GearGenius.AI Suite

📖 GearGenius.AI™ Suite Guide

FlatRate Pro & Where's My Time Go

Master your performance tracking with visual examples and interactive demos

Suite Home FlatRate Pro Time Tracker Analytics

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🎯 GearGenius.AI™ Suite: Two Tools, One Mission

The GearGenius.AI™ Suite provides two powerful, complementary tools to help automotive professionals maximize their productivity and advance their careers:

🚗
FlatRate Pro
Job & Career Tracking

Track flat-rate jobs, build your professional work history, and prove your expertise—like a CARFAX for your career.

✓ Job logging & efficiency tracking
✓ Performance analytics
✓ Career history reports
✓ Earnings optimization
⏱️
Where's My Time Go
Daily Activity Tracking

Track how you spend your time throughout the day with intelligent activity tracking and insights.

✓ Multi-activity time tracking
✓ Daily productivity insights
✓ Time allocation analytics
✓ Pattern detection
🧰
Digital Toolbox
Asset Management

Manage your tool inventory, track costs, and monitor tool location and maintenance.

✓ Tool inventory & value tracking
✓ Loan & location tracking
✓ Maintenance scheduling
✓ Investment analytics

💡 Which Tool Should You Use?

Use FlatRate Pro when you want to track specific jobs, measure efficiency against flat-rate times, and build your professional work history.

Use Where's My Time Go when you want to understand how your entire day is spent across different activities (wrench time, waiting, paperwork, etc.).

Both tools sync with your account and can be used together for complete visibility into your productivity!

🚗 FlatRate Pro: The CARFAX for Your Career

Just as a CARFAX report creates a trusted, verifiable history for a vehicle, FlatRate Pro builds a permanent, timestamped record of your professional skill.

📝
Log Your Jobs
Quick capture of details, book time, and actual time
📊
Analyze Performance
AI-powered dashboard with efficiency trends
🎯
Build Your History
Permanent work history for career leverage

⚡ Quick Start: 5 Minutes to First Job Log

Step 1: Profile Setup

✓
Create account at geargenius.ai
✓
Set name and hourly rate
!
Configure pay schedule (crucial for accuracy)

Step 2: First Job Entry

Brake Pad Replacement
2019 Honda Civic
1.5h
1.2h
Efficiency: 125% ✨

📐 Understanding Your Metrics

Overall Performance Score

A comprehensive metric (0-100) that gives you an at-a-glance assessment of your performance, accounting for speed, consistency, and productivity.

A+ 90-100 🏆 Outstanding - industry leading
A 85-89 🌟 Excellent - above standard
B+ 80-84 🎯 Very good - meeting expectations

Average Efficiency

125%
(Flat Rate Hours ÷ Actual Hours) × 100
🟢 Excellent: 100%+ 🔵 Good: 85-99%
🟡 Average: 70-84% 🔴 Poor: <70%

Productivity

87%
(Hours Worked ÷ Hours Available) × 100
Shows how much of your available time is spent on billable work. Target: 85-87.5%

Proficiency

109%
(Hours Produced ÷ Hours Available) × 100
True measure of time usage. Combines efficiency × productivity. Goal: 100%+

Effective Labor Rate

$38/h
Total Labor Sales ÷ Flat Rate Hours
Revenue quality metric. Aim to meet or exceed posted shop rate.

🧮 Interactive Metric Calculator

123%
Efficiency
$280
Earnings
$43/h
Effective Hourly Rate
1.5h
Time Saved

💰 Tech Dashboard: Your Earnings Command Center

Simplified Earnings-Focused View

The Tech Dashboard is designed specifically for technicians who want simple, actionable performance insights focused on your paycheck. Access via "My Earnings" in the main navigation.

🎓 Understanding the Hour-for-Hour Ratio

The ratio compares how many flat-rate hours you earned versus how many actual hours you worked. It's the key to understanding if you're making money or losing it.

