Bookings
How to stop double-booking workshop bays
A practical way to plan bookings around bays, technicians and realistic job duration.
Updated 10 September 2026 · 2 minute read · By MechAxis
The diary is not the same as capacity
A calendar can look tidy and still promise more work than the workshop can physically handle. Four cars booked at 8:00 am may need three hoists, two diagnostic technicians and a service advisor at the same time. The clash only becomes obvious when the keys arrive.
Plan around the bay, technician or tool the job needs
For most workshops, the limit is a bay, a particular technician or a piece of equipment. Record the expected duration and assign the bay when the booking is made. Leave room for arrivals, diagnosis and jobs that run over. A booking slot should represent workshop capacity, not just an available line in a diary.
Carry booking details into the job
Retyping the customer concern at check-in creates delay and small wording changes that matter later. The confirmed booking should carry its customer, vehicle, concern, timing and source into the job card. Staff can then add odometer and arrival details instead of starting again.
What MechAxis changes
MechAxis places bookings and scheduled jobs in the same day, week and month calendar. Bays, technicians and duration stay attached to the work. Website and API requests enter the same organisation diary, so online bookings do not become a second inbox.
Questions
Common questions
01Should every booking have a bay?+
Not necessarily. A booking can remain unassigned while the front desk reviews it, but assigning constrained work before the day starts makes capacity problems visible.
02How long should a workshop booking slot be?+
Use the expected working and waiting time for that service, then review actual job time regularly. A fixed slot for every job usually hides capacity problems.
A two-bay morning, planned before the keys arrive
In this illustrative schedule, each bay has a technician and a gap before the next arrival. The gap is deliberate: a car still waiting for parts or approval cannot simply be treated as a free hoist.
| Time | Bay | Technician | Work |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8:00–9:30 | Bay 1 | Technician A | Routine service |
| 8:00–10:00 | Bay 2 | Technician B | Brake job |
| 10:00–11:00 | Bay 1 | Technician A | Diagnostic check |
| 10:30–12:00 | Bay 2 | Technician B | Routine service |
Check the constraints, then confirm the booking
- Match the job to the bay, equipment and technician it actually needs.
- Confirm parts and customer authorisation before reserving the repair time.
- Keep diagnosis and a possible repair as separate decisions until the scope is known.
- Compare planned and actual finish times each week, then adjust your booking allowances.
Opens in Excel, Google Sheets or another spreadsheet app. Replace the labelled example rows with your own bookings. The worksheet does not detect clashes automatically.
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