Getting started with Torqueflow

A step-by-step setup guide for getting your garage running on Torqueflow. This walks you through everything from signing up to going live, in the order that makes sense. Each step builds on the last, so work through them in sequence.

Budget about an hour for the core setup (steps 1-8). Data import and communications can follow later when you are ready.

Before you begin

You will need:

A valid email address you can access straight away.
Your business details (name, address, phone, VAT number if registered).
A rough idea of your workshop layout (how many bays, what they are used for).
Your bank details for invoices (sort code, account number).
A list of staff you want to invite, with their email addresses.

If you are migrating from another system (currently Techman is supported), have your export files ready in CSV or Excel format.

Go to signup.torqueflow.app and fill in the form:

Business Name - your trading name (e.g. “Smith Motors”).
Workspace URL - auto-suggested from your business name. This becomes your subdomain (e.g. smith-motors.torqueflow.app). You can edit it. Only lowercase letters, numbers, and hyphens are allowed.
Email - your email address.
Phone Number - a contact number for the account.
Referral Code - if you have one, enter it here. Optional.

Click Start Free Trial. Check your inbox for a verification email, click the link, and set your password. You land on the dashboard as the Owner - the top-level admin role with full access to everything.

No credit card is needed. You have 30 days to try everything out.

Full details: Sign up for Torqueflow

Step 2: Set up your locations and bays

Locations represent your physical sites. Most garages have one location, but if you operate from multiple sites, add them all.

Locations

Go to Settings > Locations.

Click Add Location and enter the name (e.g. “Main Workshop”), address, and phone number.
If you have multiple sites, add each one. You can drag to reorder them.
At least one location must exist at all times.

Bays

Go to Settings > Bays.

Bays map directly to columns in the Scheduler. If you have three ramps and an MOT bay, create four bays.

For each bay:

Give it a recognisable name (e.g. “Bay 1”, “MOT Bay”, “Alignment Ramp”).
Optionally pick a bay type if your organisation has them configured.
Optionally assign a default technician - jobs in this bay will auto-assign to them.
Choose a colour so bays are easy to tell apart on the calendar.

Drag bays to reorder them. The order here matches the column order in the Scheduler.

Why do this early? Bays drive the Scheduler. Without them, you cannot book appointments into specific work spaces.

Full details: Managing Locations and Managing Bays

Step 3: Configure your workflow statuses

Go to Settings > Workflow.

Workflow statuses define the stages a job passes through - they become the columns on your Workshop Kanban board. Torqueflow comes with sensible defaults, but you can customise them to match how your garage actually works.

Each status has three type flags:

Initial - the default status for new work orders (only one at a time).
Workable - statuses where technicians can actively work on the vehicle.
Terminal - end states that mark a job as done.

You need at least one initial and one terminal status. Common setups include:

Booked In (initial)
In Progress (workable)
Awaiting Parts
Quality Check (workable)
Complete (terminal)
Collected (terminal)

To add a status, click Add Status, give it a name, pick a colour, and tick the relevant type flags. Drag to reorder - this sets the column order on the Kanban board.

You can also configure vehicle mileage requirements on this page. Toggle on “Require mileage before work completion” if you want technicians to record the odometer reading before finishing a job.

Full details: Workflow Configuration

Step 4: Set up finance

Go to Settings > Finance. This section has five tabs - work through each one.

Invoice Settings tab

Set your defaults for new invoices:

Default Payment Terms - how many days until payment is due (0 for “Due on Receipt”, 30 is common for trade accounts).
Default VAT Rate - 20% for UK standard rate. Set to 0 if you are not VAT registered.
Invoice Prefixes - customise the prefix for sales invoices (e.g. “INV-”) and purchase invoices (e.g. “PI-”).
Next Invoice Number - set your starting number. A preview shows the formatted result.

Invoice Template tab

This controls what appears on your printed and PDF invoices:

Company Address - your trading address.
Bank Details - account name, sort code, and account number for customer payments.
Payment Instructions - text that appears on the invoice (e.g. “Payment is due within 30 days of invoice date”).
Footer Message - a short line at the bottom (e.g. “Thank you for your business”).

