It’s a well-known fact in the auto-repair world that summer is the busiest time of the year. As the weather heats up and families start going on road-trips, more and more drivers bring their vehicles into the shop for maintenance.
Service advisors are an integral part of running your shop.
Not only do they have to greet every customer and learn what they need, but they also need to connect a lot of moving parts, whether that means sending repair orders to guests, making sure they’re getting approved, coordinating with technicians, or literally tracking down parts for repairs. that service advisors keep a cool head.
Making sure every job makes it through the repair process without fault while providing guests with kind and diligent service can be tough, but there are tools and habits that can make the job a breeze.
Here are a few actionable tactics you can start using immediately at your shop so service advisors can stay brisk in spite of the heat.
Get to Know Your Guests & Their Vehicles
When it comes to guests, the mileage may vary. Some guests are easier to work with than others. Some will throw you the keys and approve whatever work needs to be done. Others will only approve a small amount of work and call every few minutes to check on the job.
Service advisors may not be able to directly change how guests behave, but we are able to know what to expect. Customer notes are a great way for service advisors to know the attitudes, behaviors, and preferences of each individual guest. Taking detailed notes and checking them before or during a customer interaction can make it easier to work with even with the most difficult clients.
Leverage Your Shop's Information
In addition to customer notes, some shop management solutions offer customer metrics and other tools that help service advisors know even more about their customers.
1. Use Lifetime Stats: Percent Close Ratio
Shop management systems like Tekmetric can actually show you the lifetime stats of a customer, including how much they’ve spent at your garage and the percent of repairs they close on. Knowing the guest’s percent close ratio can help you know how much time you should spend attempting to sell a customer on jobs, especially when the shop gets busy.
2. Shared Customer History
CARFAX vehicle reports can also tell you a lot about the customer. For instance, if it says that the customer brings their vehicle in every 5,000 miles, they probably care about keeping their vehicle maintained and are more likely to approve work.
Master Your Workflow
When it comes to service advising, you have to be able to flow quickly between talking to guests, assembling repair orders, authorizing repair orders, working with technicians, ordering parts, answering the phone, and receiving payments.
It’s a lot to keep track of! Leveraging a digital job-board, or shop dashboard is probably the best way for service advisors to keep track of all the responsibilities they have to juggle.
A good shop dashboard will show you the status of every vehicle in the repair order process and send alerts to technicians, parts suppliers, and even the guest when it’s their turn to take action.
Repair order sent? The guest should get an alert to approve.
Did the part arrive? The technician should be alerted so they can get to work.
If your guest is in a hurry, you may want to make a note on their job in the shop dashboard and set the right expectation.
By glancing at the dashboard and seeing that you have a number of cars being worked on, are waiting on several parts, and have more cars in the queue, you should be able to let the guest know that they’re going to have to wait at least a couple of hours.
But if things are less busy, you can leave a note so that the technicians can be mindful that the guest needs to be somewhere, especially if their notes indicate that they’re a loyal, well-paying customer.
The Secret Lies in Good Shop Management Procedures
Shop management systems are a fundamental tool for service advisors, and a good one will allow you to easily take customer notes, track the repair process, and be an excellent service advisor.
Especially this summer when there’s a pandemic, a shop management system with text and email repair order approval and text-to-pay options will make offering curbside service simple and easy.
Make sure that you have the tools to get the job done, and have trained your service advisors before the heat kicks in.
Tekmetric is coming to SEMA 2026, and we're building something big.
From Nov. 3-6, 2026, our team will be in the North Hall at Booth 11847 featuring the all-in-one auto repair platform trusted by more than 16,000 shops. We're bringing live demos, hands-on benchmarking, announcing new products, a timed brick-building competition with prizes, and one big build we can't talk about just yet.
I've been to a lot of show floors, and the shop owners who get the most out of SEMA don't try to see everything. They show up knowing what they need and where to find it, so consider this your map to everything Tekmetric at SEMA.
SEMA 2026 fast facts
When: Nov. 3-6, 2026
Where: Las Vegas Convention Center, 3150 Paradise Road, Las Vegas
Tekmetric: Booth 11847, North Hall
Who can attend: The show is trade-only. Friday, Nov. 6, is the only day open to the general public.
Education: More than 99 free professional education sessions run during the week.
SEMA is the biggest week of the year for the automotive aftermarket, and it reaches far beyond the service bay. Parts manufacturers, tool and lift makers, tire and wheel brands, audio and electronics suppliers, collision and refinish specialists, truck and off-road builders, and racing teams all share one campus for four days. More than 2,000 exhibitors debut thousands of products, and the builds in the aisles make you stop walking. It's one of the biggest stages in the world for anything with an engine.
