What ValetFlow does, who uses it and how to approach this guide.
What this chapter covers
ValetFlow brings vehicle valeting, dealership preparation and Workshop work into one organised system. It replaces paper booking sheets, scattered messages and separate spreadsheets with job records that can be followed from the moment a vehicle arrives until it is ready or collected.
Who this guide is for
This guide is written for dealership administrators, service advisers, Workshop staff, valeting managers, valeters and the person responsible for maintaining the ValetFlow installation. You do not need technical knowledge to follow it. Each chapter explains what the feature is for, how it fits into the daily workflow and what to check when something does not look right.
The two main work areas
Normal vehicle bookings cover valeting, sales preparation, service washes and similar vehicle-preparation work. Workshop jobs are kept separate and cover MOTs, recalls, servicing, diagnostics and repairs. A Workshop job can create a linked wash-and-hoover hand-off without becoming a duplicate unrelated booking.
The dealership dashboard gives the team an immediate overview of workload, priorities and recent activity.
Roles and access
Super Admin manages the platform, licences, public pages, integrations and support access. Dealership administrators manage their own staff, services, Workshop tasks and feature choices. Managers coordinate work. Dealership staff create and monitor bookings. Valeters use the mobile workflow. Viewers have limited read access. Use separate accounts so the history shows who performed each action.
Use demo content first
Before changing a live dealership, use Demo / Sample Content to explore the system with fictional records. This is the safest place to practise guided booking, Workshop estimates, customer progress pages and role permissions.
How to use this guide
Read the first setup chapters in order when preparing a new dealership. After launch, use the contents menu to jump directly to the feature you need. Screenshot spaces are included throughout the guide and can be filled from the Template Guide page in Setup when suitable images are available.
Create the dealership, confirm its location and choose the basic workflow.
What this chapter covers
Start with the Setup Wizard. It guides the administrator through dealership details, valeting services, Workshop tasks, staff and a first booking. The wizard can be reopened later, so a step does not need to be perfect before the dealership can continue.
Dealership identity
Enter the dealership name exactly as staff recognise it. Add the full address and postcode. The postcode is especially important because the Weather Planner uses it to set the forecast location automatically. Check the contact email before sending customer progress links or Workshop estimates.
The Setup Wizard guides administrators through the essential dealership configuration steps.Parking locations can mirror the dealership site so staff can find vehicles and keys quickly.
Single and multiple locations
A dealership account may be limited by its package. Starter and Professional are designed around one location, while larger packages can support more. Do not combine separate physical sites into one record merely to avoid a limit; services, weather, parking and staff reporting become confusing.
Booking style
Choose whether normal vehicle bookings use the one-page form or guided four-step form. Choose the Workshop interface separately. The dealership can change these settings later without affecting existing jobs.
Optional features
GPS check-in, QR check-in and photo QA are disabled by default. Enable only the controls the dealership has agreed to use and can support with its devices and process.
Dealership administrators can enable only the workflow features their team needs.Optional QR check-in controls support attendance and dealership access workflows.
Test before going live
Create one sample booking, open it as a valeter, move it through the statuses and complete it. This confirms that services, users, due times, photographs and permissions work together.
Build dealership-owned service lists that staff can understand.
What this chapter covers
Every dealership has its own valeting services and Workshop tasks. Global services are not shown in normal use, which prevents one customer seeing choices created for another.
Starter valeting services
The Setup Wizard can install a practical list such as Wash and Hoover, Mini Valet, Full Valet, Exterior Wash, Interior Valet, Sales Preparation, New Vehicle Preparation and Used Vehicle Preparation. Prices begin at £0.00 so the dealership can enter its own commercial figures.
Each dealership manages its own valeting services and can keep its booking options relevant.
Starter Workshop tasks
Workshop tasks can include MOT, MOT Retest, Manufacturer Recall, Interim Service, Full Service, Major Service, Diagnostics, General Repair, Warranty Repair, Brake Work, Tyres, Battery and Air Conditioning. Keep these separate from valet services because the staff, statuses and customer approval process differ.
Workshop services keep MOT, servicing, diagnostics and repair work separate from valeting services.
Naming services
Use names staff already understand. A description should explain the expected work, not only repeat the title. If two services sound almost identical, combine them or make the difference obvious.
