Garage Management System (GMS)

A Garage Management System (GMS) is the software a workshop, service centre, or independent garage uses to run day-to-day operations — from the moment a customer books a job to the moment they collect their vehicle.

What a GMS typically covers

• Booking and scheduling — managing the workshop diary and bay availability
• Job cards / work orders — tracking what work is being done on each vehicle
• Digital Vehicle Health Checks (DVHC) — photo/video inspection reports sent to customers
• Parts ordering and stock — linking to suppliers for pricing and availability
• Invoicing and payment — generating and collecting payment for completed work
• Technician scheduling — allocating staff and tracking productivity

GMS vs DMS

A GMS is used by independent workshops that only offer aftersales services — they never buy or sell vehicles, just service and repair them. A DMS (Dealer Management System) is used by dealers, who almost always need workshop capability too, not just sales. There are many more pure workshops than dealers, which is why GMS-only software has such a large addressable market on its own — but make sure a "DMS" you are evaluating actually covers workshop operations properly if your business needs both.