01
Quotes
Create professional quotes fast, email them with saved supporting files, share a secure customer link, track when the quote is viewed, and let customers accept or decline online.
Features Hub
All PanelDesk Features
Explore PanelDesk end to end, from quoting to job cards, final costing, invoicing, and customer-facing portals.
Core workflow features
Explore the dedicated workflow pages
These are the main stages of how PanelDesk runs workshop operations from first quote to final billing.
View Quotes feature
02
Job Cards
Convert accepted quotes into job cards and manage the full repair job with statuses, line items, extras, checklists, parts, documents, and an audit trail.
03
Final Costing
Finalise costing with labour, parts, and extras breakdowns, insurance versus customer splits, excess handling, approvals and sign-off, warranties and guarantees, and a final costing PDF.
04
Invoice Management
Create invoices from job cards or standalone, attach saved supporting paperwork when emailing customers, track invoice status and customer views, record payments, and generate branded invoice PDFs.
05
Public Customer Portal
Give customers branded token-secure links to view quotes and invoices online, download PDFs, complete approvals, and handle clearance signing when required.
Run the workshop
Keep the floor and the team on track
Beyond the paperwork, PanelDesk runs the workshop floor itself: production visibility, deadlines, and staff time.
Production Board & Target Dates
See every job by stage on a kanban-style board, define your own production stages, and track promised dates with colour-coded overdue warnings before deadlines slip.
Staff & Time
Staff clock in and out on a shared kiosk device, with optional NFC tags, timesheets by day, week, or month, automatic overtime flagging, and payroll export.
Additional features
Everything else included in PanelDesk
Beyond the core pages, PanelDesk includes the operational controls and business foundations needed to run a professional workshop.
End-to-end repair workflow
- Quote to job card to work-in-progress to final costing to invoice.
- Everything stays linked so you do not retype data or lose context.
Work-in-progress documentation
- Generate Work-in-Progress PDFs for jobs.
- Keep job status and documentation consistent across the team.
Digital clearance signing
- Send clearance links to customers.
- Customers can sign digitally or upload a signed PDF.
- Capture timestamps for reliable record-keeping.
- Generate a clearance PDF after completion.
Customer and vehicle CRM
- Store customer profiles and vehicle records.
- View quote and invoice history per customer and per vehicle.
- Support personal and business customer types.
Insurance ecosystem support
- Manage insurance companies.
- Manage assessors for insurer-related workflows.
- Support insurer and customer split processes through final costing and invoicing.
Team and permissions (RBAC)
- Role-based access control with granular permissions.
- Role templates plus custom company roles.
- Invite team members, change roles, and remove access.
- Permission-gated actions so the owner stays in control.
Business settings hub
- Company profile and workshop details.
- Branding and templates for consistent PDFs and customer-facing docs.
- Quote and invoice defaults.
- Display preferences and notification settings.
- Email templates for workflow-driven messaging.
Email deliverability and proactive alerts
- Track every outbound customer email with clear status visibility: sent, delivered, bounced, failed, or delayed.
- Remove follow-up guesswork by seeing exactly what happened to each message.
- Get immediate alerts when an email bounces, fails, or is delayed.
- PanelDesk is alerted at the same time so support can investigate quickly.
Subscription billing (Paddle)
- Paddle-powered plans and subscription management.
- Card management controls.
- Cancellation and reactivation support.
- Subscription syncing to keep billing state accurate.
Owner and admin onboarding
- Guided onboarding for company setup.
- Configure rates, branding, and defaults quickly.
- Built to help new workshops get to first win fast.
Dashboard analytics
- Monthly KPI visibility for quoted, invoiced, paid, and outstanding values.
- Quote view-rate and conversion-rate tracking.
- Trend charting for ongoing performance visibility.
File storage and uploads
- Structured upload flows for job files and documents that stay linked to the repair.
- Reuse saved photos and supporting documents when emailing quotes or invoices from PanelDesk.
- Supports job card documents, checklists, logos, clearance assets, and signatures.