Prices and status
Enter prices only where ValetFlow uses them in the dealership process. Disable a service instead of deleting it when historical jobs refer to it. This keeps old records readable.
Review with the team
Ask the people creating bookings and completing work to test the list. A service menu designed only by an administrator may not match what happens in the valet bay or Workshop.
Create secure accounts and give each person the correct access.
What this chapter covers
Create one account per person. Shared logins make job history, messages and time records unreliable and make it harder to remove access when somebody leaves.
Dealership administrator
This role manages the dealership's staff, services, Workshop tasks, custom fields and feature settings. It should be limited to trusted people who understand the organisation's process.
Managers and dealership staff
Managers coordinate jobs and may review quality, staff and reports. Dealership staff generally create bookings, update progress and communicate with the valeting or Workshop team. Test the exact permissions because similarly named roles can have different responsibilities.
Valeters
Valeters use the mobile job list, start and complete authorised work, upload photographs and record time. The old forced Continue Registration step has been replaced with a dedicated Payment & Terms page.
Valeters receive a focused list of the vehicles assigned to them.The time clock provides a simple clock-in and clock-out workflow for mobile staff.The mobile jobs view gives valeters quick access to the work they need to complete.
Payment and terms
Valeters can enter account holder, sort code, account number and payment reference in the protected page and confirm they have read the displayed terms. Do not copy bank information into notes, screenshots or messages.
Valeter payment settings keep agreed rates and terms attached to the correct staff record.
Leaving staff
Disable the account promptly and preserve the historical name on completed records. Do not rename the old account for a replacement worker.
Testing roles
Super Admin can use Dealership Login to enter a linked user. Real dealerships require their support code; generated demo dealerships can be opened without it.
Use one-page or guided booking to create a complete valet or preparation job.
What this chapter covers
Open New Booking and confirm the dealership. If the user has access to one dealership, it is selected automatically. Multi-dealership users should check the location before continuing.
Service and vehicle
Choose a dealership-owned service and enter the registration, make, model and colour. Use Find Vehicle when the DVSA connection is configured, then verify the returned details against the car.
A new booking brings together the vehicle, requested service, priority, due time and instructions.
Planning the job
Set the priority, due date and time, customer-waiting flag and parking or key location. Use customer waiting only when the customer is actually waiting on site.
Instructions
Add concise notes that explain what is different about the vehicle. Mention heavy contamination, dog hair, stickers, access restrictions, expected presentation standard or areas that must not be cleaned.
Customer progress
Where the booking relates to a Workshop or service visit, staff can create a private customer progress page with simple stages. Check the email address before sending.
Guided mode
Guided booking divides the form into dealership and service, vehicle details, job details, and customer information and notes. One-page mode presents the same fields under clear headers.
Final check
Review the registration, service, due time and required custom fields. Saving creates the VF job ID and opens the digital job sheet.
The bookings list keeps current and previous vehicle work searchable in one place.
Add dealership-specific questions without changing the platform for everyone.
What this chapter covers
Open Setup → Custom Booking Fields. Create a field only when the answer is genuinely needed for the dealership's work.
Booking type
Choose normal Vehicle Booking or Workshop Booking. The question appears only for that dealership and only on the selected form.
Custom fields allow a dealership to collect extra information without changing the core booking form.Workshop custom fields collect the extra information required for local Workshop processes.
Field type
Use short text, long text, number, date, date and time, dropdown or yes/no. A dropdown is useful when reports need consistent answers; free text is better for an explanation that cannot be predicted.
Required fields
A required field blocks submission until it is completed. Keep required questions to the minimum so staff do not enter meaningless placeholders just to continue.
Placement and width
Select the section or guided step, display order and row width. Group related questions together and preview the form on desktop and mobile.
Saved answers
Answers are stored against the job and displayed on the job sheet. Hiding a field removes it from new bookings but keeps historical answers. A field with saved data is archived rather than deleted.
A new booking brings together the vehicle, requested service, priority, due time and instructions.New Workshop jobs capture the vehicle, required task, due time and supporting instructions.
Example uses
Dealerships might add courtesy-car number, sales executive, fuel level, locking-wheel-nut location, recall campaign number or customer-authorisation reference.
