Digital vehicle inspections software is one of the best way to show your customer exactly what's wrong with their vehicle. Instead of an old-school paper approach, Digital Vehicle Inspections (DVIS) are a core component of your shop's workflow, and let technicians quickly highlight existing and potential future issues, with evidence!
If a technician notices that the brakes are okay now but will need to be repaired in about three months, they can note that in the DVI report, or even attach a picture for the customer to see.
Even better, because digital vehicle inspection software let you send pictures and videos, track declined repairs, and even let your shop text findings directly to customers, you can help customers feel comfortable that they're making the right decision in approving that costly repair they may have otherwise put off.
With the right DIV features creating such a modern, seamless experience, you'll be the first shop they think of next time they need something fixed!
Digital Vehicle Inspection Software Features to Look For
1. Default Inspections
One of the biggest benefits of DVIs isn't just transparency, but speed and ease of use for your service managers and technicians. With default inspections, shops can set a standardized template for every vehicle inspection.
Service advisors won't have to spend as much time building repair orders, and technicians will have a default template to work off of every time.
This not only saves both your service advisors and technicians time, but it also helps to improve the accuracy of your inspection reports, which enables your shop to provide an exceptional customer experience built on a foundation of trust.
2. Attach Pictures and Videos
One of the easiest ways to help customers feel comfortable approving work is by directly showing them the problem. We all know a picture is worth a thousand words, but what about video?
Simply telling customers their ball joint is loose might leave them wondering why it matters if they can't feel the impact when driving.
But showing them the massive play between components, torn boots, and dirty globs of grease will help them understand why the repair is worth the cost.
3. Text Inspection Findings to Customers
Customers want things fast, simple, and on their phone. When they're already texting their doctor, babysitter, or coworkers, why shouldn't they be able to text their shop when they drop off their car?
With just the click of a button, your shop can text or email inspection findings and repair estimates, with a link to approve the work right there, within seconds.
That means your shop can get to work sooner, complete the repair faster, and surprise your customers with a modern, seamless experience.
4. Track Declined Jobs
Digital Vehicle Inspections aren't just better for your customers; DVIs are also better for your shop. With Declined Job History, your shop can keep track of every single declined job, anywhere from an oil change to a transmission fix.
Because you have a history of declined work, you can quickly and easily follow up with customers next time they stop by.
Or, better yet, integrate your shop system with some marketing tools and set up automatic email reminders to customers. For example, your shop can send an automated email three months after their previous visit, reminding them of the work they declined last time.
5. Create Custom Inspections
Shops should look to create custom inspection templates for any service they offer. Whether you're a repair shop doing frequent brake jobs and want an inspection template to ensure every vehicle is inspected along the same criteria.
Or, maybe as a performance shop, you frequently service a type of turbo-charged, flat-four engine that likes to blow its head gaskets. You can set up a custom inspection to use every time that model gets towed in.
Shops can then create and attach canned jobs to inspection tasks to efficiently transition from inspections to estimates to repair works with fewer clicks and less effort on your end.
6. DVI Reporting
Because Digital Vehicle Inspections help your shop keep track of all the work you did -- from the inspection process to a completed repair -- shop owners and general managers can gain in-depth knowledge of how effective their shop's operations are.
For example, you can view high-level metrics and compare Average Repair Order values and Close Ratios both with and without inspections.
Or, you can drill down even further to look at completion rate, average inspection time, average findings, and cool details like many of your inspections sent to customers were actually viewed. That way you can fine-tune your process to not only make the most money on your shop's labor, but also make sure inspections are quicker, smoother, and more useful for customers.
Sell More Repair Work with Digital Vehicle Inspections
At the end of the day, running an independent auto repair shop is so much more than just fixing cars. As a shop owner, you're responsible for every aspect of shop operations, including shop management, customer experience, marketing, sales, and so much more.
And even with a team behind you, we know there's always room to make great shops even better.
With the right digital vehicle inspection features, your shop can not only complete inspections with ease but also keep happy customers approving repair orders time and time again.
We brought our entire team together in person to kick off the year in Houston, and to say I was anything short of blown away would be an understatement.
We pride ourselves on being a remote-first company and we’ll continue to build our team remotely with the best talent from across the world, but there sure was something special about having everyone in person at the same time, in the same place, uniting around the same goals.
When you have the opportunity to gather such an amazingly talented group in the same room, you’ll be surprised by what happens from the brainstorming, to the tactical collaboration – and well, all the fun we had together!
And this wasn’t all just about us. Because in the end, we’re here to support all the amazing independent auto repair shops that do great work every day getting cars back on the road.
Tekmetric's Dedication to Customer Obsession
A dozen of our customer shops were gracious enough to host folks across our teams as we spent time with shop owners, advisors, and technicians diving into the next batches of innovation the industry needs us to build into Tekmetric.
Running a repair shop is the background of everything we do. It's that partnership between Tekmetric and the auto repair shops that leverage the platform daily that enables us to build the absolute best tool for the job: running an independent auto repair shop.
As we continue to build Tekmetric, I’m especially keen to hear more than ever from technicians on this front.
At a time when industry continues to fight to keep up with challenges in educating, recruiting, and retaining top-quality techs, we’re taking a more intentional stance on the role a shop management system can play in helping your shop build and support the best team possible. Be sure to look for more from us throughout the year in this area.
