Advisor App
What Is the Advisor App?
The Advisor App is a Progressive Web App (PWA) designed for service advisors. It runs in the phone’s browser and installs to the home screen — no App Store required. Advisors use it on the service drive to manage repair orders, update stages, start inspections, and scan vehicle VINs without returning to the desk.
Installing the App
Open the advisor login page in a mobile browser and log in. Then:
- Android (Chrome): Tap the three-dot menu → Add to Home Screen. Chrome may also display an automatic install banner.
- iPhone / iPad (Safari): Tap the Share button → Add to Home Screen. Must use Safari — other browsers on iOS do not support the install option.
After installation, the app opens full-screen from the home screen icon. The session stays active so advisors do not need to log in every time.
Navigation
The bottom navigation bar has four tabs:
- Dashboard — summary of open ROs by advisor stage
- Repair Orders — full list of open and recent ROs with stage badges
- Scan — VIN barcode scanner
- Inspections — list of all DVI inspections linked to this advisor’s ROs
VIN Scanner
Tap Scan in the navigation. Point the phone camera at the VIN barcode — found on the dashboard near the windshield, the driver-side door jamb, or the vehicle registration.
The scanner decodes the VIN automatically. CSM then looks up the vehicle:
- Vehicle found: The vehicle card appears with any open repair orders listed below it. Tap an RO to open it immediately.
- Vehicle not on file: CSM decodes the year, make, and model from NHTSA and pre-populates the add-vehicle form so the advisor can add it in seconds.
If the barcode is hard to read (poor lighting, damaged sticker), use the Enter VIN manually fallback field at the bottom of the scan screen.
Repair Order Quick View
Tapping any RO opens the quick view. Five tabs are available — swipe left and right to move between them:
- Details — inspection status button, advisor stage selector, technician assignment, and a link to the full desktop editor
- Concerns — list of all customer concerns with status, tech findings, and inline add/edit/delete
- Labor — all labor lines with pricing, approval status, and tech stage; add from preset or ad hoc
- Parts — parts list with quantity, cost, and parts status (read-only; add parts from the desktop editor)
- Billing — labor subtotal, parts subtotal, discount, tax, and total billed
Updating Stage and Technician
On the Details tab, the advisor can change the Advisor Stage (e.g., New, Waiting for Parts, Ready for Pickup) and assign or reassign the primary Technician from a dropdown. Tap Save after each change. Stage and technician updates take effect immediately and are visible to all staff.
Adding Concerns and Labor
On the Concerns tab, tap Add a Concern at the bottom of the list. Choose a concern from the Catalog picker or type a custom description. Set the status and mark the primary concern if applicable.
On the Labor tab, tap Add a Labor Line. Toggle between Preset (select from the shop’s labor library — hours and rate fill in automatically) and Ad Hoc (type a description and enter hours/rate or flat price manually). Link the line to a concern and assign a technician if needed.
Existing concerns and labor lines can be edited inline — tap any row to expand it and make changes.
Digital Vehicle Inspection
On the Details tab, the inspection button reflects the current state:
- Start Inspection (blue) — no inspection exists yet; tap to create one and begin the walk-around
- Continue Inspection (amber) — an inspection is in progress; tap to resume it
- View Inspection Results (green) — inspection is complete; tap to review and send to the customer
See the Digital Vehicle Inspection manual page for full details on conducting and sending an inspection.