The job sheet is the single operational record for the vehicle. It should contain enough information for another authorised user to understand the instruction and current position without searching separate messages.
Before work
Read the service, notes, priority and due time. Confirm the vehicle and location. Complete the pre-valet condition check where enabled and record existing damage with a wider and closer photograph.
Valeters receive a focused list of the vehicles assigned to them.The mobile jobs view gives valeters quick access to the work they need to complete.
Starting work
Press Start so the job moves into progress and the timeline records who began it. If the vehicle is inaccessible or keys are missing, add a note and use the correct status rather than leaving the job silently waiting.
The digital job sheet is the central record for instructions, progress, evidence and completion.The valeter job sheet presents the essential instructions and actions in a mobile-friendly layout.The mobile job sheet keeps the key workflow available from a phone on the dealership site.
Photographs
Before and After Photos should document condition, work and unresolved limitations. Avoid customer documents, addresses and unnecessary possessions. Wait for the upload confirmation on weak mobile signal.
Additional work
Record authorised extra work using the configured options. If a Workshop estimate is needed, use the estimate process rather than adding an informal note that could be mistaken for approval.
Additional work options keep authorised extras separate from the original booking.
Quality and recleans
Photo QA is optional. When enabled, the authorised checker reviews the agreed standard. A return should identify the exact defect and distinguish a changed request from genuine rework.
Reclean records keep corrective work visible and support later quality review.
Completion
Confirm the final parking or key location, add any closing note and move the job to the correct completed or ready status. The timeline preserves the important actions.
The timeline records important actions so managers can see what happened and when.
Keep current work visible and avoid hidden overdue vehicles.
What this chapter covers
The Live Job Board groups vehicles into Awaiting Valet, In Progress, Quality Check, Completed, Reclean / Rework and Overdue. It is a shared operational view, not a separate source of truth.
Accurate statuses
The board depends on staff updating the job sheet as work happens. A vehicle left in the wrong status misleads everybody. Managers should review stale in-progress jobs and overdue cards during the day.
The Live Job Board helps teams balance work, identify priorities and spot delays.
Customer-waiting work
Waiting vehicles receive extra visibility. Use the flag carefully and pair it with a realistic due time. Not every sales-priority car should be marked as customer waiting.
Assignment
Open the card to review the full instruction before assigning. Consider skill, current workload, location and deadline rather than distributing work only by count.
Refresh behaviour
The board refreshes periodically and pauses when the tab is hidden to reduce server load. Reload if a critical change is not visible before creating a duplicate job.
Weather planning
Use the compact three-day forecast to plan exterior work and protect finished vehicles. The forecast supports the plan but does not replace current conditions on site.
The Weather Planner supports decisions about exterior work and protecting completed vehicles.
End-of-day routine
Review overdue, in-progress and quality-check vehicles, confirm ready locations and update customer progress pages before staff leave.
Record MOT, recall, service and repair work separately from valeting.
What this chapter covers
Open New Workshop Job and choose the dealership's Workshop task. The form can be one page or a guided five-step flow.
Vehicle and work details
Enter the registration and vehicle information, then describe the requested work. Include the MOT, recall or service reference where relevant. Use custom Workshop fields for dealership-specific information such as courtesy-car number or campaign code.
Workshop custom fields collect the extra information required for local Workshop processes.New Workshop jobs capture the vehicle, required task, due time and supporting instructions.
Customer and location
Add the customer contact details required for updates, the vehicle and key location, due time and technician. Avoid entering more personal information than the work needs.
Statuses
Use clear stages such as received, assigned, in progress, awaiting customer approval, awaiting parts, ready and collected. Add a note when a stage does not explain the reason for a delay.
The Workshop board gives service and repair work its own clear operational workflow.
Wash and hoover
When the customer has requested a free wash and hoover, create the linked valeting hand-off. The linked work counts once for monthly package use.
Customer progress
Send the private page to show simple customer-facing stages. Internal technician notes and prices remain on the protected job.
Completion
Confirm approved work, final notes, key location and customer communication. Use the collection action when the customer takes the keys.
The Workshop job sheet combines operational progress with estimate and customer-approval controls.
Prepare itemised work and collect a clear customer decision.
