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Case studyOperating business

Powerworks Garage

An established Dubai car service workshop, run on a CRM built around how the garage actually works.

Powerworks Garage homepage showing a technician at work and the same day service promise
Overview

Powerworks Garage is an independent car service and repair workshop in Dubai, known for straightforward advice, same day service and dealer level diagnostics. It serves private motorists and businesses with fleets. Performous is a founding investor and leads the garage's digital strategy. The most significant piece of that work is a bespoke CRM that now runs the workshop. It replaced separate tools and the garage's daily spreadsheet with one system designed around the way the team works, from the first booking to the paid invoice and the follow up.

Stage
Operating business
Sector
Automotive
Performous role
Founding investor and digital strategy
Website
powerworksgarage.com
Where it stands
Trading in Dubai. The CRM has run the workshop since spring 2026 and holds around 3,000 customer records.
The opportunity

Why it needed to exist

Like many independent garages, Powerworks ran on a patchwork: separate tools for scheduling and estimates, a shared spreadsheet for the daily workshop board, and accounting software for invoices. Customer and vehicle history was spread across all of them, and the same details were typed in more than once.

A bespoke system used to mean a long, expensive development project that a single workshop could rarely justify. With AI coding tools, the core of a CRM shaped precisely around the garage's workflow was built in days, then extended week by week as the team used it and asked for changes.

What we built

The product, as it works today

Customers and vehicles

Individual, business and fleet accounts with multiple contacts, and vehicle records holding service history, photos, and registration and insurance expiry dates.

Bookings and the workshop board

A drag and drop booking calendar and a daily workshop board that replaced the garage's spreadsheet, showing each car's status, advisor and key number.

Job cards and inspections

Vehicle intake with mileage, fuel and warning light checks, digital inspections that feed straight into estimates, technician assignment and a quality sign off before collection.

Estimates approved online

Itemised estimates with live parts stock, sent by email or as a WhatsApp link. Customers approve on their phone, and approved work flows straight into the job card.

Invoices and payment

Invoices raised from the approved estimate, online card payment or bank transfer, and the job closed automatically once it is paid.

Customer portal and marketing

Customers can see their vehicles, estimates and invoices in a portal. Customers who opt in receive email campaigns, and a paid invoice prompts a review request.

Management reporting

A dashboard of the day's workshop, renewals due and items needing attention, plus a daily summary for management each morning.

Commercial impact

What each part is for

One customer and vehicle record
Advisors see a car's full history in one place, which speeds up bookings and helps them recommend the right work.
Workshop board
A live view everyone works from replaced a shared spreadsheet, reducing missed handovers between advisors and technicians.
Online estimate approval
Customers approve work from their phone, so cars spend less time waiting on a ramp for a phone call.
Zoho Books sync
Invoices and payments reach the accounts automatically, removing double entry between the workshop and the finance team.
Renewals list
Registration and insurance expiry dates give the team a timely reason to contact customers before they need to call.
Campaigns and reviews
Email campaigns bring customers back, and review requests at the point of payment build the garage's public reputation.
Technology and innovation

How it was built

How AI helped build it

The first code was written on 10 March 2026. Customers, vehicles and the booking calendar were working the next day, and the full loop from job card to estimate, invoice and payment was complete by May. More than 600 changes followed as the team asked for improvements, most of them written with AI coding tools from short design specifications.

AI inside the product

  • Staff and customers can upload a UAE vehicle registration card. AI reads the expiry dates, plate and chassis number, and anything uncertain goes to a member of staff to check.

Integrations

  • Zoho Books
  • Stripe
  • Brevo email
  • Supabase
  • WhatsApp click to chat
  • Vercel
Gallery
Powerworks customer portal sign in page listing vehicles, estimates, invoices and account
The customer portal, backed by the CRM. The CRM itself is not shown here, to protect customer data.
Vehicle renewal test service page with a form to upload a registration card
The vehicle renewal test service on the public website.
Fleet services page for business customers of Powerworks Garage
Fleet services for business customers.

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