Practice mode and the Getting started hub
The Getting started hub is where a new shop learns BenchKey: short guided lessons that use sample records, a checklist of the setup that matters first, and an assistant that can change settings for you. Owners and admins see its icon in the left rail.
Open the hub
Section titled “Open the hub”Choose Getting started in the left icon rail. Hover over its icon to see how many setup areas are ready. You can also open it from Settings → Getting started.
The hub (Learn it by doing it) has:
- Ready for business: the things to check before your first real ticket: card processor, email, texting and phone (on Standard, card processor and email). Each has Open, and Mark done once it’s set.
- Interactive tutorials: guided lessons, each a few minutes long.
- Ask the assistant: ask a question, or ask it to do the setup for you.
- A checklist of setup areas, with Do it for me where the assistant can do it.
Practice lessons
Section titled “Practice lessons”- In Interactive tutorials, pick a lesson and choose Start. The button shows how many minutes it takes.
- The lesson opens in a separate practice workspace. A strip at the top says Practice (Training data. No customer delivery.): nothing you do there reaches a customer or your real books.
- Follow the steps. Leave practice returns you to your shop at any time; Resume picks up where you stopped.
A practice workspace closes after 30 minutes without activity. Lessons about settings change your shop’s real settings, and say so. Tutorials work on a computer; they aren’t available on phones or tablets.
The lessons
Section titled “The lessons”- Week one: First repair · Master the ticket · Run your queue · Get paid · Fix a mistake · Take cards, not just cash
- Around the shop: Never miss a lead · Capture leads from your website · Your invoices · Know your customer · Answer in two clicks · Put time on the calendar
- Run the shop: On the clock · Stock that counts itself · Read your numbers
- Look professional: Their window into the repair · Messages that send themselves · Ask for reviews · Turn on texting · Bring your history with you · Give your tech a login
- Power moves: Run the queue at speed · The composer’s power kit · Never miss a beat · Drawer tricks
Some lessons use features of Pro or Business; on a smaller plan the hub marks them with the plan they need.
Sample records from older lessons
Section titled “Sample records from older lessons”Early versions of the lessons added a few sample records to the real shop (a lead called Practice Customer, tickets called Practice ticket). If the hub shows Practice data, choose Remove practice data: the tickets move to Recently Deleted and the leads are archived.
The setup assistant
Section titled “The setup assistant”Ask the assistant in plain words, like “email customers when their repair is ready”. It changes settings for you, with exactly the permissions of the person asking, and tells you what it changed. It’s on every plan. On Standard, after the first 30 days, setup help has a monthly allowance that resets each month; Pro includes more AI help, and Business more again.
Hide the hub
Section titled “Hide the hub”When you’re set up, choose Hide Getting started from the sidebar in the hub. You can still open it from Settings → Getting started.