What this chapter covers
Open the Workshop job and add an estimate when additional labour, parts, fees or recommended work need customer approval.
Descriptions customers understand
Use plain wording and explain why the item is recommended. Avoid internal abbreviations unless the customer will understand them. Enter the quantity and unit price carefully.
Draft review
Save the estimate as Draft while the technician, parts availability and figures are being checked. Ask another authorised person to review high-value or safety-related work where the dealership process requires it.
The Workshop job sheet combines operational progress with estimate and customer-approval controls.
Send securely
Confirm the customer email and add a short message. ValetFlow creates a private tokenised page that does not reveal the WS job ID alone. The customer needs no account.
Customer response
The customer approves or declines each line and submits once. The result is Approved, Declined or Part Approved and is recorded in Workshop history.
Act on the saved response
Staff must open the response before starting extra work. Do not assume a telephone conversation approved every item unless the dealership records that approval through its agreed process.
Revised work
If the price or scope changes after submission, create a revised or new estimate. Do not silently edit the original decision.
Customer progress, messages and vehicle collection
Keep customers and internal teams informed without exposing job details.
What this chapter covers
ValetFlow separates internal communication from the simple information a customer needs.
Customer progress page
The private page can show We have your car, Assigned to mechanic, Assigned to valeting team and Your car is ready. It uses a random token and should be sent only to the intended customer.
The digital job sheet is the central record for instructions, progress, evidence and completion.The Workshop job sheet combines operational progress with estimate and customer-approval controls.
Internal job messaging
Use job messages for keys, access, damage, delays and questions about one vehicle. Use the main inbox for general team communication. When a message changes the instruction, add the final decision to the job record.
The messages area keeps operational communication inside ValetFlow.
Email accuracy
Check the recipient before sending an estimate or progress page. A typing error could disclose vehicle information to the wrong person.
Ready notification
Do not mark the public page ready until the vehicle, paperwork and keys are genuinely available. If a quality check is required, complete it first.
Notifications draw attention to changes that may require a user to review a job or message.Browser notification settings help users control how supported alerts are delivered.
Collection
When the customer collects the keys, authorised staff mark the vehicle collected and close the private progress page. The internal job history remains available.
Privacy
Customer pages should contain only the limited vehicle and progress information needed. Never include internal staff comments, passwords, bank details or unrelated customer records.
Use attendance and invoice records as a reliable operational record.
What this chapter covers
Staff clock in and out using their own accounts. Optional GPS and QR controls can verify the dealership check-in where the feature is enabled.
Attendance
Record shifts and breaks accurately. Managers should review missing clock-outs, overlapping records and unusually long sessions before using the totals for payment.
The time clock provides a simple clock-in and clock-out workflow for mobile staff.Managers can review attendance records before using the figures for payment or reporting.
Corrections
Authorised managers can correct a time record. Add a reason and preserve the original context rather than making unexplained changes.
Authorised staff can inspect and correct a time record while keeping the workflow controlled.
Valeter payment details
The dedicated Payment & Terms page stores account holder, sort code, account number and payment reference. Restrict access and keep these details out of screenshots and ordinary messages.
Valeter payment settings keep agreed rates and terms attached to the correct staff record.
Staff time invoices
Review the underlying attendance period before generating or accepting an invoice. ValetFlow supports the record but does not replace payroll, tax or employment advice.
Additional-service invoices
Chargeable additional work can be recorded and included in a PDF or CSV invoice where the dealership uses that feature. Check the dealership, service, dates and paid status.
Invoice history
Use filters to find the correct record and mark it paid only after payment is confirmed. Apply the dealership's retention and privacy policy.
Invoice history keeps generated records together and makes paid or unpaid items easier to review.
Turn operational records into practical improvements.
What this chapter covers
Reports can show jobs completed, average job time, recleans, overdue work, productive days, attendance and combined package usage.
Use a fair comparison
Set the dealership and date range first. Compare staff figures with service type, job difficulty and volume. A simple total without context can encourage rushed work.
The dealership dashboard gives the team an immediate overview of workload, priorities and recent activity.Reports turn job, time, reclean and productivity records into useful management information.
