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vAutoStock Admin Panel Guide

Complete guide to managing dealers, users, processes, and system settings

Table of Contents

1. Getting Started

🔐 Logging In

Access the admin panel at:

https://vautobots.com/admin/

1
Enter your registered email address
2
Enter your password
3
Check your email for a 6-digit verification code
4
Enter the code to complete login
Note: Verification codes expire after 10 minutes. If your code expires, click "Resend Code" to get a new one.

User Roles & Permissions

Role Access Level Can Do
Super Admin Full system access Everything - create/edit dealers, users, global settings, view all logs
Admin Dealer-level access Manage users within their dealer, edit dealer settings, view dealer logs
Manager Limited admin View dealer info, manage some settings, view logs
Process User Limited access Use mobile app for assessments; admin panel access to My Processes (view vehicles, print job cards)

2. Dashboard Overview

📊 Super Admin Dashboard

Super Admins see a system-wide overview:

Quick actions: Add Dealer, Add User, Configure Routing

🏢 Dealer Dashboard

Dealer roles (Admin, Manager) see a dealer-specific dashboard:

Visual charts show today's activity breakdown and performance metrics.

3. View As (Preview Dealer Experience)

👁️ What is View As?

The View As feature allows Super Admins to preview exactly what a dealer user sees. This is useful for:

🔄 Using View As
1
Find the "View As" panel in the left sidebar (below the logo)
2
Select a Dealer from the dropdown
3
Select a Role (Admin, Manager, or Technician)
4
Click "Preview"
What happens in View As mode:
• Super admin-only menu items are hidden (Dealers, Users, Settings, etc.)
• All data is filtered to the selected dealer
• Dashboard shows dealer-specific stats and charts
• A purple banner shows which dealer/role you're viewing as

4. Managing Dealers

Dealers represent car dealerships that use the vAutoStock mobile app. Each dealer has their own users, processes, and settings.

🏢 Adding a New Dealer
1
Click "Dealers" in the sidebar
2
Click the "+ Add Dealer" button
3
Fill in the required fields:
  • Dealer Name: Full business name (e.g., "Barretts of Kent")
  • Dealer Code: Short unique code (e.g., "BARRETTS")
  • vAutoStock API Key: API key for connecting to vAutoStock system
  • Default Process: Main process for assessments (e.g., "Bodyshop")
  • Labour Rate: Hourly rate for cost calculations (e.g., 45.00)
4
Click "Create Dealer"
✏️ Dealer Detail Tabs

Click on any dealer row to open the detail view with multiple tabs:

Tab Purpose
Info Basic info, API key, labour rate, MOT/Recall settings
Branches Multi-location branch management — sync from vAutoStock, enable/disable branches
Process Mapping Configure process types, ordering, and visibility
Settings AI Video Detection, custom key-value settings
Cost Templates Quick summary and link to the centralized Cost Templates page
Activity Recent activity logs for this dealer
Branding Upload dealer logo for printed job cards

5. Dealer Branches NEW

Dealers with multiple locations can manage branches to control which sites are available in the mobile app.

🏬 What are Branches?

Branches represent individual locations within a dealership group. They are synced from vAutoStock and allow you to:

🔄 Managing Branches
1
Go to Dealers → select a dealer
2
Click the "Branches" tab
3
Click "Sync Branches from vAutoStock" to pull the latest branch list
4
Use the Enable/Disable toggle to control which branches are active in the mobile app
Tip: When editing a user, you can assign them to a specific branch using the Branch dropdown. Users assigned to a branch will only see vehicles and activity for that location.

6. Process Mapping & Order UPDATED

Process Mapping allows you to configure how processes from vAutoStock are displayed and organized in the mobile app.

