# Introduction (https://docs.carlio.app/docs)

Guides for the Carlio dashboard, from the first car to the final payment



Carlio is the operations system of a car dealership that exports cars. One record holds each car, each buyer and each payment. The dashboard replaces the spreadsheet, the messaging group and the folder of receipts.

These guides describe the dashboard as it works today. Each guide names the exact buttons and fields, states the permission or plan limit that applies, and explains what the dashboard shows at the end.

## Start here [#start-here]

<Cards>
  <Card icon="Inventory" title="Add a car" href="/docs/inventory/add-a-car">
    Create the record of the first car.
  </Card>

  <Card icon="Deals" title="Open a deal" href="/docs/deals/open-a-deal">
    Record the sale of a car to a customer.
  </Card>

  <Card icon="Tasks" title="Create a task" href="/docs/tasks/create-a-task">
    Assign an inspection, a pickup or another job.
  </Card>

  <Card icon="Transactions" title="Record a transaction" href="/docs/transactions/record-a-transaction">
    Enter a payment received or a cost paid.
  </Card>

  <Card icon="Invoices" title="Create an invoice" href="/docs/invoices/create-an-invoice">
    Raise an invoice for a customer.
  </Card>

  <Card icon="Team" title="Manage team members" href="/docs/settings/team">
    Invite colleagues and choose their roles.
  </Card>
</Cards>

A new dealership can also follow the [Getting started checklist](/docs/overview/complete-the-getting-started-checklist) of the Overview page.

## What Carlio covers [#what-carlio-covers]

| Area                                                                                                                                        | What it keeps                                                                |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| [Inventory](/docs/inventory)                                                                                                                | Cars with their specification, photos, documents and lifecycle stage         |
| [Exports](/docs/exports)                                                                                                                    | Shipments, containers and shipment tracking                                  |
| [Tasks](/docs/tasks)                                                                                                                        | Jobs for team members and outside assignees, such as inspections and pickups |
| [Deals](/docs/deals), [Customers](/docs/customers), [Partners](/docs/partners)                                                              | Sales, the buyers and the sales partners who introduce them                  |
| [Invoices](/docs/invoices)                                                                                                                  | Invoices with their PDF documents and numbers                                |
| [Transactions](/docs/transactions), [Awaiting Payments](/docs/awaiting), [Expenses](/docs/expenses), [Profit & Loss](/docs/profit-and-loss) | One ledger of money in and money out, expected payments and reports          |
| [Shared Pages](/docs/portals)                                                                                                               | Private links for customers, partners and outside assignees                  |
| [Settings](/docs/settings)                                                                                                                  | Profile, company, team, permissions, plan, storage and defaults              |

The [Overview](/docs/overview) guides explain the dashboard menu, the start page and the notifications.

## Who uses the dashboard [#who-uses-the-dashboard]

A team member has one of three roles: **Owner**, **Manager** or **Staff**. The Owner can open every area. The dealership decides which areas Managers and Staff may open, and the dashboard hides what a member may not use. The guide [Set role permissions](/docs/settings/permissions) lists the choices.

Customers, partners and outside assignees need no account. They open a private link that shows only what concerns them. The guides in [Shared Pages](/docs/portals) describe each link.

## How the guides are written [#how-the-guides-are-written]

* Names of buttons, fields and tabs appear in bold, exactly as the dashboard spells them.
* A **Requirements** note states the role, the permission or the plan limit that a task needs.
* The dashboard uses the words car and vehicle for the same record. These guides use car.
* The limits of each plan appear in [Review and change the plan](/docs/settings/billing).

## Ask the assistant [#ask-the-assistant]

The **Ask AI** button in the header opens an assistant. The shortcut is **Ctrl + /**. The assistant answers from these guides and links the pages that it used. When the guides do not cover a question, it states that.