Recleans and quality
Look at the reason and rate, not only the count. Separate genuine defects from changed instructions or vehicles that became dirty after completion.
Time in status
Where available, review how long vehicles wait for assignment, work, quality, customer approval, parts or collection. This often reveals a process delay that job totals do not show.
Three-day weather
The postcode-based board shows current planning information for today and the next two days. Use it to sequence exterior work and protect completed cars.
The Weather Planner supports decisions about exterior work and protecting completed vehicles.
Package use
Monthly use combines valeting and Workshop jobs. Linked hand-offs are not counted twice. Review limits before a busy period rather than waiting until booking creation is blocked.
Agree an action
A report is useful when it leads to a specific change, such as clearer service descriptions, better lighting or adjusted staffing, followed by a later review.
Match each dealership to the tools and limits it actually needs.
What this chapter covers
ValetFlow package settings control active staff accounts, combined monthly jobs, locations and feature availability.
Current suggested capacity
Starter supports 8 staff, 250 combined jobs and 1 location. Professional supports 25 staff, 1,000 combined jobs and 1 location. Premium supports 60 staff, 3,000 combined jobs and 3 locations. Super Admin can adjust the configured packages where the commercial offer changes.
The pricing page compares ValetFlow packages and the features included with each option.
Extra Staff Pack
The add-on provides five additional staff accounts and can be applied more than once. An extra combined-job allowance can support a temporary or permanent increase in workload.
Package and dealership controls
Package controls decide what a dealership is allowed to use. My Feature Settings lets the dealership switch allowed tools off or on. A dealership cannot enable a package-locked feature itself.
Package controls keep feature availability aligned with the selected ValetFlow plan.Feature Controls allow capabilities to be enabled only for the dealerships that require them.
Default choices
GPS, QR and photo QA are off by default. Enable them only after discussing the operational and device requirements with the dealership.
Dealership administrators can enable only the workflow features their team needs.
Custom arrangements
Record any custom staff, job or location limit in the billing and licence settings. Avoid relying on a private note outside the system.
Review after Workshop adoption
Workshop teams may require more accounts than a valet-only site. Check active staff and combined jobs after the first full month.
Vehicle lookup, external services and API integration
Connect ValetFlow without exposing credentials or databases.
What this chapter covers
ValetFlow can connect to external services for vehicle lookup, postcode weather, email, Auto Trader workflows and existing dealership systems.
SEO and analytics settings control public metadata, measurement and search visibility.
DVSA vehicle lookup
Super Admin stores the OAuth and API credentials in the protected settings page. The booking form sends the registration to the server, which calls the official service and returns available vehicle details.
Weather and postcode
The dealership postcode is converted to coordinates and used to request a three-day forecast. No user should need to enter latitude and longitude manually during normal setup.
Email
Mail settings control authenticated SMTP, sender identity and templates. For Fasthosts, enter the full mailbox address and mailbox password, use the supplied server preset and keep the From address aligned with the authenticated mailbox. System Health tests the connection, authentication and server acceptance. SPF, DKIM, DMARC and provider limits still matter when diagnosing inbox placement.
Google Drive image storage
Super Admin can connect a Google account using a Google Cloud OAuth web client. ValetFlow requests access only to files it creates, stores new booking photographs in a private Drive folder and continues to check normal ValetFlow booking permissions before displaying them. Keep local fallback enabled until the connection has been tested. Existing local images remain unchanged.
Auto Trader
Use demo mode before live approval. Exact stock endpoints and credentials depend on the provider agreement.
ValetFlow API
API keys and endpoints can connect jobs, statuses, notifications and app workflows. Future customer integrations should use scoped keys, rate limits, request logs and webhooks rather than direct database access.
App and API settings control external access, allowed roles and integration endpoints.
Self-hosted integration
A licensed self-hosted installation can be adapted to an existing environment, but custom work must be scoped, secured and tested. Hosted and self-hosted customer databases remain separate.
System Health brings database, API and configuration checks together for administrators.
Maintain the installation without risking customer records.
What this chapter covers
Super Admin should treat maintenance as a planned process, not an experiment on the live site.
System Health
Use the diagnostics page to test database tables, upload permissions, disk space, email, DVSA, postcode and weather. Copy the plain result message when seeking support, but never send secrets.
