Case Study: Building a Multi-Tenant SaaS for Roadside Assistance

When roadside assistance operations run on Post-its, Excel spreadsheets, and phone calls, every breakdown creates a cascade of manual work. Dispatchers juggle paper records while drivers wait. Billing errors accumulate. Compliance documentation falls through the cracks.

This is the story of how we built AutoRescue—a comprehensive platform that unified 80+ operational workflows for roadside assistance stations across multiple countries.

The Challenge: Operational Chaos at Scale

Our client operated a network of roadside assistance stations serving major insurance companies. Each station was independently operated but needed to meet strict service-level agreements and compliance requirements.

The situation we inherited:

Fragmented Operations

• Dispatch handled via phone calls and WhatsApp groups
• Job details recorded on paper or in personal spreadsheets
• No real-time visibility into vehicle locations or availability
• Duplicate data entry across multiple systems

• Manual invoice creation from handwritten job records
• 15-20% error rate on billing (incorrect rates, missing charges, duplicate entries)
• Weeks of delay between service completion and invoicing
• Constant disputes with insurance partners over documentation

• Regulatory documentation scattered across filing cabinets
• No standardized process for incident reporting
• Audit preparation consuming days of staff time
• Missing certifications and expired credentials going unnoticed

• Onboarding a new station took weeks of manual setup
• No standardized training or processes
• Regional managers flying blind without operational data
• Impossible to identify underperforming stations or optimization opportunities

The Solution: A Purpose-Built Platform

We designed and built AutoRescue as a comprehensive multi-tenant SaaS platform—purpose-built for the unique requirements of roadside assistance operations.

Core Architecture Decisions

Multi-Tenant from Day One

Every aspect of the system was designed for multi-tenancy:

• Strict data isolation at the database level (row-level security)
• Tenant-specific configurations without code branches
• Shared infrastructure with tenant-specific customizations
• Hierarchical permissions: Network → Region → Station → User

This architecture allowed us to serve 80+ stations from a single codebase while maintaining complete data separation and allowing each station to customize their workflows.

Real-Time by Default

Roadside assistance is inherently time-sensitive. We built real-time capabilities into the core:

• WebSocket connections for instant dispatch updates
• Live GPS tracking with sub-minute position updates
• Real-time dashboard metrics
• Instant notifications across web and mobile

Recovery vehicles operate in areas with spotty cellular coverage. The driver mobile app was built for offline operation:

• Full job workflow available offline
• Photo and signature capture stored locally
• Automatic sync when connectivity returns
• Conflict resolution for concurrent updates

Key Features

Intelligent Dispatch

The dispatch system replaced chaotic phone calls with intelligent job assignment:

Incoming Job Request
    ↓
Automatic Parsing (location, vehicle type, service needed)
    ↓
AI-Powered Driver Matching
  - Current location and availability
  - Equipment capabilities
  - Historical performance
  - SLA requirements
    ↓
One-Click Assignment + Automatic Driver Notification
    ↓
Real-Time Tracking Until Completion

The AI component analyzed historical data to predict job duration and optimize assignments. A flatbed recovery in rush-hour traffic is very different from the same job at 2 AM—the system learned these patterns.

Driver Mobile Application

Purpose-built for recovery operators:

• Accept/decline jobs with full details
• Turn-by-turn navigation to breakdown location
• Digital job checklists (vehicle inspection, safety checks)
• Photo documentation with automatic GPS and timestamp metadata
• Digital signature capture
• Instant job completion with automatic invoicing trigger

The app worked offline and synced automatically—critical for operators working in tunnels, rural areas, or underground parking structures.

Automated Billing Engine

This is where the real operational savings came from:

• Jobs automatically generate invoices based on configurable rate cards
• Different rates for different insurance partners, time of day, service types
• Mileage automatically calculated from GPS data
• Photo documentation attached to invoices automatically
• Batch processing for high-volume insurance partners
• Anomaly detection flagging unusual charges for review

The billing error rate dropped from 15-20% to under 1%. More importantly, invoicing that previously took 2-3 weeks now happened within 24 hours of job completion.

