5 Invoicing Tips to Remember After Auto Mechanic School

If you land a role in an automotive shop after auto mechanic school, you may need to generate and present multiple invoices to customers daily. Presenting an invoice to a customer is often the final stage of your interaction with them. As such, it’s the final opportunity for the business to leave a lasting impression on them. 

You’ll certainly want to leave a positive impression. That’s why it’s important to remember to keep a few invoicing best practices in mind throughout your career. Read on for five invoicing tips to take note of when creating an invoice. 

1. Avoid Invoicing Surprises After Auto Mechanic School 

Try as much as possible to avoid including surprise charges in an invoice. Waiting until the end of a transaction to introduce an extra service charge or two may leave the customer feeling misled at best or manipulated at worst.

To avoid such a situation after auto mechanic school, verify with the rest of the auto shop team that all charges have been explained to the customer so they don’t feel blindsided when you give them the invoice. 

2. Make Sure The Invoice Carries The Auto Shop’s Brand

An auto shop’s customers are its biggest ambassadors. That’s why presenting an unbranded invoice to a customer is such a big opportunity missed. 

Apart from the fact that it makes your auto shop appear more professional, a branded invoice can be a helpful advertising tender, especially if the customer is pleased with your service. 

3. Be Clear With Payment Terms

In most auto repair shops, customers are obliged to settle their invoices before leaving the shop. If the auto repair shop where you work allows customers to pay at a later date, you’ll need to clearly specify the date on your invoice to prevent confusion in the future.

If there are other terms and agreements, be sure to also spell them out clearly on the invoice. Ambiguous or unclear terms can be misinterpreted, and such an eventuality will result in a negative experience for all parties involved. 

4. Don’t Forget to Show Gratitude to the Customer 

As you must have learned during your auto mechanic training, a great way to leave a lasting, positive impression on a customer is to express gratitude for their patronage. 

Whether you do this by including a few words of thanks on the invoice or personally thanking the customer after presenting the invoice, expressing appreciation for a customer is a nice touch that won’t go unnoticed. 

5. Use an Auto Repair Invoice Template

Since you’ll likely be generating multiple invoices each day, an efficient invoice template is a necessity. It’ll save you time and effort and reduce the possibility of making mistakes to a minimum. 

If the auto repair shop where you work does not have a dedicated invoice template, there are several invoice tools to be found online. Look for one that automatically calculates values and provides an integrated e-signature solution. 

Want to become a mechanic or enter another area of the automotive industry?

Contact ATC Cambridge to learn more about our programs.