System Health brings database, API and configuration checks together for administrators.App and API settings control external access, allowed roles and integration endpoints.The Super Admin dashboard brings together platform monitoring, dealerships and maintenance controls.
Database updates
Back up first, upload the changed files and run update.php only when the release instructions require it. Database maintenance creates new tables and columns while preserving existing data.
Backups
Create protected file and database backups and periodically confirm that they can be opened. A backup that has never been checked may not be usable when needed.
ValetFlow can create one complete automatic backup during each scheduled maintenance window. The backup includes the installation files, database, uploads and live configuration when those options are enabled. On compatible hosting it is stored above the public web root; otherwise ValetFlow uses a web-blocked protected folder. Add the secure scheduled-task URL from Maintenance Settings to the hosting control panel for reliable nightly execution, because PHP cannot start itself without a request.
Backup and Restore provides a controlled way to protect and recover ValetFlow data.
Update History
The admin page records release details without displaying timestamps. Download the TXT export and store it with the matching package.
Update History keeps a dated record of features, fixes and database changes.
File checker and performance
Use the file checker and database diagnostics to identify missing or outdated files and indexes. Do not delete an unfamiliar file until its purpose has been confirmed.
Security basics
Use unique accounts, strong passwords, HTTPS and two-factor authentication where available. Remove access promptly, protect API keys and never expose configuration or upload folders publicly.
Platform notification settings control which system events generate alerts.Appearance settings allow administrators to manage the light, dark and branded interface options.
Self-hosted responsibility
A self-hosted customer controls its server, backups, mail and updates. Document who is responsible for each part before the installation goes live.
Reproduce problems safely and collect useful evidence.
What this chapter covers
Begin troubleshooting by confirming the user role, dealership, page and exact action. Many problems appear only for one role or one customer setting.
Use demo content
Create fictional dealerships and jobs to reproduce a problem without altering live customer work. Demo accounts can be opened without a support code.
Demo Content creates safe fictional records for training, testing and product screenshots.Super Admin can review dealership accounts and open the correct Demo or Sample workspace.
Real customer access
Ask the dealership to provide its support access code. Enter the account as the role experiencing the problem and stop impersonation when the test is finished.
Dealership Login provides controlled support testing without exposing a public preview link.Support access lets a dealership authorise controlled troubleshooting without sharing passwords.
Record the steps
Write what the user did, what they expected and what happened. Include the exact message, browser and approximate time. A clear sequence is more useful than “it does not work”.
Feature Controls allow capabilities to be enabled only for the dealerships that require them.
Screenshots
Capture only the relevant area and remove registrations, emails, bank details and customer notes. Use the Template Guide screenshot prompts for consistent help images.
External services
Use System Health for email, DVSA, postcode and weather problems. Test one dependency at a time.
Caches
After a visual update, clear browser, website and Cloudflare cache before assuming the new stylesheet failed.
Escalation
Provide the version, changed-files package used, update.php result and any server error. Do not send production database credentials in ordinary email.
The Super Admin dashboard brings together platform monitoring, dealerships and maintenance controls.
A consistent short routine prevents many avoidable booking and status problems.
Morning manager check
Review the three-day weather forecast and current site conditions
Check customer-waiting, overdue and due-soon vehicles
Confirm staffing, Workshop technicians and known absences
Review vehicles awaiting parts, customer approval or quality check
Check messages and notifications that require action
The dealership dashboard gives the team an immediate overview of workload, priorities and recent activity.
Before starting a vehicle
Confirm registration and service
Read notes and required custom fields
Check location and keys
Record existing condition where enabled
Start the job in ValetFlow
Before marking ready
Confirm requested work and approved estimate items
Check photographs and quality requirements
Add unresolved limitations to the notes
Confirm parking and key location
Update the customer progress page where used
End-of-day manager check
Review jobs left in progress or quality check
Confirm overdue jobs have a clear plan
Check missing clock-outs
Close collected customer pages
Make sure ready vehicles have accurate locations
Review urgent work for the next morning
Weekly administration check
Review staff access, reclean reasons, package use, backups, API tests and any roadmap requests. Small regular checks are safer than waiting for several issues to build up.
The roadmap records product ideas, priorities and completed improvements.