🔀 Understanding Process Mapping

When vehicles sync from vAutoStock, they come with a list of processes. The Process Mapping tab lets you:

↕️ Process Order: vAutoStock vs Manual

At the top of the Process Mapping tab, you'll see a toggle switch:

Mode Behaviour
vAutoStock (default) Process order syncs automatically from vAutoStock. Every time vehicles sync, the order updates to match vAutoStock.
Manual You control the order. Use the ▲/▼ arrows to reorder processes. Sync will NOT overwrite your custom order.
1
Click the toggle to switch to "Manual" mode
2
Use the (up) and (down) arrows to move processes one position at a time
3
Or type a position number directly into the order field and press Enter to jump straight to that position (e.g., type 1 to move a process to the top)
4
Changes save automatically
Tip: The editable position field is much faster than clicking arrows for large moves — just click the number, type the desired position, and press Enter.
Tip: Switch back to "vAutoStock" mode if you want the order to sync automatically again.
👁️ Hiding & Showing Processes

You can hide processes that you don't want to appear in the mobile app:

1
Find the process you want to hide
2
Click the "Hide" button in the Actions column
3
The process will be greyed out and moved to the bottom of the list

To show a hidden process again:

1
Find the hidden process (greyed out at the bottom)
2
Click the "Show" button
Important: Hidden processes will NOT appear in the mobile app. Users need to log out and log back in to see changes.
🏷️ Assigning Process Types

Each process should be assigned to a type for proper categorization:

Type Use For
Photography Vehicle photography processes
Body Bodyshop, Smart Repair, Wheel Refurb
Mechanical Workshop, MOT, Service, Mechanical repairs
PDI Pre-Delivery Inspection
Valet Valeting, Cleaning, Detailing
Parts Parts ordering/waiting
Other Processes that don't fit other categories

Click "Edit" or "Assign" next to a process to change its type.

7. Job Options Library

📚 What is the Job Options Library?

The Job Options Library defines the categories and items available when users record jobs in the mobile app. Each process type has its own set of job categories and items.

⚙️ Accessing the Job Options Library
1
Go to Dealers → select a dealer
2
Click the "Process Mapping" tab
3
Click the "Job Options Library" button
Adding Categories & Items

Adding a Category

1
Select the Process Type from the dropdown
2
Click "+ Add Category"
3
Enter a category name and click Save

Adding Items to a Category

1
Expand a category by clicking on it
2
Click "+ Add Item"
3
Enter the item name and click Save

8. Cost Templates NEW

Cost Templates define standard repair costs used for vehicle assessments. Templates are managed centrally and can be customized per dealer.

💰 What are Cost Templates?

Cost Templates provide pre-defined repair cost items organized by category. They are used to quickly build cost estimates during vehicle assessments in the mobile app.

📋 Accessing Cost Templates

Cost Templates has its own page in the main navigation (visible to Super Admins):

1
Click "Cost Templates" in the sidebar (between Dealers and Users)
2
Select a dealer to view or edit their templates
3
Edit template costs as needed — changes are saved per dealer
Note: You can also access a quick summary from within a dealer's Cost Templates tab, which links to the main Cost Templates page.
🔄 Resetting to Defaults

If a dealer's cost templates have been customized and you want to revert to the master defaults:

1
Go to Dealers → select the dealer → Cost Templates tab
2
Click "Reset to Default"
3
Confirm the reset — this will overwrite all customizations
Warning: Resetting cost templates cannot be undone. All dealer-specific customizations will be replaced with master template values.

9. Dealer Branding & Logo NEW

🎨 Uploading a Dealer Logo

Each dealer can upload a logo that appears on printed job cards.

1
Go to Dealers → select a dealer
2
Click the "Branding" tab
3
Click "Upload Logo" and select an image file
4
The logo preview will update immediately
Recommended: Use a PNG or SVG file, maximum 2MB. The logo will appear on printed job cards for this dealer.

To remove a logo, click the "Remove Logo" button that appears below the preview.

10. Managing Users

👤 Adding a New User
1
Click "Users" in the sidebar
2
Click the "+ Add User" button
3
Fill in the user details:
  • Name: User's full name
  • Email: Email for admin panel login
  • Password: Initial password
  • Phone Number: For mobile SMS 2FA (include country code, e.g., +447123456789)
  • Dealer: Assign to a dealership
  • Branch: Optionally restrict to a specific branch/location (leave empty for all branches)
  • Role: Permission level
Important: Super Admin users should NOT be assigned to a dealer. Leave the dealer field empty.
🔒 Process Restrictions

You can restrict Process Users to only see specific processes:

1
Edit the user
2
Enable "Restrict to Processes"
3
Select which processes this user can access

This is useful for assigning technicians to specific departments (e.g., only Bodyshop processes).