We’ve always started anything we do at Tekmetric with a ‘customer obsession’ mindset – and I’m proud to extend this further down to the technician level this year.
As we grow, I’m also noticing how important it is to spend more of my time transferring real-world shop knowledge to every member of our team. In the early days, our Tekmetric office was the upper level of my shop, and I probably took for granted how easy it was for our team to observe the activities going on downstairs.
It's rejuvenating to now bring over 100 of our teammates to shops and immerse ourselves in the challenges our customers are facing. I smile when I see a well-drawn whiteboard with jobs listed out in columns, color-coded and sorted by promise time.
I think back on the early ideas that went into translating age-old management concepts into better versions of what are now standard features in Tekmetric.
I get even more joy when one of our new product managers builds well past my ideas, or I hear one of our onboarding managers asking a shop owner a question that even I’m not sure I would have thought of.
One thing is certain: the opportunity for our team to connect, collaborate, and brainstorm our next steps as a shop management system has ignited our drive for success.
Driving for Success in 2024
We are growing and maturing in real-time, and the pace of our new thinking and new innovation is mind-blowing.
If you’re a current customer, our doors are always open. Feedback from front-line employees, technicians, service writers, general managers, and of course shop owners, has turned into some of our most powerful features and functionality.
If you want to connect with our team, we welcome you to email us at support@tekmetric.com to set up a time with our product team to discuss ways we can improve, or set up a 1:1 consultation if you need additional support.
And if you haven’t made the switch to Tekmetric yet, what are you waiting for? Book some time with one of our Shop Advisors here to talk through how we might be able to help your shop run better than it ever has.
From our team to yours – thanks for your continued trust and support as we grow Tekmetric. 2024 figures to be a great year for us and for the industry. If there’s anything I can personally do to help your shop measure up to another level, please reach out!
As the world around us is constantly evolving, so is the auto repair industry.
An auto repair shop that stays stagnant and sticks to the status quo could be losing out on profits, reputation and valuable time.
Without a growth-focused mindset or the right forward-looking strategies, your shop could be missing out and fall behind others.
Fortunately, implementing a modern shop management system and standardizing your shop’s processes can help unlock your shop's full potential.
Break The Status Quo
Rapid advancements in technology are changing every industry around us, and because of this, customer expectations are higher than ever.
However, making changes to a process that you’ve had in your shop for years can seem like a daunting task.
These days, the best tool a shop can have in their back pocket is a shop management system. The right system should provide you with the tools to increase your bottom line, your reputation with customers and your overall productivity.
Implementing a quality shop management system can be a game-changer for shops when it comes to growing profits.
Systems such as Tekmetric help their users streamline processes, optimize workflow and enable shops to repair more vehicles in the same amount of time it was previously taking them.
Most importantly, the simple act of integrating a shop management system can increase your shop’s bottom line.
As a result, these shops are building a loyal customer base, leading to repeat business and positive word-of-mouth which promotes growth of the business.
Customer trust can lead directly to your shop's financial gain, so it's important to ensure you're using tools, like Tekmetric, to increase customer trust and loyalty.
Gain Back Time
Finally, it's important to recognize whether some of your most time-consuming tasks can take up less time in your day by being automated through a shop management system.
Think about the tasks that you spend the most time on in your shop.
By using a shop management system to automate tasks such as appointment scheduling, inventory management and invoicing, shop owners can reduce both the time their team spends doing simple tasks as well as manual errors.
When less time is being spent on these important yet time-consuming tasks, the time shops get back can be spent on repairs, putting more money in everyone’s pocket as a result.
Breaking the status quo and unlocking your shop's full potential by implementing a shop management system is made easy by systems like Tekmetric.
This, in turn, can increase your shop's revenue and efficiency, build customer trust and satisfaction and provide valuable time and cost savings.
Tekmetric is the perfect solution for shop owners looking to take their business to the next level.
If you’re an automotive shop owner or service advisor looking to upgrade your system, you’ve likely encountered the name Tekmetric. Like any smart shopper, you are looking for a free trial of Tekmetric before you purchase. Below, you can find a few options to test drive Tekmetric for free.
Option 1: Free Tekmetric Trial
To access your free Tekmetric self-guided trial, you can use this link here. It will walk you through the key parts of the Tekmetric software, customer experience, estimate building, customer approvals, digital vehicle inspections, and more. Afterwards, you can book a demo to chat with our sales team and start the onboarding process.
Option 2: Personalized Demo with Tekmetric
If you prefer to chat with a Tekmetric employee, you can book a demo here and ask any questions you have. We will show you how Tekmetric can maximize your efficiency, improve your customer experience, and boost sales. We will also talk about your shop's needs, goals for your business, and what gives your shop a competitive edge.
Option 3: Case Studies and Customer Reviews
We think our customers are the best sales team. So, we have provided our customer success stories, real customer reviews, and G2 rankings to aid in your decision-making process. This is a great place to see the ROI Tekmetric can provide for your shop.
Tek-Tip: Ask ChatGPT or Gemini for a summary of Tekmetric and how it could be a fit for your business.
Final thoughts
Whichever option you pick, we hope you will give Tekmetric a try. Built by a former shop owner, Tekmetric understands the importance of finding the right software for your shop. Tekmetric offers month-to-month pricing options in addition to discounted annual plans to fit any budget. Unlimited users, unlimited RO's, unlimited support, no hidden fees. Are you ready to take your shop to the next level?
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