Example: Good Ratio 1.2:1
✅ Flat Rate Hours: 8.0
✅ Actual Hours Worked: 6.5
= 8.0 ÷ 6.5 = 1.23 ratio
You earned 8 hours of pay for only 6.5 hours of work. You "gained" 1.5 hours!
Example: Break Even 1.0:1
⚠️ Flat Rate Hours: 6.0
⚠️ Actual Hours Worked: 6.0
= 6.0 ÷ 6.0 = 1.0 ratio
You earned exactly what you worked. No gain, no loss. This is your minimum target.
Example: Losing Money 0.8:1
❌ Flat Rate Hours: 4.0
❌ Actual Hours Worked: 5.0
= 4.0 ÷ 5.0 = 0.8 ratio
You worked 5 hours but only earned pay for 4. You "lost" 1 hour of unpaid work.
💰 What This Means for Your Paycheck:
Higher ratio = More money per hour worked. If you're paid $30/hour flat rate:
• 1.2:1 ratio = You effectively earn $36/hour ($30 × 1.2)
• 1.0:1 ratio = You earn exactly $30/hour ($30 × 1.0)
• 0.8:1 ratio = You only earn $24/hour ($30 × 0.8) - working for less!
✅
Today's Status
Good Day
7.2 hours earned / 6.5 hours worked = 1.11:1 ratio
$247.50
$38.08/hour (vs $34.29 base rate)
Daily Status Thresholds:
🌟 Great Day: ≥ 1.2:1 (20%+ more pay than hours worked)
✅ Good Day: ≥ 1.0:1 (earning what you work or better)
⚠️ Okay Day: ≥ 0.9:1 (close to break-even, need improvement)
❌ Tough Day: < 0.9:1 (losing money, working for free)

🧮 Interactive Ratio Calculator - Try It Yourself!

Adjust the values below to see how different scenarios affect your daily status and earnings:

Hours you get paid for
Hours you spent working
Your flat rate hourly pay

Live Results

Your Ratio
1.11:1
Day Status
Good Day! ✅
Performance Bar

Earnings Impact

Total Earnings: $216.00
Effective Rate: $33.23/hr
Time Saved/Lost: +0.7 hours
💡 Try changing the values above to see how different scenarios affect your earnings!

💼 Understanding Pay Periods

Pay periods determine how your data is grouped for tracking and analysis. Set your pay schedule in Profile Settings to match your actual paycheck schedule.

📅 Weekly
• One week at a time
• Choose your week start day (e.g., Monday)
• Example: Monday-Sunday cycles
Best for: Shops with weekly pay
📅 Biweekly (Every 2 Weeks)
• 14-day periods
• Set an "Anchor Date" (recent payday)
• System calculates all periods from that date
Best for: Most common pay schedule
📅 Semi-Monthly (Twice per Month)
• Two periods each month
• Option 1: Days 1-14 & 15-End of Month
• Option 2: Days 1-15 & 16-End of Month
Best for: Shops paying on 15th and last day
📅 Monthly
• Full calendar month
• 1st to last day of each month
• Simple month-to-month tracking
Best for: Salaried or monthly contractors
💡
Why Pay Periods Matter:
• Time Range Filters: "Current Pay Period" and "Previous Pay Period" match YOUR actual schedule
• Goal Tracking: Weekly/period goals align with when you get paid
• Earnings Analysis: See exactly what you made per paycheck period
• Accurate Comparisons: Compare this pay period vs last pay period fairly
🎯 Example: Biweekly Pay Period
If you set Anchor Date: October 4, 2025 (your last payday):
• Current Period: Sep 21 - Oct 4, 2025
• Next Period: Oct 5 - Oct 18, 2025
• Following Period: Oct 19 - Nov 1, 2025
The system automatically calculates all past and future periods from your anchor date!

🎮 Try Different Pay Schedules:

Preview of Current Period:
💰
$2,847.50
Gross Earnings
+12.5% vs last period
⚡
18.5%
Efficiency Margin
Above 15% target
🏃
118%
Speed Ratio
+6.3% faster
⏰
+$456
Time Value Gained
6.2h saved

🥇 Money Makers - Your Most Profitable Jobs

🥇
BRAKE JOBS
12 jobs • 87% success rate • Avg: 2.1h
$52.30/hr
$1,247 total profit • ROI: 340%
🥈
OIL CHANGES
18 jobs • 94% success rate • Avg: 0.8h
$43.80/hr
$629 total profit • ROI: 245%
💡
AI Recommendation
Focus on brake jobs - they're your highest profit margin at 78% with excellent ROI. Consider increasing brake job capacity by 15% to boost monthly revenue by ~$420.

🔍 Explore Job Types - Click to See Details

⏱️ Time Tracker: Know Where Your Time Goes

Global Activity Tracking

The floating ⏱️ button on every page gives you instant access to track exactly where your productive time is spent throughout the day.

