2026 Q1 (Jan - Mar)
The following is a list of all new Garage Hive features, updates and system improvements:
18th March 2026
New Features
- Added a Booking by Time Slots Wizard (beta) accessible directly from the Role Centre and Jobsheet. Front-of-house and service advisors can now create time-slot bookings without first opening the schedule, read more .
- Added a VAT Registration No. field to the Responsibility Centre table. Sales Invoice printouts now dynamically pull the VAT number from the assigned Responsibility Centre first, falling back to Company Information if none is set, read more.
- Added a Visual Indicator for Technician Time Overrun on the Service Schedule. When a technician's active job exceeds the allocated time slot, the allocation is highlighted in a distinct, bright colour (red) that contrasts with standard status colours, read more.
System Improvements
- Enhanced the Service Schedule to preserve manually set statuses (e.g., "Awaiting Parts") when an allocation is moved to a different time. The system now distinguishes between Dynamic (system-driven) and Manual (user-driven) statuses, ensuring that only dynamic statuses are recalculated when an allocation is moved, read more.
- Added a Part Number and Availability Checker to ECP orders placed through the Jobsheet. The system now validates part numbers and stock availability before the order is submitted, displaying all errors at once rather than stopping at the first issue, read more.
- Updated the Show Service Address setting to be Location-Based rather than a company-wide toggle. This allows multi-branch companies with both mobile and workshop divisions to configure the setting independently per location, read more.
- Enhanced the Send SMS box by increasing the height of the Message Text input field to display at least 8–10 lines of text by default, preventing the scroll bar from appearing too early and hiding the beginning of longer messages.
- The +VI Estimate action and +New action have been removed from the Role Centre and the VI Estimates List, respectively, to ensure estimates always originate from the Checklist workflow, read more.
- The VIE Printout has been updated with separate Identified Work and Authorised Work sections, each with their own totals, and can be configured exclusively through Report Selections - Sales.
- Updated the GHNPS Survey to be locked from editing, preventing accidental changes to question wording that could break other functionality, read more.
- Updated the Lookup > Service Package to automatically filter out any service package with the Blocked slider enabled, keeping the lookup clean while blocked packages remain accessible in the main catalogue view for re-enabling when needed.
- Updated the HSBC Bank Import logic to support the new CSV format where the amount column is split into Paid Out and Paid In.
- Improved the Publish Online Document workflow so that the request page remains open after selecting Internal Preview. Users can now preview the document in a new tab and immediately proceed to publish without having to reopen the menu, read more.
16th February 2026
New Features
- Added a new setting to the system to control whether modifying the quantity on a Purchase Order automatically synchronises with the linked Jobsheet line; read more .
- [Iceland] Added a Lookup From Credit Info button to the Customer Card and Vendor Card to automatically retrieve and populate data from the Icelandic National Register.
System Improvements
- Enhanced the Finance Plan feature in Jobsheet to auto-fill Start Date with the current date, detect payments to fill Customer Deposit, and deduct it from Full Finance Amount to get Amount to Finance.
- Updated the HSBC bank import mapping to successfully process the institution's newly introduced CSV file structure.
3rd February 2026
New Features
- Added a dedicated Vehicle Information FastTab to the Easy Clocking Job Sheet. This new section displays critical details, including VIN, Engine Code, First Registration Date, and Exact CC (Engine Volume), enabling technicians to access essential vehicle data directly on tablet devices without navigating to sub-menus.
- Added Booking Amount and Posted Jobsheet Amount columns to the Online Booking Entries list. This update allows users to view these figures side by side, facilitating a direct comparison between the initial online estimate and the final invoiced amount.
- Added Change Log functionality to Archived Jobsheets, Archived Estimate, Archived VI Estimates and Archived Return Jobsheets. Users can now access the full history of the documents even after they have been archived, providing visibility into changes, deletions, and modifications made while the document was open.
System Improvements
- Updated the Jobsheet Header and Easy Clocking Jobsheet to display the Key Tag number directly in the document title. This ensures the key location is immediately visible to staff when a tag is assigned, helping to locate keys more quickly.
- Improved navigation within Easy Clocking lists by enabling users to open documents directly by clicking the document number. This refinement removes the mandatory requirement to use the Open Document button.
- Refined the Parts Supply integrations by standardising Vendor Reference options across ECP/LKQ, GSF, NAPA, and Dingbro.
- Enhanced the Sage Accounting export for UK customers by including the eu_goods_services_type_id field in the data payload for Sales Invoices and Sales Credit Memos. This ensures the export format for UK customers matches the capabilities recently released for Irish customers; read more.
16th January 2026
New Features
- Added a new Web Chat communication platform accessible directly from within Garage Hive for Service Advisors in the Role Centre. This platform enables customers to initiate conversations via a unique URL sent via SMS or Email notifications; read more .
- Added Move Up and Move Down actions to the Service Package Versions list page to allow for custom ordering of versions.
- Added the Customer Signature feature to both Proforma Invoices and Invoices; read more .
- Added the ability for technicians to capture customer signatures directly on their device interface from their Jobsheet version.
System Improvements
- Refined the Sage 50 Export functionality to include a dedicated Country/Region Code column derived from the Vendor Card. This ensures international transactions correctly reflect the vendor's actual country code, such as 'AU', rather than defaulting to 'GB' to ensure accounting accuracy.
- Enhanced the QuickBooks Online export functionality to support documents containing multiple VAT Groups, specifically addressing requirements for users in regions like Ireland, where products are sold at varying tax rates.
- Updated the Autodata lookup buttons to trigger an automatic refresh upon the entry of a Location Code. Optimised this workflow specifically for Head Office users who manage Jobsheets across multiple branches to ensure data accuracy based on the selected site.
5th January 2026
New Features
- Added a Send Bulk SMS option to the Reminded Not Booked list to allow service advisors to contact multiple customers simultaneously with promotional offers.
- Added the Correct and Cancel actions within the Posted Jobsheets list menu bar, allowing users to reverse documents or create corrective credit memos directly from the list view without opening the individual card.
- Added a new Confirmation of Collection section to the Purchase Return Order printed document.
System Improvements
- Enhanced the user interface efficiency on the Jobsheet by automatically opening the comment text pop-up box when a manual Comment Type is selected.
- Improved the Merge Group action to automatically combine Sales Descriptions when merging multiple groups.
- Improved the email destination options within Document Layouts on the Customer Card to support specific invoice recipients.
English (UK, IE, IM and IZ). To find documentation in other regions where Garage Hive operates, click here.
English (UK, IE, IM and IZ). To find documentation in other regions where Garage Hive operates, click here.