60% of the calls a workshop receives during the day are customers asking what state their car is in. It's a legitimate interruption — the customer has every right to know what's happening with their vehicle — but it's also a real efficiency problem: every call breaks the mechanic's focus or the receptionist's flow, and the time spent answering it can't be spent billing.
Why customers call (and how to stop it without ignoring them)
The root of the problem is lack of visibility: the customer doesn't know what state their car is in because nobody has given them access to that information. The solution isn't to ignore the customer or ask them to be patient — it's to give them direct access to the status of their repair so they don't need to call.
- A customer with access to their repair status only calls if there's a real question, not to ask something they could see for themselves.
- Transparency builds trust: a workshop that shows job progress conveys honesty and control — two values that build loyalty.
- Automatic notifications ("your car is ready") eliminate even the last call of the day.
- The customer perceives the workshop as modern and professional, which positively influences online reviews.
What the customer should see in their portal
You don't need to show all the technical details. What the customer needs is simple: the current job status (received, in progress, ready to collect, delivered), a description of what's being done, and the option to view the estimate if one was requested. With that, most questions are answered without needing to call.
Automatic notifications: the moment the phone stops ringing
The biggest impact of a customer portal system isn't the visibility itself, but the automatic notifications: when the job moves to "finished", the customer immediately receives an email without anyone having to remember to send it. That eliminates the last call of the day — the customer asking whether they can come and collect the car.
How TallerOS solves this
In TallerOS, each job generates a unique portal link that the customer can open on their phone or computer without needing to create an account. From that portal, they can see the real-time job status, the details of what's being done, and the estimate if one exists. The link can be sent by email directly from the platform when the job is created or updated.
When the job moves to "finished" status, the customer automatically receives an email notification with the portal link so they can see the summary and know they can come and collect the vehicle. This feature is available on all TallerOS plans, including the Basic plan.
Frequently asked questions
Does the customer need to create an account to see their repair status?
No. The customer portal works with a unique link per job, with no registration or password needed. They simply open the link and see the information.
Can the customer write to the workshop from the portal?
The portal is for checking status — it doesn't include direct chat. To contact the workshop, the customer can call or reply to the notification email.
Is the portal available on all plans?
Yes. The customer portal and automatic notifications are available on all TallerOS plans, including the Basic plan.
Can the customer view the estimate from the portal and sign it?
Yes. If you've created an estimate for that job (a Pro plan feature), the customer can view it and accept or decline it from the same portal.
Keep reading
Give your customers access to their repair status and reduce follow-up calls. Available on all plans.
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