Payment Methods tab

Configure how customers pay you (Sales Methods) and how you pay suppliers (Purchase Methods). Torqueflow includes default methods - you can add, reorder, deactivate, or set a different default.

Nominal Codes tab

Your chart of accounts for financial tracking. Torqueflow seeds system codes automatically. You can add custom codes, import from CSV, or deactivate ones you do not use.

Labour & Time tab

This has three sub-tabs:

Labour Rates - set your hourly or per-unit labour rates.
Charging - configure how time is measured and billed. Choose between units or minutes, set the minutes per unit (60 is standard for UK garages), the minimum increment, and rounding behaviour. A live example shows how the calculation works.
Labour Codes - categorise work on invoices (e.g. LAB for labour, DIAG for diagnostics, MOT for testing). Set a default code that pre-selects when adding labour to work orders.

Why do this before inviting staff? Finance settings affect how invoices look and how labour is calculated. Getting this right first means everything works correctly from day one.

Full details: Finance Settings

Step 5: Create checklist templates

Go to Settings > Checklist Templates.

Checklists are reusable task lists that get applied to work orders. When a job is created, the advisor picks a template and it populates the technician’s task list.

Click Create Template and set up your common job types:

Full Service - oil change, filters, fluid levels, brake check, etc.
MOT Prep - lights, tyres, brakes, steering, emissions, etc.
Interim Service - a lighter version of the full service.
Brake Job, Clutch Replacement, or whatever your regulars are.

For each task in a template:

Write a clear description of what needs to be done.
Toggle Safety-Critical for any task that must be completed before sign-off. These are enforced - the technician cannot skip them.

Templates can be deactivated later without affecting jobs that already used them. You can always add more templates as you go.

Full details: Checklist Templates

Step 6: Configure time tracking and working hours

Go to Settings > Time Tracking Settings.

Working hours and attendance

Start Time and End Time - your standard workshop hours (default: 09:00-17:30).
Standard Break - default lunch break in minutes (default: 30).
Working Days - tick the days you are open (default: Monday to Friday).
Time Rounding - choose no rounding, 5-minute, or 15-minute intervals. If rounding is on, pick a direction (nearest, up, or down).
Overtime - set the threshold in hours (default: 40/week) and whether it is calculated weekly or daily.

Photo verification

Toggle this on if you want the kiosk to take a photo when staff clock in and out. Set how long photos are kept (30, 60, 90, or 180 days).

Break tracking

Toggle on to let staff log breaks from the kiosk. Choose whether breaks are paid or unpaid, and optionally set an auto-deduct for staff who forget to record a break.

Holiday entitlement

Standard Day - hours per day for conversion (default: 8).
Annual Holiday Days - the yearly allowance (default: 28, the UK statutory minimum).
Holiday Year Start - January for calendar year, April for UK tax year.

Kiosk devices

Go to Settings > Kiosk Devices to register your workshop tablet.

Click Add Device, give it a name (e.g. “Workshop Tablet”), then click the QR Code button. Scan the QR code on the tablet to pair it. The device shows as Online once it connects.

Full details: Time Tracking Settings and Clocking In and Out with the Time Clock

Step 7: Set up roles and permissions

Go to Settings > Roles.

Torqueflow uses a capability-based permission system. Three system roles come pre-configured:

Owner - full access to everything. Cannot be deleted or renamed.
Advisor (Service Advisor) - manages customers, work orders, and scheduling.
Technician - works on jobs, completes tasks, records findings.

You can adjust the capabilities on any role, or create custom roles for your specific needs (e.g. “Senior Technician” with extra access, or “Workshop Manager” with settings access but no finance).

Capabilities are grouped by category: Finance, Scheduling, Vehicles, Parts, Time Tracking, Settings, Audit, AI Assistant, and Kiosk. Each category can be granted in full (wildcard) or with individual permissions ticked.

Tip: Review the default role capabilities before inviting anyone. It is easier to get this right now than to fix it after people are already using the system.

Full details: Roles and Permissions

Step 8: Invite your staff

Go to Settings > Staff Management.

