Let’s Work Together! Why Integration Matters.

I’ve been developing software for the majority of my life now, which means I am getting old. And, one thing I’ve come to realize is that software seamlessly working with other software is a GREAT thing. Back in my early days of development, I worked in closed looped systems where there was no sharing of data. As software has matured, the concept of software working with software has also matured. I remember building maps for websites before Google allowed everyone to use their map; it was a slow process and not always pretty. There were a few other map companies, but Google made it really easy to use their map and shared it with the world. It made development easy and websites much more rich in content. Phones are another good example of software working with software. Chances are the majority of apps you use on your phone were not written by the phone company, but these systems work well together via notifications, sharing contacts, etc.
We at Autoflow have done our best to be friends and work with many of the shop management systems (see our list here: https://www.autoflow/integration/). Some have been very willing, others not so much…even though it is the SHOP’S customer data they are sharing. We even defined levels of integration with these shop management systems so we could easily communicate what integration actually means (see link above).
I hope the automotive software industry continues the trend of working together for the shop’s benefit. Anyone who is in a 20 Group or a business owners group understands this completely. Even though we are competitors within a 20 Group, we share ideas and best practices to help everyone in the group; in essence, we integrate ideas!
I will leave you with this powerful quote:
“Coming together is the beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.”
― Henry Ford

Chris Cloutier
Architect/President at Autoflow
The Desire for Continuous Improvement
As an auto repair shop owner of Golden Rule Auto Care, Chris Cloutier realized the need for a better way to communicate with his customers as he observed how communication gaps created bottleneck situations and wasted valuable rack time.