Getting approval for extra work and recording it

Why does extra work need its own record?

Because the customer agreed to one thing and the technician found another. Once the bonnet's open, a worn belt or a leaking hose can appear that wasn't on the booking. The workshop has to say so, and the customer has to decide.

Software gives that decision a place to live on the card, with a time on it.

How does software record a yes or no?

One maker's help page describes work lines that can be marked "recommended, approved, denied, or completed"¹, checked on 9 November 2026. The workshop adds the new work as lines marked recommended, then sends the customer a digital estimate. The customer can approve or deny each recommended item and can see an activity log¹.

That same page says to mark an item as approved "when you want your technicians to start work on it"¹. So in that product the status works as the signal to the technician.

What if the customer says yes on the phone?

Then someone has to write it down. A phone call has no paper trail unless the workshop makes one.

California's Bureau of Automotive Repair gives a clear example of what a record can hold. This is one US state's rule, so check your own state, country or motor-trade body. For a phone agreement, it lists the date, the time, the name of the person authorising the repairs, and the number called². For an electronic agreement, it lists the date, the time, the name, and the email address or phone number contacted, including for text messaging².

A job card note or a software approval entry can hold all of those. The note should be written at the time, not afterwards.

What does that regulator say about work beyond the estimate?

It says that if more work is needed beyond the estimate, the repair business "must prepare a revised work order and obtain and record" the customer's authorisation². That's the rule for California shops. Rules elsewhere differ. Ask the relevant regulator, such as a state consumer office, Trading Standards in the UK or the ACCC in Australia. Or ask a lawyer.

What happens when it isn't recorded?

The same regulator describes a complaint. A shop replaced a wheel bearing assembly, listed it on the invoice and argued that the customer implied authorisation by paying. The regulator found the shop hadn't met the additional authorisation requirements, and that it "was not entitled to the full amount paid by the consumer"². Details of that case belong to California's rules, but the lesson is general. Without a record, a dispute is one person's word against another's.

How do staff see what's waiting for an answer?

By status or tag. On one maker's workshop board, a job tile shows tags such as "waiting approval"³. That lets reception see at a glance which cars are stalled until the customer replies. The board page explains the board.

What should an approval record show?

• Which line or lines were approved, and which were declined.
• Who agreed, and how: phone, text, email or signed form.
• When.
• The price the customer was told.

Prices quoted to a customer should be the workshop's own. This page can't tell you what to charge or what the law requires where you are.