Tekmetric is one piece of that picture. Auto repair technology is a small corner of a very large industry, but the shops that run on it sit at the center of it. Every part, tire, and tool on that floor eventually lands in a bay, on a lift, and on a repair order. Our customers and partners are there, and so are the shop owners, service advisors, and technicians who haven't met us yet. The energy and the connections are why we come, and this year we're bringing more than we ever have.
Build your plan, brick by brick
Decide what you need before you land. Whether it's new equipment, a better front counter, or an honest read on how your shop compares to others, write it down and build your route around it.
Know the halls. SEMA fills the Las Vegas Convention Center campus, and the floor is organized into 14 product categories across five hall sections. Knowing which hall holds what saves miles on your feet:
West Hall: Trucks, SUVs, and Off-Road; Powersports, Side-by-Side, and Lifestyle (new for 2026); Restyling and Car Care Accessories
North Hall: Business Services (that's us); Mobile Electronics and Technology; Restyling and Trucks
Central Hall: Racing and Performance; Hot Rod Alley; Restoration Marketplace
South Hall Upper: Tools and Equipment; Collision Repair and Refinish
South Hall Lower: Global Tire Expo powered by TIA; Wheels and Accessories; New Products Showcase
For most repair shop owners, South Hall Upper (lifts, tools, and equipment), South Hall Lower (tires), and North Hall (business services) cover the most ground. Start there and branch out.
Bring your numbers. Know your average repair order, car count, parts margin, and effective labor rate, because every vendor conversation gets sharper when you can talk specifics. At our booth, those four numbers unlock something worth your time, and we'll get to that below.
Leave room between stops. The campus is large and the days are long, so buffer time lets you follow a good conversation instead of cutting it short.
Wear comfortable shoes. It's the same advice every year, and it's still true.
What's waiting for you at Booth 11847
Our theme this year is building shop results, brick by brick, and every station in the booth answers one question: What does this do for my shop?
See how your shop stacks up
Run your numbers through the Tekmetric Shop Index and see how your ARO, car count, parts margin, and effective labor rate compare to thousands of shops nationwide. It takes about two minutes, and you walk away knowing exactly where you stand. Your benchmark also enters you to win a $1,000 gift card.
Watch the platform work
Our booth is set up around three stations that match how a shop actually runs:
Run Your Shop. Repair orders, digital vehicle inspections, scheduling, and real-time reporting in one place.
Secure Payments. Built-in payment processing, including Buy Now, Pay Later options that help customers say yes to the full estimate.
Engage Customers. Two-way texting, review management, digital advertising, and marketing tools that keep your bays full between visits.
Each station is one piece, and together they're the whole platform. Bring a question about your own shop and we'll answer it with a real-world example.
But this year, we also have something new to show you.
Are you one of the 51% of shops that has to send vehicles to the dealership because you can't find the repair data you need? Or did you know the average shop misses 166 calls a month? Or that the average DVI takes 30 minutes?
At SEMA, we're showing you what we're doing about all three, before anyone else sees it.
Compete in the Brick by Brick Build Off
It's the only build at SEMA that fits in your carry-on. Grab a bin of toy bricks and race the clock against three other builders in a seven-minute competition. A new round starts about every 10 minutes — just listen for the horn honk that opens and closes each round.
Build a car, a truck, a boat, or whatever you have in mind. Our team judges every entry, and the day's top builds go on display with your name, city, and shop. One winner each day takes home a LEGO car set: a 1960 Shelby Cobra 427 S/C, a Dodge Charger R/T, a Ford Model T, or a Lamborghini Revuelto.
We are bringing something big
We've been working on something for months, and we can't share the details yet. We'll just say it's life-size, it's made of bricks, and the horn works, so come see it in person.
Tektonic 2027
Tektonic is our annual industry conference, built for shop owners, service advisors, and technicians who want to run better shops. Stop by to hear what's planned for 2027 and how to be part of it.
Canadian shops: Join us at AIA Canada Night
Tekmetric is a sponsor of AIA Canada Night during SEMA week. If you run a shop in Canada, come meet our team from 5:30-8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 3, at HaSalon inside The Venetian Resort Las Vegas, 3355 S. Las Vegas Blvd. Canada Night is a ticketed, trade-only event, so secure your spot through AIA Canada.
Beyond the booth
Once you've found us, the rest of SEMA is worth your time, too. The tools and equipment halls show you what's coming to your bays before it hits a catalog, and the free education sessions cover shop management, marketing, and technical training. The conversations with other shop owners are often the best part of the week.
See you in Las Vegas
You won't see all of SEMA, and that was never the goal. The best weeks end with one idea you put to work the Monday you get back. Make Booth 11847 one of your stops to run your numbers, build something, and meet the team behind the platform. We'll be in the North Hall, brick by brick.