Fleet Management

Real-time visibility into fleet operations:

• Live vehicle tracking on an interactive map
• Vehicle status (available, en route, on scene, returning)
• Maintenance scheduling based on mileage and time
• Equipment inventory tracking (which vehicles have flatbed, winch, etc.)
• Driver certification tracking with expiration alerts

Operational intelligence that didn't exist before:

• Response time analytics by station, driver, time of day
• SLA compliance dashboards for insurance partners
• Revenue and utilization metrics
• Predictive demand patterns
• Driver performance benchmarking

Built-in compliance management:

• Digital storage of all certifications and licenses
• Automatic expiration alerts
• Audit trail for every job and modification
• One-click compliance report generation
• Integration with regulatory reporting requirements

Technical Implementation

Technology Stack

• Frontend: Next.js 14 with React Server Components
• Backend: Node.js with TypeScript
• Database: PostgreSQL with row-level security for multi-tenancy
• Real-time: WebSockets via Socket.io
• Mobile: React Native for cross-platform driver app
• Maps: Custom integration with Google Maps Platform
• Infrastructure: AWS with multi-region deployment

The platform manages intricate relationships across 80+ database tables:

• Organizational hierarchy (networks, regions, stations)
• Fleet management (vehicles, equipment, maintenance)
• Personnel (drivers, dispatchers, managers with varied permissions)
• Job lifecycle (requests, assignments, progress, completion, billing)
• Customer and insurance partner relationships
• Rate configurations and billing rules
• Compliance and certification tracking

The platform connects to external systems:

• Insurance company APIs for job intake and status updates
• Payment processors for automated billing
• SMS/push notification services
• GPS tracking hardware APIs
• Document storage and signing services

Results: Measured Impact

Operational Efficiency

• 80% reduction in dispatch time: From 15-20 minutes of phone coordination to under 3 minutes with intelligent assignment
• Real-time visibility: Managers can see every active job, vehicle, and driver at a glance
• Eliminated duplicate data entry: Information entered once flows through the entire workflow

• Billing error rate: <1% (down from 15-20%)
• Invoice cycle time: <24 hours (down from 2-3 weeks)
• Reduced billing disputes by 90%: Photo documentation and automatic rate application eliminated most disputes
• Increased billable capture: GPS-verified mileage and automatic charge application caught previously missed revenue

• Zero compliance gaps: Automated tracking and alerting ensures no certifications lapse
• Audit preparation: Hours instead of days: All documentation instantly accessible
• Standardized service delivery: Every station following the same workflows and quality standards

• New station onboarding: Hours instead of weeks: Template-based configuration with inherited best practices
• Multi-country deployment: Supports multiple languages, currencies, and regulatory frameworks
• Growing from 30 to 80+ stations on the platform

Lessons Learned

1. Domain expertise matters more than generic best practices

Understanding the actual workflow of a recovery operation—from the moment a call comes in to the final invoice reconciliation—was essential. Generic project management tools or off-the-shelf dispatching software couldn't capture the nuances of this industry.

2. Real-time isn't optional for time-critical operations

We initially underestimated how important real-time updates would be. Early prototypes with polling felt laggy and untrustworthy. Investing in WebSocket infrastructure from the start would have saved rework.

3. Offline capability is harder than it looks

Building truly reliable offline functionality required careful thought about conflict resolution, data synchronization, and user experience when connectivity is intermittent. This took longer than planned but was essential for the driver app.

4. Multi-tenancy complexity compounds

What seems simple in a single-tenant context becomes complex with multi-tenancy. Rate configurations, user permissions, customizable workflows—everything needs to be tenant-aware. Building this correctly from the start was critical.

5. The biggest wins are often in automation, not features

The automated billing engine—not the flashiest feature—delivered the highest ROI. Eliminating manual work and human error in routine processes created more value than any single visible feature.

Conclusion

AutoRescue demonstrates what's possible when software is purpose-built for an industry's specific challenges rather than adapted from generic tools.

The roadside assistance industry is just one example of verticals where fragmented, manual operations create enormous friction—and where well-designed software can deliver transformational improvements.

Key takeaways for similar projects:

• Invest in understanding the domain deeply before designing solutions
• Build for multi-tenancy from day one if serving multiple organizations
• Real-time and offline capabilities are worth the investment for field operations
• Automation of routine processes often delivers the highest ROI
• Measure everything—you can't improve what you can't quantify

The platform continues to evolve, with new features driven by operational data and user feedback. What started as a replacement for Post-its has become the operational backbone for a growing network of roadside assistance providers.