FlatRate Pro – The CARFAX for Technicians | User Guide PE html> FlatRate Pro – User Guide

FlatRate Pro

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Hey there! Welcome to FlatRate Pro - the CARFAX for automotive technicians. Just like CARFAX tracks a vehicle's complete history, FlatRate Pro tracks your complete work history. Think of this app as your personal sidekick for documenting every job, building your professional reputation, and proving your worth to any employer. This guide will walk you through everything you need to know, keeping it simple and straight to the point.

First Things First: Getting Set Up

Let's get you up and running in just a few minutes.

  1. Sign In: The easiest way is to click "Sign in with Google." It's quick and secure. If you prefer, you can also sign up with your email and a password.
  2. Your Profile: Click the little gear icon in the top right. This is where you tell the app who you are. Add your name, the shop you work at, and most importantly, your hourly rate. The app needs this to calculate your earnings.
  3. Set Your Goals: While you're in the settings, tell the app what you're aiming for. You can set goals for your weekly efficiency, earnings, and hours. This is a great way to stay motivated.

Logging a Job: The Bread and Butter

This is what you'll be doing every day. The more you log, the more the app can help you.

  • Job Description: Be as detailed as you can. Instead of "Brakes," try "2021 Ford F-150 front brake pads and rotors." This helps the AI give you better advice later. You can even use the microphone icon to dictate the description!
  • Book Time: This is the flat rate time the manufacturer or your shop says the job should take.
  • Actual Time: How long it really took you. Be honest! This is for your eyes only and helps you see where you're winning.
  • Category: Pick the one that fits best. This helps you see what kind of work you're fastest at.
  • Earnings Preview: As you fill out the form, you'll see a preview of what you earned on that job. No more guesswork.

Your Dashboard: See How You're Doing at a Glance

The main screen is your command center. Here's what it all means:

  • Overall Efficiency: This is the big number at the top. It's a simple calculation: (Book Time / Actual Time) * 100. If it's over 100%, you're beating the clock and making great money. If it's under, the app will help you figure out why.
  • Key Metrics: These boxes show your total earnings, total hours you've been paid for, how many jobs you've done, and your hourly rate.
  • Goal Progress: Those bars show you how close you are to hitting the weekly goals you set up earlier. Nothing feels better than seeing those bars turn green!

Diving Deeper: The Enhanced Job Log & Editing

Once you've logged a few jobs, you'll want to dig into the details. That's where the Enhanced Job Log comes in.

  • The Enhanced Job Log: On the main dashboard, you'll see a button for the "Enhanced Log." This is your mission control for all your past jobs. You can search, sort, and filter your jobs to find exactly what you're looking for. Want to see all your brake jobs from last month? Easy. Want to know which category you're most profitable in? A couple of clicks and you'll know.
  • Editing a Job: Made a typo? Forgot to add a note? No problem. In the Enhanced Job Log, you can click on any job to open the edit screen. Here, you can fix any detail—the job description, the hours, the category, you name it. This makes sure your records are always accurate.

Your AI Assistant: Your Secret Weapon

This is where the magic happens. Based on the jobs you log, the AI can give you some seriously useful feedback.

  • Get AI Performance Report: Click this button, and the AI will analyze your work. It might tell you you're a rockstar at electrical diagnostics but could be faster on brake jobs. It's like having a personal coach.
  • Generate Professional Report: Looking for a new job? This creates a slick, professional-looking PDF of your performance that you can show to potential employers. It's a great way to prove your skills and negotiate for better pay. This is a premium feature, and there's a small fee to generate a report.

Getting Your Data Out

It's your data. You can take it with you.

  • Export CSV: This button downloads a simple spreadsheet of your job log. You can open it in Excel or Google Sheets if you want to slice and dice the numbers your own way.

Your Professional Work History Report

Here's where FlatRate Pro really shines as "the CARFAX for technicians" - building your professional reputation:

  • Job Interviews: Show potential employers your actual work history with timestamps, job types, and efficiency records. No more "trust me, I'm good at this."
  • Performance Reviews: Come to your review with data. Show your manager exactly what you've accomplished, how your efficiency has improved, and why you deserve that raise.
  • Career Advancement: Moving to a new shop? Your work history goes with you. Prove your value from day one.
  • Specialty Skills: Show employers you're not just any tech - you're a transmission specialist, or you excel at electrical work, or you're lightning fast on brakes.
  • Professional Credibility: Just like CARFAX gives buyers confidence in a vehicle, your work history gives employers confidence in you.

The longer you track your work, the more valuable your professional profile becomes. Think of it as building your automotive career resume, one job at a time.

Hitting a Snag?

Sometimes things go wrong. Here are a few common issues:

  • Can't sign in with Google? Your browser might be blocking pop-ups. Make sure to allow pop-ups from this site.
  • Paid for a report but didn't get it? Just come back to the app. It'll check again and generate your report if the payment went through.
  • Something else seems off? The simplest trick in the book often works: sign out and sign back in.