Torque Desk: how a car dealer group made its service workshops transparent to customers
A multi-brand car dealer group's workshops were busy but customers dreaded servicing: no idea when the car would be ready, surprise add-ons on the bill and endless phone calls. We built Torque Desk: online service booking, digital job cards with photo and video estimates, technician workflow, parts tracking and live status for customers — 25 features that turned the service bay into something customers could see into.
A trust problem in the service bay
Torque Desk's service head shared customer feedback from the group's workshops. Customers praised the technicians' work and complained about everything around it: they did not know when the car would be ready, they felt pressured into extra work they did not understand, and the final bill often exceeded the estimate.
Inside the workshop, service advisors juggled phone calls and paper job cards, technicians waited for approvals that sat in voicemail, and parts were ordered only after the car was on the lift.
“Our technicians do honest work. Customers can't see it, so they don't believe it.”
A day in the workshop
We spent days in two workshops, following cars from the morning drop-off rush to evening delivery. The longest delays were approvals: a technician finds worn brake pads, tells the advisor, the advisor calls the customer, the customer is in a meeting, the car waits. Parts availability was the second: a car on the lift waiting for a part that could have been ordered at booking.
- Customer approvals lost in missed calls
- Parts ordered only after inspection
- Paper job cards with no live status
- Estimates customers did not understand
Show, don't tell
The breakthrough feature was the video estimate. When a technician finds additional work, they record a short video of the problem on the technician app. The customer receives it on WhatsApp with the price and approves or declines with a tap. Customers who could see the worn part approved far more often — and trusted the workshop more even when they declined.
The customer tracker shows each stage: received, inspection, awaiting approval, in progress, washing, ready. Most "when will it be ready" calls disappeared.
The team
Integration with the dealer management system was essential, so a backend engineer focused on DMS integration from week one.
Workshop observation and group rollout.
Customer tracker, advisor tablet and technician app.
Customer, advisor and technician apps.
Workshop console and booking website.
Job cards, parts, DMS integration and notifications.
7 people in total, working as one team.
Decisions we made
Agreed with the service head and workshop managers.
Phone calls or video estimates?
- Advisor calls customers
- Video estimates approved on WhatsApp
Our call: Video estimates approved on WhatsApp. Videos showed the problem, reached customers wherever they were and made approval one tap.
Replace the DMS?
- Replace the dealer management system
- Integrate with it
Our call: Integrate with it. The DMS handled invoicing and manufacturer reporting. Torque Desk integrated with it rather than duplicating it.
When to order parts?
- After inspection
- Predicted at booking from service history
Our call: Predicted at booking from service history. Common parts predicted from the service type and history were ready before the car arrived.
Customer app or WhatsApp?
- App only
- WhatsApp for updates, app for booking and history
Our call: WhatsApp for updates, app for booking and history. Customers check WhatsApp immediately; few want another app for a twice-a-year visit.
The 25 features
Everything that shipped for customers, advisors, technicians and managers.
- 01Online service booking
Choose service, slot and workshop.
- 02Pickup and drop requests
Doorstep pickup booking.
- 03Live service tracker
Stage-by-stage status with ready time.
- 04Video estimates
See additional work before approving.
- 05One-tap approvals
Approve or decline on WhatsApp.
- 06Digital invoice and payment
Pay online before collection.
- 07Digital job cards
Walk-around inspection with photos.
- 08Estimate builder
Labour and parts with standard rates.
- 09Approval tracking
Pending approvals with reminders.
- 10Customer communication log
Every message in one place.
- 11Job queue
Assigned jobs by priority.
- 12Inspection checklists
Standard checks with green, amber and red results.
- 13Video capture
Record findings for estimates.
- 14Time tracking
Clock time per job.
- 15Workshop board
Every car by stage with delays highlighted.
- 16Bay and technician scheduling
Capacity planning for each day.
- 17Parts prediction and ordering
Parts reserved at booking.
- 18DMS integration
Job cards and invoices synced with the DMS.
- 19Service reminders
Automatic reminders based on date and mileage.
- 20Performance dashboards
Turnaround, approval rates and revenue per car.
- 21Role-based access
Advisors, technicians, managers and group leadership.
- 22Customer feedback
Ratings after every service.
- 23Multi-workshop view
All workshops in one group dashboard.
- 24Warranty claims tracking
Warranty jobs tracked to manufacturer claim.
- 25Audit trail
Estimate and approval history recorded.
Rollout
We launched in one workshop and measured approval times and customer calls before and after. The results made the case for the rest of the group, and each workshop's advisors were trained by colleagues from the pilot.
- Weeks 1–2Discovery
Cars followed through two workshops.
- Weeks 3–4Design
Video estimate and tracker tested with customers.
- Weeks 5–12Build
Apps, workshop console and DMS integration.
- Weeks 13–15Pilot workshop
One workshop live; approvals and calls measured.
- Weeks 16–18Group rollout
All workshops, trained by pilot advisors.
What we learned
Transparency sells. Video estimates built trust faster than any discount.
Prepare before the car arrives. Ordering parts from the booking and service history cut time on the lift.
- React Native
- Next.js
- NestJS
- PostgreSQL
- Video estimates
- DMS integration
- WhatsApp Business API
- AWS Mumbai
