When Tommie Rafferty, Managing Director at Blueprint Autos, and his team first moved into their current site back in 2015, the business had a loyal customer base and a reputation for doing things right. But growth was slow, processes were manual, and ambitions were proving hard to realise.

“We had a paper health check system that worked… kind of,” says Tommie. “But reading handwriting, chasing down forms, trying to find information, it just wasn’t sustainable. I knew we needed something better.”

After trialling different options, including costly on-premise systems, Garage Hive finally came onto the radar thanks to Paula, who at the time was managing the front of house at Blueprint Autos.

“She found Garage Hive, and we demoed it. Straight away, I knew this is what we’ve been looking for.”

Transforming the workshop

Since going live with Garage Hive in January 2021, the business has seen a complete transformation in how work flows through the garage. Every technician now uses iPads to complete digital vehicle health checks (VHCs), drawing on shared templates, condition ratings, and standardised comments.

“We used to have techs come up to the front just to explain what they’d written,” explains Tommie. “Now, it’s all there on the screen. No confusion, no delays and it’s saved hours, and a lot of stress.”

The garage even adopted a health check structure originally developed by John Batten of Auto iQ, and then tailored it to suit their own processes.

“That kind of knowledge sharing is a big part of what makes Garage Hive different. It’s not just software. It’s a community of people who are all trying to do better.”

Clarity brings confidence

Behind the scenes, tools like Power BI have given Tommie and the team full visibility over the numbers. Job profitability, labour efficiency and upsell conversion are all tracked, measured, and acted on.

“We’re far more profitable now,” he says. “The big difference is, we can now take good risks. We’ve just brought on a new service advisor. We’re in a position now to invest in people, in systems, in the future.”

And growth is firmly on the horizon. While staffing challenges persist locally, the team is now recruiting skilled technicians from abroad, with plans to double their front-of-house team over the next 12 months.

Eyes on expansion

Though staff numbers have remained steady since 2021, business volume and complexity have increased, with talk of a second site now a real possibility.

“It’s still early days, but with the systems we have now, we know it’s doable,” says Tommie.

Serving the right customers

Over the past few years, the business has also worked hard to reposition itself in the local market.

“We used to be afraid to charge what we were worth. Not anymore,” Tommie says. “We’re targeting customers who care about quality. We do proper health checks. We explain the work. We stand by it.”

And customers are responding.

“Sometimes we get people who just want their car looked at properly. They don’t usually come to us, but they know we’ll do it right.”

“Garage Hive reminds you when you forget”

Perhaps the biggest impact of Garage Hive has been how it supports the business during tough moments, especially when staff are stretched or key people leave.

“We were so thankful to be able to lean on Garage Hive when Paula left,” Tommie admits. “It reminded me what needed doing and guided me through the operational management during what could have been a very stressful and overwhelming time. That’s priceless.”

As the team looks to the future, Garage Hive remains central to their vision. Not just as a management tool, but as the foundation for a smarter, more scalable business.

“Before, we were hand-to-mouth. Now we’re sustainable. Now we can grow.”

Case study produced in colaboration with Autotech Communications.