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"Protractor is the Best"
Kiri D. - Service ManagerMarch 12, 2024
STARTING PRICE
Not provided by software provider
EASE OF USE
4.3/5
Based on Capterra user reviews
Make life at your auto repair shop easier with Protractor — a cloud-based, all-in-one automotive shop management software that lets you handle your most important tasks in one platform. Look up historical invoices in seconds, order parts from major suppliers fast, and track all of your important data without leaving the app. Build stronger customer relationships while you let your software do the work behind the scenes.
Provider
Protractor Software
Located In
Canada
Foundation
2001
Open API
Unverified
Deployment
Cloud, SaaS, Web-Based, On-Premise Windows, On-Premise Linux
Training
Webinars, In Person, Documentation, Live Online, Videos
Support
Phone Support, Email/Help Desk, Chat, FAQs/Forum, Knowledge Base
From single locations to multi-store chains, Protractor is the all-in-one auto shop management software to make your shop run more smoothly and get all of your important tasks done in one place.
Content Source: AMS Protractor
Green rating bars show the winning product based on the average rating and number of reviews.
AMS Protractor Reviews
Pros
My experience has been great. If you are or are not in the market for SMS software you owe it to yourself, and the profitability of your company to check it out.
Once it all clicks the time it take to build a work order and order parts is amazing. It has been able to help increase the Average Repair order and the productivity in the shop as well.
The learning curve is small, Ease of use my wife (who is not from the auto industry) can build tickets and estimates very quickly. Parts lookup is nice and easy to use.
Training videos are very very well made and actually helpful. Tech support is awesome.
Cons
Many operating issues that protractor will not inform you about when they are selling the product. Customer support is nonexistent and overall very rude company to deal with.
Missing a couple of things that RO Writer did that Protractor is going to do in the future.
With the dollar exchange, it was costing me around $125. A few months ago, they notified me that I will be charged the FULL $149.00 plus I have to pay the foreign transaction fee.
There is not a part that can get lost or not billed out. We found a lot of lost dollars by tracking the cores and returns as the system does.
"Protractor is the Best"
Pros: I love using Protractor! It is easy and very functional. The customer service is the best. [sensitive content hidden] always assures any issues are resolved efficiently. Wouldn't want to run any other software in the industry!
Cons: I do not have any cons at this time. Protractor does everything I need!
"Powerful software that is very customizable."
Overall: After onboarding and the initial struggles of making a big POS change like this, it has been very good over all. We do not regret making the switch. As with any shop POS software, it all comes down to personal preference and is it a good fit for you. Protractor is a good fit for us.
Pros: The massive number of reports available and the Dashboard function to keep an eye on your bottom line. Very customizable report system. The overall settings allow for much customization. Help is easy to get from other users and the company. The related forums are active with users and company people and usually have your answer quickly. Onboarding assistants are great people that work with you for quite some time before going live. The overall package is great. We don't use it to it's full potential as this program will do ALL of the business accounting as well! We do use and constantly make changes as needed the usual service shop functions. The "Canned Jobs" can be built extremely fleshed out. With some time in, the available library of services, jobs, concerns, etc. can grow quite large and make for good time savings and faster operations. The integrations with Auto Vitals is very good and has helped our shop grow the bottom line.
Cons: Steep learning curve. This program will take some time to learn, and you will have many questions. If you are already somewhat computer savvy, it may not be as big of a deal. If you are not good with computers, it could be a struggle. (But there is plenty of help from the company and other users.) This is a very in-depth program that does SO much!
"Broken Promises "
Overall: Most shop management systems focus on auto shops needs. Protractor is an accounting program piggybacked with a shop management program. I was with Protractor over a year and they did not fulfilled their promises for example, an oil sticker label or to fix CarFax. I went back to my previous system where CarFax is working properly yet Protractor says it is not a Protractor problem, it is a CarFax problem. I was told from the beginning that if I left, my data is mine. They did not tell me that it was available in report form and you have to pay $149.00 a month ($1788.00 a year plus foreign transaction fees) to access it. With the dollar exchange, it was costing me around $125. A few months ago, they notified me that I will be charged the FULL $149.00 plus I have to pay the foreign transaction fee. This is due to the support it requires. We are looking at previous data only and NEVER need customer support??? If you choose to go with Protractor, I believe you will agree that the your experience is very AGGRAVATING.
Vendor Response
"AMS is the only company you should consider when making your decision. "
Overall: AMS as a company is the best part of the experience! I delayed the conversion for about a year because I was agonizing over the learning process of changing the POS. Now looking back, I wasted a year of waiting. AMS made the process so easy! They are well versed in the product they support and they held our hand during the entire journey. AMS educated us extremely well before going live. On the day we went live, our personal trainer was there the whole day walking us through all the things we forgot. There was a total of one day where we struggled and I can't say it was a full day. [SENSITIVE CONTENT HIDDEN] is the best part of my experience! He is ALWAYS available to answer my question. He is always available to log in and help me through the more advanced questions. [SENSITIVE CONTENT HIDDEN] was our trainer and he went over and above to make sure we were comfortable with the software and be available to answer our questions. Great job [SENSITIVE CONTENT HIDDEN] at making sure you did not launch a support company without thoroughly training your crew! AMS is the only choice if want to buy Protractor!
Pros: How customizable the reports are in Protractor. In the previous POS system, you got your information from a set of reports. I had to look at several reports to get the info I needed. With Protractor, I can build a dashboard that has all the information I need to look at on one screen. Estimating a large ticket is under 5 minutes, so easy! ROW it took over a half an hour. The time saved pays for the cost of the software. It's all in the cloud so my network issues with ROW have gone away. I can log into the system with my laptop, no more teamviewer.
Cons: The conversion didn't bring over declined services. A little hassle to look back into the old software. As time passes, that issue is slowly disappearing. Not a deal breaker.
"Awesome Very User Friendly System"
Overall: Dependability and stable system, cloud based system with no back ups or disc needed. Made hardware expense much less
Pros: How easy it is to use, speed of making estimates and work orders, the customization to personal needs, support from AMS is second to none
Cons: The fact that AMS Protractator wasn't purchased sooner
