Use this guide when you are ready to make day-to-day work in Car Storage Software match how your facility really runs.

The Settings > Operations page is where admins set up tools staff use again and again: recurring vehicle care plans, step-by-step checklists, custom work statuses, bookable bays or rooms, and the parking floor plan editor.

What you will accomplish

• Understand what each section on Settings > Operations does.
• Know which Operations tools to set up first (and which can wait).
• Open the right detailed guide for service plans, workflows, statuses, amenities, or parking layout.
• Help your team finish intake, service, and parking work with less guessing.

Before you start

• You should be signed in as a team admin or manager with permission to change settings.
• Review Settings > Events & schedule so event types such as Internal Service, Dealer Service, or New Car Intake already exist and are active.
• Write down one real process your team repeats often (for example: monthly care on stored cars, vehicle intake, or detail bay booking).
• If you track parking on a map, skim Set up parking spots and zones so you know when to open the floor plan editor.

Open Operations settings

1. Open Settings

   From the Dashboard, choose Settings in the left sidebar.

2. Choose Operations

   In the Settings sidebar, choose Operations.

   You can also open the page directly at Settings > Operations.

Expected result: You see sections for membership plans, custom statuses, workflows, bookable bays, and parking layout.

Set up Operations in the best order

Start with pieces other tools depend on. This order helps you avoid rework.

1. Confirm event types first

   Open Settings > Events & schedule and check the services your team schedules most.

   Why this matters: Service plans and workflows both ask you to pick event types. Clear event names make Operations setup much faster.

   Need help? Read Configure event types.

2. Set up service plans if you offer recurring care

   Use Membership and recurring plans when stored vehicles should receive repeating work (monthly wash, quarterly inspection, yearly review).

   Plans are edited on Settings > Events & schedule. From Operations, click Manage service plans to jump there.

   Expected result: Staff can assign a named plan to a car and see what care is included.

   Follow Set up vehicle service plans.

3. Create custom statuses if staff need clearer job labels

   Use Custom status labels on Settings > Custom statuses when broad statuses are not enough.

   Examples: Waiting on customer, In the bay, Ordering parts, Ready for pickup.

   Expected result: Everyone describes job progress in the same plain language.

   Follow Manage custom statuses and amenities.

4. Create workflows for repeated checklists

   Use Workflows (step-by-step checklists) when the same steps happen in the same order every time.

   Examples: vehicle intake, departure, transport prep, or standard detail process.

   Expected result: Staff see a checklist instead of remembering the sequence from memory.

   Follow Create operations workflows.

5. Add bookable bays and rooms

   Use Bookable bays, rooms, and equipment for spaces or tools that should not be double-booked.

   Examples: Detail Bay 1, Wash Bay Large, Photo Room.

   Expected result: Scheduling can respect limited capacity.

   See the amenities section on the same Operations page, or Manage custom statuses and amenities.

6. Open the floor plan editor when you track parking visually

   Use Parking and floor plan when you want a map of zones and spots.

   Expected result: Parking Spots matches your real building or lot.

   Follow Set up parking spots and zones.

What each Operations section is for

Membership and recurring plans

Service plans (recurring vehicle care packages) are managed on Settings > Events & schedule.

On Settings > Operations, the Membership and recurring plans section includes a Manage service plans button that takes you there.

Workflows (step-by-step checklists)

Workflows help staff follow the same order every time.

Bookable bays, rooms, and equipment

Add amenities here when scheduling must respect limited bays, lifts, or rooms.

Detailed Operations guides

When you are ready to configure one area, open the matching guide:

1. Set up vehicle service plans — recurring care tiers and plan items.
2. Create operations workflows — step-by-step checklists.
3. Manage custom statuses and amenities — status labels and bookable spaces.
4. Set up parking spots and zones — floor plan and spot layout.

How Operations connects to daily work

After Operations is configured, staff usually touch these areas:

Common mistakes to avoid

• Do not create service plans before event types exist. Plans need event types to describe repeating work.
• Do not create dozens of custom statuses on day one. Start with three to five labels staff will actually use.
• Do not build a workflow for every small task. Save workflows for processes that truly need the same order every time.
• Do not name amenities Bay or Room 1 if staff say Detail Bay 1 or Wash Bay Large. Match real spoken names.
• Do not skip testing. Create one test car, assign a plan, and run one workflow before rolling out to the whole team.

Troubleshooting

What to do next

If your facility sells recurring care packages, continue with Set up vehicle service plans.

If your team needs a repeatable checklist for intake or pickup, continue with Create operations workflows.

When Operations is in good shape, return to the Settings overview for billing, communications, portal, and team setup.