Business Management Systems Keep the Auto Glass Industry Going
By Abby Bowman
We live in an age where we can manage almost every facet of our lives digitally. Though we might not have J.A.R.V.I.S., Iron Man’s artificial intelligence-based assistant, we have plenty of non-fictional options. For anything from getting groceries to home security, there’s an app, computer program or device to help us.
It is no different in the auto glass industry. Running a shop using only physical notes and ledgers has largely gone the way of the manual car window crank. Multiple companies have developed systems specifically for auto glass shops to facilitate digital business management.
AGRR magazine spoke with representatives from several of these companies to gain insight into their business management systems and why they are so critical for the auto glass industry.
Mark Haeck and Phillip Buck
Vice President of Business Development and Payment Specialist, Mainstreet’s Glas-Avenue/Glas-PAY
For Mark Haeck and Phillip Buck at Mainstreet, the beauty of business management systems like Glas-Avenue and Glas-PAY lies in cohesion.
“It seems like the owner of the glass shop is a lot of times the technician, the accountant and the customer service representative,” Buck says. “And it may be a two or three-person shop, but in many cases, it’s one or two people running everything.”
Having all the business elements run under one system allows that one person or those few people to multitask more efficiently, Buck says. Business management systems can also be helpful in reverse circumstances.
“In a large shop, it’s generally somebody back in an accounting office,” Haeck says. “This gives them one place to go to and not have to jump around to different places to get their information and get everything tied together. So it services both the large and the small.”
From customer feedback, Haeck has heard they like the integration between Glas-Avenue and Glas-PAY. Customers are also requesting more communication by text rather than email, so the company is shifting in that direction.
Aric Haarala
Vice President, Omega EDI, Clearfield, Utah
Aric Haarala says business management systems aren’t just helpful—they’re necessary.
“Technology is not just something that exists to help you perform your service physically,” he says. “Technology improvements around the day-to-day ins and outs of your business are essential for you to grow, be faster and make more money.”
This mindset drove Haarala and his co-founders to create Omega EDI—not for others, but initially for their own needs as auto glass shop owners.
Between their practical knowledge and ongoing customer feedback, the system is continually evolving. “We add a new feature almost every week,” Haarala says.
One feature customers love is Omega EDI’s vendor order integration, which includes reminders for parts still needing to be ordered.
While acknowledging that digital systems carry risk—as shown during the July 19, 2024, Microsoft and CrowdStrike crash—Haarala says the risks are minimal in today’s fast-recovery tech environment.
“Is there inherent risk in running a cloud-based software? Sure,” he says. “There’s also inherent risk in installing a customer’s windshield.”
Mark Cossey
Director of Business Technologies, Sales, PGW Auto Glass, Greater Boston, Massachusetts
Everything Autoglass was originally created as AutoglassCRM by Jon Clayton. PGW Auto Glass acquired the platform, renamed it, and expanded its offerings in early 2024.
“What we’re looking for is one-stop shopping, for lack of a better term,” Cossey says. “We wanted to make it as convenient as possible for our customers.”
PGW actively listens to user feedback and encourages suggestions for improvement.
“We know that no system is perfect,” Cossey says. “We’d love it if it were. But part of what we’re encouraging is customers to come to us and [suggest improvements].”
There’s a reason why business management systems have become the norm.
“I don’t know how any business runs without it,” Cossey says. “I know some people love the old ‘scratch it on a piece of paper, order it up and get it done’ method, and that’s up to them, but I think a management system helps keep the business organized … It helps our customers truly manage their businesses from the ground up.”
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