Click Invite Staff Member for each person:

Enter their email address.
Assign a role - Manager, Service Advisor, or Technician (or a custom role you created).
Click Send Invitation.

They receive an email with a link to set their password and log in. Once they do, they appear in the staff table with an Active status.

Order matters: Do this after setting up roles (Step 7) so you can assign the right role from the start. Also make sure bays are configured (Step 2) so you can assign default technicians to bays if needed.

Staff are never deleted in Torqueflow - if someone leaves, you deactivate them. Their historical data (time entries, completed jobs, etc.) is preserved.

Full details: Invite and Manage Staff Members

Step 9: Import data from your previous system (optional)

If you are migrating from another garage management system, you can import your existing data rather than starting from scratch.

Go to Settings > Import Data.

Currently supported: Techman exports (CSV and Excel). The import system handles:

Customers and vehicles
Work orders and job notes
Products and suppliers
Labour units
Invoices and payments

How it works

Upload your export files by dragging them onto the page. If you have password-protected Excel files from Techman, enter the password when prompted.
Detection - Torqueflow auto-detects what each file contains. Review the detection cards to confirm everything looks right.
Preview - review the data before importing. Records are categorised as Ready, Needs Review, or Invalid. You can edit records inline, resolve duplicates, and skip anything you do not want to bring across.
Import - hit Start Import and watch the progress bar. The system processes records in real time.
Reconciliation - review the report showing what was created, updated, skipped, or failed.

If something goes wrong, you can rollback an entire import run from the import history page.

When to do this: After you have set up locations, bays, and finance settings. Imported work orders and invoices reference these, so they need to exist first.

Full details: Import Data from External Systems

Step 10: Set up communications (optional)

Torqueflow can communicate with customers via WhatsApp, the customer portal, and an AI voice receptionist. These are optional but powerful.

Go to Settings > WhatsApp Integration.

Click Connect WhatsApp and sign in with your Meta (Facebook) Business account.
Authorise Torqueflow and select your WhatsApp Business phone number.
Once connected, the sender status shows as Online.

Then go to Settings > Communication to configure:

Default consent preferences for new customers (work order updates, service reminders, marketing messages).
Auto-replies for messages received outside business hours.
Acknowledgement messages for new conversations.
Channel preferences - set the default outbound channel (WhatsApp, SMS, or Email) and response time targets.
Quick messages - pre-written templates your team can use for common replies.

Full details: Configure WhatsApp and Communication Settings

Voice AI

Go to Settings > Voice AI.

This sets up an AI receptionist that answers your phone, books appointments, and handles enquiries. The overview page shows a progress tracker guiding you through:

Persona - name your AI, pick a voice, and choose a personality style (Professional, Warm, or Personality Plus).
Greetings - pick a greeting from the library, or request a bespoke one.
Knowledge Base - add entries for things your AI should know (directions, key drop location, opening hours, transport options). You can also add pronunciation overrides for local place names.
Services - tell the AI which services you offer (Yes, No, or Conditional with a note).
Recording - choose whether to record calls and how long to keep recordings.
Call Handling - set max concurrent calls, after-hours behaviour, and withheld number limits.
Phone Numbers - assign provisioned numbers to your locations.

When all required sections are complete, make a test call to hear your AI in action. If the test passes, hit Go Live and your AI starts taking calls.

Full details: Configure Voice AI Settings

Step 11: Going live

You have done the hard work. Before you start booking real jobs, do a quick sanity check:

Pre-launch checklist

First day tips

Book a few test jobs to make sure the workflow feels right. Create a work order, assign it to a bay and technician, apply a checklist, and walk through the job card.
Have your technicians clock in using the kiosk to confirm it is working.
Send a test WhatsApp message to check the integration is live.
Keep the Torqueflow support articles open in a tab - your team will have questions on day one, and the answers are usually a quick search away.

If your dashboard shows a “Complete your setup” banner with a progress bar, work through any remaining items it flags. The banner disappears once everything is configured.

Getting help

If you hit something that is not covered here or in the support articles, reach out to the Torqueflow support team. The system is designed to be self-service, but we are here if you need us.