🔧
Wrench Time
Hands-on repair work
⏳
Waiting
Parts, approvals, dependencies
📄
Paperwork
Admin, estimates, docs
🔍
Parts
Lookup, order, retrieve
✅
Approval
Customer/management
🧪
Test
Road test, diagnostics

🎮 Try It Out - Start an Activity:

Click any activity above to see how time tracking works

🤖 AI Integration & Smart Insights

Natural Language Understanding

Example job description:
"Brake job on Honda Accord. Had to wait 3 hours for rotors to arrive."
✅ AI understands:
  • • Work type: Brake repair
  • • Wait time: 3 hours for parts
  • • Delay reason: Parts delivery

Smart Recommendations

AI-generated tips:
  • • "Consider pre-staging brake components"
  • • "Use expedited parts delivery for time-sensitive jobs"
  • • "You've had 4.5h waiting time today - review parts workflow"

🧰 Digital Toolbox: Track Every Tool

Centralized Tool Inventory

Keep your entire tool collection in one place with status-aware tracking that keeps you ready for the next job.

📦
Inventory Management
Log serial numbers, categories, and purchase dates.
🔄
Check-Out Tracking
Assign tools, set due dates, and spot overdue items instantly.
🛠️
Maintenance Schedules
Automatic alerts when service intervals are approaching.

🔍 Live Status at a Glance

Inventory Snapshot

  • • 68 tools tracked across 9 categories
  • • 42 available • 15 checked out
  • • 6 maintenance due soon • 2 overdue

Maintenance Planner

Diagnostic Scanner Service in 14 days
Torque Wrench Set Calibration overdue
OBD-II Adapter Ready to deploy

🔄 How It Works with FlatRate Pro

The Digital Toolbox isn't just a standalone app—it powers your financial insights and workflow in FlatRate Pro.

💰
Real-Time Investment Tracking

Your total tool value from Digital Toolbox is automatically synced to FlatRate Pro's analytics.

📉
Accurate Expense Calculation

FlatRate Pro uses your actual tool inventory value to calculate precise depreciation costs (Total Value ÷ 60 months), giving you a "True Net Income" that accounts for your tool investments.

🔗
Job Sync & Verification

Attach tools to FlatRate Pro jobs to prove readiness. During job verification, your tool list proves you had the right equipment for the task.

🔐
Unified Account

One login gives you access to the entire GearGenius.AI suite. Your profile and preferences follow you across all apps.

💡 Tip: Set up your toolbox before the next performance review so you can demonstrate equipment readiness alongside your job metrics.

📥 Import Your Work History

Bring Your Existing Data

New to FlatRate Pro? Import your work history from shop management systems, Excel files, or PDF reports with AI-powered enhancement.

📊
CSV Files
Shop system exports
📈
Excel Files
.xlsx, .xls spreadsheets
📄
PDF Reports
Text-based shop reports

🤖 AI Enhancement Features

Before AI Enhancement

Raw import data:
• "Brk pd rplc"
• "Trn svc"
• "Oil chg + fltr"
• Inconsistent categories
• Abbreviated descriptions

After AI Enhancement 🤖

AI-enhanced data:
• "Front brake pad replacement"
• "Transmission service"
• "Oil change and filter replacement"
• Standardized categories
• Professional descriptions

Supported Shop Management Systems

• Shop-Ware
• Mitchell 1
• AutoVitals
• Tekmetric
• R.O. Writer
• ASA Shop Mgmt
• Nexsyis Collision
• And many others

📊 Analytics Dashboard Tour

Efficiency Trend Over Time

Track your consistency and improvement over time. The red line shows the 85% profitability target.

Performance by Job Category

Identify your strongest and weakest areas. Focus training on categories below 85%.

Weekly Performance Pattern

Discover your peak performance days. Schedule complex jobs when you're at your best.

Job Complexity Mix

A balanced mix ensures steady income and skill development.

🚀 Leveraging Data for Career Advancement

💼 For Job Interviews

📈
Prove Productivity
"I consistently complete 25+ jobs per week with 92% efficiency"
⚡
Show Elite Skills
"My electrical diagnostic efficiency is 105% vs. 78% shop average"
📋
Verifiable History
Timestamped, detailed work history that can't be disputed

📊 For Performance Reviews

Sample Performance Report Highlights

Q3 Average Efficiency 89% (+12% vs Q2)
Shop Productivity Contribution $47,000 revenue generated
Beat-the-Clock Rate 83% (vs 75% target)
Goal Achievement All targets exceeded ⭐

🔧 Advanced Tools & Premium Features

🌟 Total Voice Premium — $9.99/month

BEST VALUE

One plan, two powerful features. Get Total Voice (in-app voice entry) AND AI API Access (connect to ChatGPT, Claude & more) together!

