Body shop check-in: the complete guide for collision repair shops
Updated
A body shop check-in collects who the customer is, which vehicle (with VIN), the insurance claim, how they'll pay, what happened, the damage already on the car, and a signed repair authorization, before the car goes in the bay. Estimate requests, drop-offs and tow-ins each need a different subset, and customers can fill it in on a counter tablet, on their own phone or from your website instead of a clipboard.
What a body shop check-in form should capture
Check-in is the first record of the job. Whatever is missing here becomes a phone call later: to find the claim number, to ask whether the scratch on the bumper was already there, or to get a signature you forgot. A collision check-in needs more than a mechanical shop's, because insurance and pre-existing damage matter on nearly every job.
| Field | What to collect | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Customer | Name, mobile, email, preferred language, whether they want texts | Updates, pickup, and who signs |
| Vehicle | Year, make, model, color, VIN, plate, odometer | Parts lookup, the estimate, and the authorization |
| Insurance | Carrier, claim number, own policy or other driver's, adjuster if known | Saves a day of chasing the claim |
| Payment | Insurance, out of pocket, or both; deductible if known | Sets expectations before the bill |
| What happened | A few sentences in the customer's words | Points the estimator at hidden damage |
| Existing damage | Walk-around notes and photos | Settles "that dent was already there" at pickup |
| Personal items and keys | What was left in the car, how many keys | Fewer lost-item disputes |
| Authorization | Initials on key clauses, signature, typed name | Permission to work, and the terms that apply |
| How they found you | Google, insurer, referral, repeat | Tells you which marketing works |
Keep it short. A 2014 Ratchet+Wrench article on one New Jersey repair shop's check-in sheet makes the same point: one page, only what the shop actually uses, with contact details first and a short statement authorizing an estimate (Ratchet+Wrench). That was a general repair shop; collision adds insurance and existing damage.
Estimate vs drop-off vs tow-in check-in
| Detail | Estimate request | Drop-off | Tow-in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where the car is | With the customer | At your counter | Already on your lot |
| Where the customer is | Anywhere, often at home | At your counter | Anywhere but your shop |
| Damage photos | From the customer's phone | Your walk-around | Your arrival photos |
| Repair authorization | Not yet | Signed before work | Signed remotely before work |
| Main risk | Not enough detail to quote | Missing initials or signature | Unauthorized work, wrong signer, storage disputes |
Each one has its own guide: damage photo intake and online estimates for estimate requests, and tow-in intake for cars that arrive without their owner.
Counter tablet, customer phone or website check-in
Customers can fill in their own check-in in three places, and most shops end up using more than one:
- A tablet at the counter works for walk-ins and for customers who would rather not use their own phone.
- The customer's own phone, from a QR sign at the counter or a link you text, keeps the line moving when the tablet is busy and is the only option for tow-ins.
- Your website and Google Business Profile let customers start an estimate request or a drop-off before they arrive.
The trade-offs (staffing, hardware, after-hours, accessibility) are in kiosk, QR code or website.
Paper vs digital check-in forms
Paper is cheap, familiar and never needs a password. It breaks in predictable places: handwriting nobody can read, a VIN with two digits swapped, an initial box left empty, a form lost between the counter and the office, and no way to get a signature from a tow-in customer who is across town. Digital check-in fixes those by making required fields required and by letting the customer sign wherever they are. It costs a subscription and a tablet, and some customers will still want paper. A side-by-side is in IntakeBay vs paper check-in forms.
Getting the repair authorization right
The authorization is the part of check-in with legal weight, and the rules depend on your state. Maryland, for example, requires the customer's rights to appear under the heading "Customer's Rights" immediately before the signature, and a copy of the form before work begins (Md. Com. Law § 14-1008). New York bars any service the customer hasn't authorized by a work order (15 NYCRR 82.5(b)). We found no general repair act in Texas, but a shop can repossess a car released on a stopped or bounced payment only if the customer signed a repossession notice, either as a separate document or printed conspicuously on the contract with its own signature line (Tex. Prop. Code § 70.001(c)).