Security and access
- Protected staff access for authenticated internal areas.
- Token-validated public links for customers with no login requirement.
Install as an app (no app store)
- Install PanelDesk on your desktop or add it to your phone's home screen straight from the browser.
- Opens in its own window and feels like a native app, with no app store download.
- Always up to date: you get new versions automatically, with nothing to maintain.
Multiple companies and branches
- Run more than one company or branch under a single login.
- Each company keeps its own settings, branding, documents, and billing.
- Switch between companies from the sidebar without logging out.
WhatsApp message templates
- Reusable message templates for sending quotes and invoices over WhatsApp.
- Placeholders fill in customer, vehicle, and document details plus the secure link automatically.
- WhatsApp opens with the message pre-filled and ready to send, or copy it wherever you need it.
Custom customer fields
- Define your own customer fields, such as account numbers or fleet references, as text, number, or date fields.
- Choose per field whether it prints on quotes and invoices.
- Changes to fields and values are tracked for accountability.
Email copies and alerts
- Automatically CC or BCC a shared inbox on customer emails, per document type.
- Optionally copy the staff member who sent the document.
- Send operational alerts to up to 5 staff recipients.
Data import and export
- Import your customer list free from a CSV file when you switch.
- Archive imports bring your original document PDFs across from your previous system, stored safely and viewable inside PanelDesk.
- Export your records, photos, and documents as a ZIP any time. Your data stays yours.
Creditors and supplier bills
- Track suppliers and creditor bills alongside your workshop admin.
- Keep amounts owed visible instead of buried in a separate spreadsheet.
Integrations
Optional integrations
BAMS, Lightstone Auto, and Sage Business Cloud Accounting (United Kingdom, Ireland, and Canada) are available where enabled, while Audatex remains in progress and QuickBooks and AutoMX are in development.
BAMS
Available- Export relevant workflow data for BAMS submission processes.
- Supports OEM approval-related submission workflows where enabled.
- Available for workshops using the integration in their workflow.
Lightstone Auto
Available- Connect workshop workflow data with Lightstone Auto processes where enabled.
- Reduce manual recapture between systems during day-to-day operations.
- Available for workshops using the integration in their workflow.
Sage Business Cloud Accounting
Available- Sync quotes and invoices from PanelDesk into Sage Business Cloud Accounting.
- Available for workshops in the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Canada.
- Reduces double capture between workshop admin and the books.
Audatex
In progress- Support cleaner data handoff into Audatex-related workflows.
- Improve operational continuity between workshop process and estimating ecosystem tools.
- Currently in progress and not yet generally available.
QuickBooks
In development- Sync quotes and invoices from PanelDesk into QuickBooks once available.
- Currently in development and not yet generally available.
AutoMX
In development- Support handoff of write-off and related workshop data into AutoMX workflows once available.
- Currently in development and not yet generally available.
Features FAQ
PanelDesk Feature Coverage FAQs
A quick overview of the most common questions about what is included in the full PanelDesk platform.
PanelDesk includes quoting, job cards, final costing, invoicing, customer portals, a production board with target dates, staff clock-in and timesheets, PDFs, clearance signing, CRM, roles and permissions, business settings, data import and export, and reporting in one connected workflow.
Yes. Staff clock in and out on a shared kiosk device with timesheets and payroll export, and the production board shows every job by stage with target dates and colour-coded overdue warnings.
Yes. PanelDesk supports insurance-related workflows including split amounts and excess handling through final costing and invoicing.
Yes. Customers can view quotes and invoices through secure links, and they can accept or decline quotes online.
Yes. PanelDesk shows outbound email statuses including delivered, bounced, failed, and delayed so your team can see exactly what happened.
BAMS and Lightstone Auto are available where enabled, and Sage Business Cloud Accounting sync is available for workshops in the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Canada. Audatex is still in progress, while QuickBooks, AutoMX, and a South African Sage integration are in development.
Want to see the full workflow in action?
Book a demo to see quote to job card to final costing to invoice in a single connected system.