🎙️ Try Total Voice 🔌 Connect Your AI

🎙️ Total Voice — In-App Voice Entry

INCLUDED IN PREMIUM

Complete hands-free job entry. Speak naturally and AI extracts all job details automatically—no typing required!

Example voice input:
"Just finished brake pads on a 2019 Honda Civic. Book time was 1.5 hours, took me 1.2 hours. Customer paid full flat rate."
AI automatically creates:
Job: Brake Pad Replacement
Vehicle: 2019 Honda Civic
Category: Brakes
Flat Rate: 1.5h
Actual: 1.2h
Efficiency: 125%

✨ Total Voice Features Include:

✓ Voice Job Entry – Describe entire jobs hands-free
✓ Voice Timer Control – Start/stop timers by voice
✓ DTC Code Lookup – AI-powered diagnostic code explanations
✓ Voice Notes – Quick notes saved to your account
✓ Tool Tracking – Log tools via voice commands
✓ Priority AI Processing – Faster response times

🔌 AI API Access — External AI Connection

INCLUDED IN PREMIUM

Connect your FlatRate Pro data to your favorite AI assistant—ChatGPT, Claude, MCP servers, Zapier, and more. Use voice or text in your preferred AI interface!

🛠️ What You Can Do via External AI:

📝 Jobs & Tracking
  • • Log new jobs via AI chat
  • • Update existing jobs by description
  • • Get time estimates for repairs
  • • Search jobs by vehicle or keyword
  • • View recent job history
📊 Profile & Analytics
  • • View full account summary
  • • Get quick stats (today/week/month)
  • • Check efficiency metrics
  • • See earnings calculations
  • • Track goals progress
⏱️ Timer & Time Tracking
  • • Start/stop work timers
  • • Track wrench vs non-wrench time
  • • Check current timer status
  • • View recent time segments
  • • Add notes to time entries
🔧 Tools & Diagnostics
  • • DTC code lookup & explanations
  • • Log new tools to inventory
  • • Save quick notes
  • • Vehicle-specific lookups
  • • Get AI repair insights

💬 Example AI Conversations:

You: "Log a job: replaced alternator on 2018 Ford F-150, book time 2.0 hours, finished in 1.5 hours"
AI: "Job logged! 2018 Ford F-150 alternator replacement—133% efficiency. Great work!"
You: "What does code P0171 mean on a 2020 Toyota Camry?"
AI: "P0171: System Too Lean (Bank 1). Common causes: vacuum leak, MAF sensor dirty/faulty, fuel pump weak..."
You: "Start my wrench timer for the oil change"
AI: "Timer started! Tracking wrench time for oil change. Say 'stop timer' when done."
ChatGPT Claude MCP Servers Zapier n8n Custom Apps

Daily Review (2 mins)

  • • Check overall score
  • • Review yesterday's efficiency
  • • Note any patterns

Weekly Analysis (15 mins)

  • • Study trend charts
  • • Review goal progress
  • • Plan improvements

Monthly Deep Dive (30 mins)

  • • Analyze category performance
  • • Adjust long-term goals
  • • Generate career reports

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

Is FlatRate Pro really completely free?

Yes! All core features including unlimited job tracking, analytics, and reports are 100% free forever. We offer optional premium features: Total Voice for in-app voice entry and AI API Access for connecting to external AI assistants—both included in the $9.99/month Total Voice Premium plan.

What's the difference between Total Voice and AI API Access?

Total Voice is hands-free voice job entry right inside the FlatRate Pro app—just tap the mic and talk. AI API Access lets you connect your data to external AI assistants like ChatGPT, Claude, or automation tools like Zapier. Both are included in the $9.99/month premium plan!

What can I do with AI API Access?

Connect to ChatGPT or Claude and manage your FlatRate Pro data through conversation: log jobs, check stats, start/stop timers, look up DTC codes, search jobs by vehicle, save notes, track tools, and get time estimates—all via your favorite AI assistant!

Why is my efficiency sometimes over 100%?

That's excellent performance! It means you completed the job faster than the flat rate time, which is the primary way to increase your earning potential in flat-rate pay.

What's a realistic efficiency target for a new technician?

Aim for 70-75% initially, with a goal of building toward 85%+ as your skills develop. Master technicians often achieve 110-130% efficiency.

How is my data protected?

Your work history is stored securely with industry-standard encryption. Your information is never shared or sold. You have full control to export or delete your data at any time. AI API tokens can be revoked instantly from your account settings.