exceed the quote time Rarely Jobs typically run close to estimate or come in under

How do you assign jobs to technicians?

Whoever is free Jobs go to whoever’s available, regardless of skill or type Based on preference Techs get jobs they prefer or ask for Based on skill I try to match jobs to technician specialties but it’s not formal Scheduled by skill and availability Jobs assigned strategically to optimise skill match and workload

How much time do your technicians spend waiting for parts or information?

Significant daily delays Parts or info regularly hold up jobs for hours Regular delays A couple of times a week, jobs are waiting on parts or clarity Occasional delays It happens but it’s not a major issue most weeks Parts ready before job starts We get parts and information ready before work begins

Management

Let’s look at your systems, processes, and team leadership.

Do you have documented SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures) for your key processes?

Nothing written Everything lives in people’s heads or my knowledge A few basics We’ve documented one or two key processes Most processes documented We have written procedures for most key tasks, maybe not updated regularly Documented and updated regularly We have clear SOPs for all key processes, reviewed and refined regularly

How do you communicate priorities with your team each day?

Shout across the shop I tell people what to do as I walk around Informal chats I chat with team members individually about what needs doing Casual morning meeting We gather briefly most mornings to talk about the day Daily structured huddle We have a scheduled daily meeting with clear agenda and action items

How dependent is the business on you personally being there?

Falls apart without me I’m making most decisions and solving most problems Struggles for a day Things work okay for a day but problems pile up quickly Manages for a few days Things run okay for a few days but issues emerge after that Runs smoothly for a week The business runs smoothly without me for a week or more

How do you track and measure your KPIs (Key Performance Indicators)?

Don’t track any I don’t formally measure business performance metrics Track informally I have rough numbers in my head but nothing formalised Quarterly review I review key metrics every three months or so Dashboard reviewed weekly I have a system or document I review weekly to track key metrics

How do you handle hiring and onboarding of new technicians?

Figure it out on the job New people learn by trial and error with no formal training Informal orientation Someone shows them around and they learn through observation Basic checklist We have some structure but it’s pretty basic and inconsistent Documented onboarding process New people follow a structured program with clear expectations and training

Customer Experience

Let’s evaluate how you interact with customers throughout the service journey.

How do you keep customers updated on their vehicle’s progress?

They call us Customers have to ring to ask what’s happening We call when ready We ring them when the job is done SMS or email updates We send manual updates at key milestones Automated SMS at each stage Customers get automatic updates as work progresses

How do you present quotes to customers?

Verbal or phone I ring or tell customers the price without written documentation Text or basic email I send a simple breakdown via text or email Professional document I send a formatted quote but they have to ring to approve Digital with photos and one-click approval Customers get a digital quote with photos and can approve online

What does your follow-up look like after a job is completed?

Nothing Once the car is picked up, we don’t contact them again Ad-hoc check-in We occasionally reach out to see how they’re getting on Basic thank you We send a thank you message or reminder to come back Automated feedback + next service reminder We ask for feedback and automatically remind them when they might need service

How do you handle customer complaints?

React when they complain I only deal with problems after the customer gets upset Basic process We have a way to handle complaints but it’s pretty informal Documented process We have a formal way to log and resolve complaints Proactive system to catch issues early We check in during jobs to catch problems before customers complain

How easy is it for customers to book with you?

Phone only during business hours Customers must ring during 9-5 to make a booking Phone and email They can ring or email, but someone has to follow up Online booking with some limitations We have online booking but it might not show real-time availability Online booking 24/7 Customers can book anytime online with real-time availability

Better Life

Finally, let’s look at your personal sustainability and work-life balance.

How many hours per week do you work in or on the business?

60+ hours I’m working long weeks, constantly on the job or thinking about it 50-60 hours Still working significant overtime most weeks 45-50 hours Reasonable workweek with some extra time when needed Under 45 hours I have a sustainable workweek with proper time off

When was your last proper holiday (fully switched off)?

Can’t remember It’s been a year or more since I took real time off Over a year ago I had some time off 12-18 months back Within the last 6 months I took a week or two off in the last half-year Within the last 3 months I’ve had a proper break recently where I switched off

How often do you handle tasks that someone else could do?

Constantly I’m doing admin, invoicing, ordering parts, and running jobs Often I do a lot of things that could be delegated if I had better systems Sometimes I’ve delegated most things but still do some tasks that could be handled by others Rarely, team handles most things I focus on what I should be doing, team handles the rest

How do you feel about your work-life balance?

What balance? The business dominates my life, I’m constantly stressed It’s a struggle I’m working hard to manage but it’s difficult Reasonable most of the time Good balance overall with occasional busy periods Genuinely satisfied I have good balance and feel in control of my time

If you stepped away for 2 weeks, what would happen?

Chaos Things would fall apart quickly without me there Significant problems There would be issues I’d need to sort when I get back Minor issues Most things would run fine with just a few hiccups Business runs fine The business would run smoothly without me for 2 weeks

Your Workshop Health Score

0 /100

Pillar Scores

Profitability

Productivity

Management

Customer
Experience

Better Life

Where to Focus

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Workshop Health Score

Profitability

How well do you know your gross profit margin?

How does your effective labour rate compare to your posted rate?

How do you manage your parts markup?

How long does it typically take customers to pay you?

How often do you review your financial performance?

Productivity

What percentage of your technicians’ available hours are billed?

How do you manage job workflow through your workshop?

How often do jobs go over the quoted time?

How do you assign jobs to technicians?

How much time do your technicians spend waiting for parts or information?

Management

Do you have documented SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures) for your key processes?

How do you communicate priorities with your team each day?

How dependent is the business on you personally being there?

How do you track and measure your KPIs (Key Performance Indicators)?

How do you handle hiring and onboarding of new technicians?

Customer Experience

How do you keep customers updated on their vehicle’s progress?

How do you present quotes to customers?

What does your follow-up look like after a job is completed?

How do you handle customer complaints?

How easy is it for customers to book with you?

Better Life

How many hours per week do you work in or on the business?

When was your last proper holiday (fully switched off)?

How often do you handle tasks that someone else could do?

How do you feel about your work-life balance?

If you stepped away for 2 weeks, what would happen?

Your Workshop Health Score

Pillar Scores

Where to Focus

Get Your Full Report