We need clarity on the reliability of Protractor. If a client has a problem with their vehicle, simply telling them there was an issue and that we fixed it doesn’t reassure them. We explain what happened, what we found, what we did, and what they can expect next. If we don’t have all the answers yet, we say so. That’s how we build trust, and it’s also how we earn it back when problems come up. Here, Protractor can really make a difference. Messages like "system interruption" and "system restored" tell us what’s happening right now, but they don’t do much to rebuild our confidence in the software’s reliability. We know the immediate problem is over, but we’re left wondering what happened, whether the root cause was fixed, and how likely we are to face the same issue again soon. I understand it’s not possible to share every technical detail, and most of us wouldn’t follow all of them anyway. Still, there’s a difference between knowing the system is running again and feeling confident enough to depend on it. We’ve used Protractor for many years, and like many other long-time users, we’ve built our entire business around it. All our processes, reporting, accounting, inventory, and daily operations depend on this software. If you check the status history Protractor has shared, there have been 20 incidents since June 1st, with eight affecting the core application. I realize not every incident hit every shop, and some involved integrations or other services. Still, these numbers don’t reflect the ongoing frustration we feel just trying to do our jobs. When an advisor is with a client or on the phone and has to wait for the software, it disrupts the conversation and hurts the experience we want to provide. The same goes for technicians waiting for information or advisors trying to finish an estimate or invoice—these delays affect the whole shop. These aren’t just small annoyances. They’re chances for us to earn a client’s trust, communicate clearly, deliver vehicles on time, and keep our promises. When the system we rely on becomes unpredictable, these situations get harder than they should be. If we become unpredictable and unreliable, we won't need a shop management system anymore. There’s another side to this: how it affects our team and the responsibility we have as shop owners and leaders. Our employees deal with these frustrations every day. They do their best to serve our clients and meet our standards, even though a system they can’t control keeps getting in their way. As leaders, we ask our team to stay patient, stay positive, and keep delivering great service despite these frustrations. We’re also the ones who hear about it when the system slows down or stops, trying to keep morale up and find workarounds for problems we can’t fix ourselves. Ongoing frustration affects more than just productivity. It hurts morale, engagement, and our employees’ confidence in the systems we’ve chosen. That’s tough as a leader, especially when we’re trying to build a culture where people feel supported, have the right tools, and can be proud of their work. I appreciate Protractor’s recent message admitting reliability has slipped. I also value the explanation about increased integration traffic, the move to AWS, and the efforts to improve safeguards and monitoring. I know these are complex problems, and I don’t expect quick fixes, but some clarity on where things are at would help. I've been wondering how close we are to seeing lasting improvements. Are the changes beginning to produce the results Protractor anticipated? Are we getting closer to resolving the underlying issues, or is there still significant work ahead? Understanding that better would make a difference for those of us trying to lead our teams through this. For those of us who’ve spent years, even decades, with Protractor, switching shop management software is a huge task. It means rebuilding processes, retraining staff, moving years of data, rethinking integrations, and dealing with the disruption and cost of a transition. However, some of us are finding ourselves evaluating the growing risk of staying with a system we can't consistently depend on. And it’s not a comfortable position. I don't believe any of us want to leave Protractor; I don't. We want to be confident in it again. Loyalty has kept many of us here through the challenges. But loyalty alone can't sustain confidence indefinitely. And we can't continue asking our employees to carry the burden of what we can't answer. I hope Protractor’s leadership understands the situation many of us are facing. We’re not just frustrated with software—we’re trying to protect our client relationships, support our teams, and uphold the standards we’ve worked hard to build in our businesses. Getting more meaningful updates on where things stand, what progress is happening, and what’s ahead would really help us see if our long-standing confidence in Protractor is still justified. I believe most of us would rather help Protractor succeed than have to make the tough choice to leave. It’s just getting harder to know how much longer we can reasonably wait for things to get better.