What to put on the form, e-signatures under ESIGN and UETA, and how to prove what was signed are in auto repair authorization forms. Texas shops: see Texas auto repair authorization.
Checking in Spanish-speaking customers
If a good share of your customers are more comfortable in Spanish, offer the check-in screens in Spanish too, and decide with your attorney how to handle the authorization they sign: a careful translation, a bilingual form, or English with Spanish help. See Spanish-language check-in, or share the Spanish field list in hoja de recepción de vehículos.
Updates after check-in
Check-in is also where you get permission to text. Ask for it with a clear opt-in, then send short updates when the job changes: checked in, waiting on insurance or parts, in repair, ready for pickup. Customers who know where their car is call less. More in how to cut "is my car ready?" calls.
Free body shop check-in field list
Copy this into your own form, paper or digital:
- Kind of visit: estimate, drop-off or tow-in.
- Customer name, mobile, email, preferred language.
- Text updates: yes or no, with your opt-in wording.
- Owner or authorized agent? If agent, relationship to the owner.
- Vehicle year, make, model, color, plate, VIN, odometer.
- Insurance carrier, claim number, own or other driver's policy, adjuster.
- How they'll pay and any deductible.
- What happened, in their words.
- Existing damage notes and walk-around photos.
- Personal items left in the car; number of keys.
- Add-on services requested, with prices.
- Repair authorization: initials on key clauses, signature, typed name, date and time.
- How they heard about you.
Check-in and your shop management system
Your estimating or management system runs the job once it starts. Check-in is the step before it: getting accurate details and a signature from the customer. Some shops use a separate check-in tool beside their system; how that split works is in IntakeBay and your shop management system, and the options are compared in best body shop check-in software.
How IntakeBay does it
IntakeBay is digital check-in for auto body and collision shops, built with Santa Ana Body Shop in Houston, which has been fixing cars since 1979. Customers check in on a tablet at your counter, on their own phone from a QR sign or a texted link, or from your website, under your shop's name, logo and color, with customer screens in English or Spanish. Estimate requests, drop-offs and tow-ins each ask for what they need, and drop-offs and tow-ins end with your repair authorization, started from a template for your state: initials on the clauses you mark, a finger signature and a typed name, saved as a signed PDF with the time, IP address and device. New check-ins land in a live inbox, and customers who opt in get status texts. It is not a shop management system: no estimating, parts or accounting, and it doesn't connect to one. See how it works and pricing.
This is general information, not legal advice. Have your attorney review your forms.
Questions
Do customers need to download an app to check in?
Not for browser-based check-in. A web link or QR code opens in the phone's browser, and a counter tablet can run the same page. An app requirement is one more reason for a customer to stop halfway.
Can customers check in before they arrive?
Yes, if your check-in link is on your website, your Google Business Profile or in a text you send. They arrive with the form done, and you only need to confirm the car and hand over a key tag.
Should staff do the walk-around if the customer fills in the form?
Yes. The customer knows their contact details, claim and what happened; your staff are better at spotting and photographing existing damage. Doing both gives you a better record than either alone.
How long should I keep check-in records?
Keep them at least as long as your state requires for estimates and work orders, and as long as a dispute or lien could come up. New York, for example, requires repair shops to keep estimates and work orders for two years.
Does a digital check-in replace my shop management system?
Usually not. A check-in tool collects the customer's details and signature at the front counter; estimating, parts, scheduling and accounting stay in your management system.
Sources
- The perfect check-in sheet (August 1, 2014), Ratchet+Wrench (trade publication) (accessed )
- Md. Code, Com. Law § 14-1008, Repair authorization form, Maryland General Assembly (accessed )
- 15 NYCRR Part 82, Motor vehicle repair shops, incl. §§ 82.5 and 82.9 (DMV booklet CR-82), New York State Department of Motor Vehicles (accessed )
- Tex. Prop. Code § 70.001, Worker's lien, texas.public.law (mirror) (accessed )