Use case

Forecourt prep workflow: acquisition to ready-for-sale

Prep is where margin is made or lost before a customer ever sees the car. Efficient dealerships treat prep as a pipeline — not a collection of verbal promises. The objective is simple: everyone knows what is blocking a vehicle from being retail-ready, and leadership can spot stalls early.

Define stages that match your yard

Stages might include intake, mechanical checks, MOT if needed, valet, photography, pricing approval, and advertised. The names matter less than consistency: each vehicle should be in exactly one primary stage with an owner.

DealerPilot supports workflow-style operations so prep ownership is visible across the team — reducing “I thought Dave was doing it” failures.

Remove blockers with visible queues

Managers should review prep queues weekly (or daily during busy periods). The question is not “is everyone busy?” but “what is stuck, and why?” External jobs (bodyshop, MOT stations) should have expected return dates logged.

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