11. Role Permissions

🔐 Configuring Permissions

The Permissions page allows Super Admins to configure which screens each role can access within a dealer.

Dealer-Configurable Screens

Screen Description
Parking Zones Manage parking zone locations
Vehicle Tracking Track vehicle moves and GPS
Routing Rules Configure assessment routing
Logs View activity logs

12. Vehicle Check-in & MOT/Recall

Check-in Features

The mobile app supports comprehensive vehicle check-in with the following data points:

Field Description
Mileage Current odometer reading
Number of Keys How many keys received
Service History Full/Part/None with photo
Locking Wheel Nut Location with photo
Charging Cables For EVs - which cables present
Parcel Shelf Present/Not present
🚗 MOT & Recall Checking

During check-in, the app automatically checks DVSA for:

MOT Threshold

Configure per dealer in Dealer Settings:

Example: If threshold is 6 months and MOT expires in 4 months, the app will flag it and offer to push to the MOT process.

13. AI Video Detection

🤖 What is AI Video Detection?

When enabled, inspection videos uploaded from the mobile app are automatically analysed by Claude Vision AI to detect vehicle damage.

⚙️ Enabling AI Detection
1
Go to Dealers → select a dealer
2
Click the "Settings" tab
3
Enable "AI Video Detection"
4
Set the Confidence Threshold (default: 70%)

Only detections above the confidence threshold will be shown to users.

14. Parking Zones

🅿️ Managing Parking Zones

Parking Zones allow dealers to define designated parking areas. Each zone can have:

15. Vehicle Tracking

🚗 Tracking Features

16. My Processes NEW

My Processes gives process users (technicians) a desktop/tablet-friendly view of their assigned processes and vehicles, with print as the primary action. It replicates the mobile app's process screens for web use.

📋 What is My Processes?

The My Processes page shows:

🖨️ Viewing Processes & Printing Job Cards
1
Click "My Processes" in the sidebar
2
Click a process card to view the vehicles in that process
3
Use the filter tabs (All / Current / Waiting / Sold) to narrow down the list
4
Click the printer icon on a vehicle row to print that vehicle's job card, or click "Print All" to print job cards for all vehicles in the process
5
Click "Back" to return to the process list
👁️ View As with My Processes

Super Admins can use View As to preview any dealer user's processes:

1
Select a Dealer, Role, and optionally a specific User in the View As panel
2
Click "Preview"
3
Navigate to My Processes — you'll see exactly what that user sees, including process restrictions
Note: Print also works in View As mode — job cards will generate for the viewed dealer.
🔒 Screen Access Control

The My Processes tab can be enabled or disabled per user:

1
Go to Users → edit a user
2
In the "Screen Access" section, toggle "My Processes" on or off

When disabled, the My Processes tab will not appear in the sidebar for that user. It is enabled by default for all users.

17. Notifications

📢 Push Notifications

Send push notifications to mobile app users:

⚙️ Notification Settings
Setting Description
Queue Alert Threshold Vehicles in queue before alerting managers
Stuck Vehicle Days Days before vehicle is flagged as stuck
Daily Summary Time When to send daily summary
Clock Reminder Time When to remind users to clock in/out

18. Global Settings

🔑 API Keys & Configuration
Setting Description
OpenAI API Key Powers voice transcription and damage parsing
Confidence Threshold Minimum AI confidence for damage parsing (default: 70%)
GPT Model Which GPT model to use (gpt-4o-mini recommended)

19. Activity Logs

📋 Log Types
Type Tracks
Transcriptions Voice recordings processed by Whisper
Damage Parsing AI damage analysis results
Media Uploads Photos/videos uploaded
Assessments Completed damage assessments
Check-ins Vehicle check-in records
Clock Events User clock on/off times
Auth Events Login attempts, password changes

20. Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Hidden processes still showing in app

Process order not saving / arrows not working

User can't log in to mobile app

MOT/Recall data not showing

AI detection not working

📞 Getting Help

If you encounter issues not covered here:

  1. Check the Activity Logs for error details
  2. Note down any error messages
  3. Contact Visual Automotive support

Email: support@visualautomotive.co.uk

vAutoStock Admin Panel Guide v3.1

Last updated: 12th February 2026