Tekmetric, a Houston-based leading auto repair technology company, was named the winner of a silver Stevie® Award in the Achievement in Growth category in The 20th Annual American Business Awards®.
Tekmetric was nominated in the Achievement in Growth category for the company’s tremendous growth and expansion in the last year.
The American Business Awards are the U.S.A.’s premier business awards program. All organizations operating in the U.S.A. are eligible to submit nominations – public and private, for-profit and non-profit, large and small.
Co-founded in 2016, Tekmetric offers an all-in-one SaaS business management system for auto repair shops. As the auto repair industry’s leading cloud-based solution, Tekmetric has grown from just a few customers to more than 3,000 shops across the U.S.
In the last year alone, Tekmetric’s revenue has increased by more than 115%, a reflection of its role as a trusted industry solution for increasing shop efficiency.
“Tekmetric strives to deliver premier service and value to auto repair shop owners who partner with us, and this unmatched level of care wouldn’t be possible without the outstanding team we have built,” said Prasanth Chilukuri, Co-CEO and Co-Founder of Tekmetric.
“To experience an expansion that more than tripled to more than 95 talented professionals from across the U.S. and Europe has been an incredible journey. We are honored to have been recognized in the Stevie for our continued growth and leadership in the auto repair industry.”
More than 230 professionals worldwide participated in the judging process to select this year’s Stevie Award winners.
Nicknamed the Stevies®® for the Greek word meaning “crowned,” the awards will be presented to winners at a gala ceremony at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York on Monday, June 13. Tickets are now on sale.
“We are so pleased that we will be able to stage our first ABA awards banquet since 2019 and to celebrate, in person, the achievements of such a diverse group of organizations and individuals,” said Maggie Miller, president of the Stevie Awards.
At Tektonic 2026, one of the most memorable moments of the conference came when Tekmetric turned the spotlight on the shops doing the best work.
The inaugural Shop Excellence Awards, powered by performance insights from the Tekmetric platform, celebrated repair shops that are not only delivering standout business results, but also redefining what exceptional customer service, shop culture, and operational excellence look like across the automotive repair industry.
"Tonight is probably going to be my favorite part of all of Tektonic," Tekmetric CEO and Founder Sunil Patel said during the ceremony. "None of this is about us. It's about the shops in this room, the people actually doing the work. Running shops, leading teams, taking care of customers every single day."
Using 12 months of platform performance data from Tektonic event registrants, Tekmetric recognized shops that rose to the top across key measures of customer trust, service consistency, team culture, transparency, and operational growth.
"The shops that win today aren't just fixing cars … they're building businesses, leading teams, and delivering experiences customers remember," Tekmetric President & COO Lauren Langston said.
Top Car Count Award: Dick's Point S Tire & Auto Repair
The Top Car Count Award recognizes a shop that has earned extraordinary trust from its community at scale.
This year's winner, Dick's Point S Tire & Auto Repair in Battle Ground, Wash., served more than 25,000 vehicles during the last 12 months.
That level of throughput only happens when customers return again and again, and when shop teams consistently deliver an experience drivers trust.
"Serving nearly 26,500 vehicles in a single year means thousands of drivers who found a shop they could count on, returned when they needed help, and left satisfied," Langston said.
Sustained Growth Award: Branch Automotive and AutoPro Maryville
Growth is one thing. Sustaining it is something else entirely.
The Sustained Growth Award recognizes shops that have continuously raised the bar for what they deliver to every customer who walks through the door. Growth in average repair order reflects shops that are doing better inspections, making clearer recommendations, and earning customer confidence in the work their vehicles actually need. These two shops demonstrated the most consistent upward trajectory throughout 2025.
This year's winners were Branch Automotive in Highlands Ranch, Colo., and AutoPro Maryville in Maryville, Tenn.
Branch Automotive posted nine straight month-over-month increases in ARO. AutoPro Maryville also delivered nine month-over-month increases, growing by an impressive 51%.
Together, the two shops exemplify what sustainable growth looks like: stronger inspections, clearer recommendations, and the kind of customer trust that leads to consistently higher-value work.
DVI Powerhouse Award: Craftsman Auto Care – Fairfax
Matt Curry, president and CEO of Craftsman Auto Care, stands with Tekmetric CEO and Founder Sunil Patel and Tekmetric President & COO Lauren Langston at the Shop Excellence Awards during Tektonic 2026, presented by Tekmetric.
Transparency remains one of the most powerful drivers of trust in modern auto repair, and no shop demonstrated that better than Craftsman Auto Care – Fairfax.
“Winning means everything. It means my team winning–being able to pay the best in the business, being able to offer the best benefits, having amazing employees and amazing customers who just fall in love with us,” said Matt Curry, president and CEO of Craftsman Auto Care.
