When the invoice pile gets out of hand, the instinct is to hire help. A part-time admin at one day a week costs A$1,200–1,600 a month once you include super and overheads — and a good chunk of that day goes to typing supplier invoices into MechanicDesk. Automation does that specific job better, for a fraction of the cost, and never calls in sick. Here's how to think about it.
| Feature | Data Entry Pro | Alternative |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost | From A$79/month | A$1,200+/month for one day a week |
| Invoice entry speed | Batch of 50 while you do other work | One at a time, human pace |
| Accuracy | AI extraction, checked against the invoice total, reviewed before entry | Varies by person and day |
| Availability | 24/7 — queue invoices any time | Their rostered hours |
| Sick days / holidays / turnover | Never | Yes — and retraining each time |
| Other admin tasks (calls, bookings) | No — it only does invoices | Yes — humans are versatile |
If invoices are the main backlog: automate them first — it's the cheapest, most reliable fix.
If you still need help with phones, bookings and customers: hire for those — and don't waste the hire's time on typing.
Many workshops do both: automation handles the invoice grind, the human does the work that actually needs a human.
No — and it isn't meant to. It replaces one specific, repetitive task: entering supplier invoices and matching POs in MechanicDesk. If invoices are the bulk of your admin backlog, automation is dramatically cheaper. If you need phones answered and customers chased, hire a human and let the software do the typing.
A part-time admin at one day per week costs roughly A$14,000–19,000 a year. Data Entry Pro's Professional plan (600 invoices/month) is A$1,788 a year. If invoice entry is the job, automation is about a tenth of the cost.
Minutes. Create an account, enter your MechanicDesk credentials in Settings, and upload your first invoice. There's no training period — the 7-day free trial with 10 invoices is exactly for this.
Move up a plan tier. Going from 200 to 600 invoices a month costs an extra A$70/month — compare that to adding another admin day each week.
Automate Repco invoices straight into MechanicDesk
Stop typing Repco invoices into MechanicDesk. Data Entry Pro reads your Repco Trade PDF invoices with AI and creates the bills automatically — line items, dates, totals and PDF attached. 7-day free trial.
Read guideAutomate Burson Auto Parts invoices straight into MechanicDesk
Stop typing Burson Auto Parts invoices into MechanicDesk. Data Entry Pro reads your Burson (Bapcor) PDF invoices with AI and creates the bills automatically — line items, dates, totals and PDF attached. 7-day free trial.
Read guideAutomate Covs Parts invoices straight into MechanicDesk
Stop typing Covs Parts invoices into MechanicDesk. Data Entry Pro reads your Covs (WA) PDF invoices with AI and creates the bills automatically — line items, dates, totals and PDF attached. 7-day free trial.
Read guide7-day free trial. 10 invoices on us. No credit card required.