With almost 10,000 five-star reviews, with an average rating of 4.9 stars, Curry said that's a huge trust signal with all of their customers. Craftsman Auto Care uploaded hundreds of thousands of digital inspection images during a year, the highest total Tekmetric’s dataset.
"That's 300,000 moments where a customer could clearly see what their vehicle needed," Langston said. "Removing guesswork, building confidence, and helping drivers make informed decisions about their car."
The result is a service experience rooted in clarity, education, and trust.
Booked Solid Award: A Master Mechanic and Demore's Automotive
The Booked Solid Award honors shops that have built reliable, predictable demand through reputation and service, the kind customers actively seek out, return to, and refer others to.
This year's first winner, A Master Mechanic in Sparks, Nev., recorded the largest booked appointments in the Tekmetric network dataset.
This year's second winner, Demore's Automotive in Palmer, Mass., earned its recognition by proving that smart marketing and exceptional service are a powerful combination. As a Tekmetric Digital Ads beta participant, the shop turned digital visibility into real volume, reaching the right drivers at the right moment and converting first visits into long-term customer relationships. The result is full bays, steady demand, and a shop that delivers every time someone walks through the door.
Together, these two shops show that full schedules don't happen by accident. They're the result of consistent service, earned trust, and, increasingly, the strategic use of digital tools to reach customers before the competition does.
Financing Excellence Award: The Garagisti Katy
For many drivers, the biggest obstacle to safe, reliable transportation is not understanding the repair, it is figuring out how to pay for it.
The Financing Excellence Award recognizes the shop that best removed that barrier.
This year's winner, The Garagisti Katy in Katy, Texas, was the leading user of Buy Now, Pay Later financing across the Tekmetric network.
“I feel great, not only for myself, but for the team and everything that they do: the customer interactions, the sales, helping close the sale. It means a lot,” said Eddie Marlow, manager of The Garagisti Katy. “I have a great team, a great owner, and this award means a lot to all of us.”
By making financing a seamless part of the customer journey, the shop helped more drivers move forward with necessary repairs without added financial stress.
"This shop has made that moment easier," Patel said, referencing the often difficult conversations shops have when customers need repairs but hesitate because of cost.
Best Shop to Work For: The Kar Shop and Ice Cold Air
Ashley Butler, owner and franchisor of Ice Cold Air, stands with her team, wife, Tekmetric CEO and Founder Sunil Patel, and Tekmetric President & COO Lauren Langston at the Shop Excellence Awards during Tektonic 2026, presented by Tekmetric.
The final award of the evening focused on the people behind every customer experience.
The Best Shop to Work For Award recognized two shops this year, each demonstrating, in their own way, that the customer experience will never exceed the employee experience.
The first winner, The Kar Shop in Rogers, Ark., was recognized for building a culture where technicians and staff feel valued, supported, and empowered to grow. During the ceremony, Tekmetric leaders shared one story that stood out: the shop changed its operating hours so employees could spend more time with their families while continuing to invest in training and long-term career development.
“It's really kind of impressive that our guys think so much of us. In your day to day, you don't really think about things like that,” said Keith Kingston, one of The Kar Shop’s owners. “You're there to make sure the customers get taken care of, that everything flows well, that you have all your parts; there are so many small details you have to worry about. You don't always stop to think about how everybody feels. So to know that they said good things about us, it's really kind of humbling.”
The second winner, Ice Cold Air, earned its recognition through intentional hiring, steady processes, and genuine leadership, building a workplace where people feel supported, valued, and proud to belong.
“And what just happened right there with my team and my wife? That energy is going to go back home with us,” Ashley Butler, owner and franchisor of Ice Cold Air, said immediately after winning the award. “It's going to go throughout the entire organization. And next year, we're coming back with a minimum of two people from each shop, that means 28 people. We're going to bring techs, we're going to bring managers, we're going to bring franchisees, so they can come build that energy and experience Tekmetric firsthand.”
With more than 100 employees, Ice Cold Air’s impact reaches far beyond the shop floor. The Tampa, Fla., team believes in doing things the right way: investing in their people, giving back to their community, and building something that lasts.
"It shows up in their culture, their retention, and in every customer interaction," Langston said.
Raising the Standard for the Industry
The Shop Excellence Awards were ultimately about more than recognition. They highlighted the operational habits, customer-first decisions, and team investments that move the entire industry forward.
At Tekmetric, that is exactly what Tektonic is built to celebrate: the shops leading by example and showing what great looks like.
"To all of our winners, and honestly, to every shop in this room, we know what it takes to do this well," Patel said in closing. "The standard you're setting is what moves this entire industry forward."
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