It might sound simple, but it's true: smartphones and digital experiences have revolutionized the way people interact with businesses. We've all come to expect near-instant responses, simplified checkout processes, and visibility into what we're paying for.
And independent auto repair shops aren't any different. There's a unique opportunity where your business can meet customer's expectations with modern service and modern operations.
How Can You Make Your Auto Repair Shop More Modern?
We keep saying that word "modern," but what does that really mean for auto repair shops? When we step back and think about the modern independent repair shop, we could sum it up with three core concepts:
The freedom to run your business in a more contemporary way with data, industry knowledge, flexibility and independence to work as in whatever way is best for you and your shop.
The power to simplify your shop's operations can gain complete visibility, control and opportunity to determine the best path forward for every decision.
The best experience for your customers, every time, for every job, whether that's a coolant flush and pad replacement, or a turbo rebuild.
With the right tools in place, your team members won’t have to stress about extra oversight and can feel empowered to take the reins at work. And your customers can have a more active say in the repair process.
The features and capabilities found in modern repair shop software will fall into two main buckets:
Features that enable you and your team to work more efficiently
Features that enable you and your team to interact more smoothly with customers
Ultimately, the modern features we’re about to dive into will free up your time as a shop owner. Instead of stressing over small day-to-day details, you’ll be able to focus more on the high-level aspects of advancing your business.
Unlike traditional software that needs to be installed directly on your shop computer, which then needs to be maintained by that specific service provider in your shop's physical location, cloud-based software can be used on any device, from any location that has an internet connection.
With cloud software, everything is hosted on the provider's servers, but completely owned by and accessible to your shop.
Technicians can type inspection notes from their smartphones without having to leave their bays, service advisors can check on repair details, and owners can work remotely from anywhere with internet access.
And because all of your data is on the cloud, you’ll have more peace of mind that your shop won’t suffer from data loss if the hardware breaks down, and the platforms are always improving.
2. Real-Time Control with a Streamlined Shop Workflow
Just as a dashboard in a car allows drivers to see what’s going on with their vehicle, auto repair shop software acts as your shop's dashboard with a streamlined workflow. Shop owners gain total control of their business in real-time, while allowing service writers, technicians, and shop owners to see what’s coming in, what vehicle is in the garage, and what’s ready for pickup.
Because shop owners have a granular look at the status of each job at any given moment, they can gain a strategic view of everything happening in their shops.
Tekmetric also lets shop owners see the dashboard by day, week, month, and year-to-date, opening up a whole new level of forecasting with a complete view of how their business is performing over time.
3. Digital Vehicle Inspections For Enhanced Visibility
Digital vehicle inspections are an absolute game-changer for creating a modern customer experience at your shop.
Instead of handing guests a paper inspection, you can send a digital one straight to their device, where they’ll be able to read all the necessary details about the proposed repair work.
Tekmetric’s digital vehicle inspection feature helps you navigate that issue by bringing another layer of transparency to every interaction. Technicians can attach photos and videos to each DVI, so guests can see for themselves exactly what’s wrong with their cars. As a result, they’ll have peace of mind and trust your recommendations.
4. Simplified Parts and Inventory Management
Modern shop management software gives you an holistic view of everything happening in your shop for the ultimate level of management.
And successful parts management means you need to understand how your inventory is suited to the needs of your customer, the quality of the parts that are kept in the shop, and how to minimize inventory that is not being sold.
Modern shop management software makes parts and inventory management easy by combining every single aspect of running your shop, managing your inventory, and even ordering new parts into one streamlined workflow.
If you don't have a part in stock while working on a car you can quickly swap the part for a similar one in inventory, or instantly place an order for what you need and let you text the customer all the same system.
5. Instant and Digital Communication
These days, customers expect updates on the services they receive, such as shipping updates on their packages. Repairs are no exception. Customers are busy and want to know when they can expect to pick up their vehicles.
Thanks to true two-way texting, service advisors can give customers updates and even answer any questions that customers might have about their DVIs. Service advisors can update customers on the status of their repairs in seconds. They don’t have to dial a number or try to find customers in person.
Text-to-pay is touchless payment—customers can pay invoices directly from their smartphones. They don’t have to physically walk into the shop to hand over cash or a credit card.
Shops can take advantage of alternative payment methods to provide their customers with flexible service and simplify the payment process. Not only does this make it easier for your customers, but Tekmerchant even provides necessary protections to help shops prevent chargeback fraud, so you can have peace of mind knowing you will get paid for the work your shop did.
Running a Modern, Independent Auto Repair Shop
The ability for shops to track financial information, payment, and customer history will affect their success, especially as they take on new types of repairs on new types of vehicles.
As they update their repair offerings in response to new vehicles on the street, shops will need to keep a close eye on their metrics to ensure they are meeting their profit goals.
And of course, shops will have to respond to updates in consumer technology to ensure that they’re keeping their teams and customers happy.
With Tekmetric, you can modernize your shop and give your team and customers the flexibility and autonomy they want.
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!
Tekmetric Multi-Shop is designed to give owners everything they need to manage multiple shops in one place. Our goal is to help your team gain back time, make more informed decisions, and maximize your shops’ margins!
Our latest update for Tekmetric Multi-Shop, Shared Customer History, does just that! With stronger cohesion between different locations, multi-shop owners and service advisors can simplify their workflow and provide a more seamless customer experience.
Tekmetric has remained committed to 2024 as a year filled with product innovation, providing updates that included feedback from our customers to demonstrate our commitment to a customer-centric approach as we continue to grow. From product updates and attending industry events to elevating our approach to data security, the second quarter has built on the first quarter’s momentum, leading to a vibrant first half of 2024.
Supporting Shops by Enhancing Efficiency
Tekmetric is systematically seeking opportunities to better understand the needs of shop owners and how our product can help shops run more efficiently. Building on our commitment to enhancing shop effectiveness, we focused Q2 on implementing updates that significantly bolster operational efficiency across the board.
Having the right technical team is essential, and with our latest update, shops can now assign multiple technicians to a single job, ensuring greater collaboration and efficiency. This update allows more experienced technicians to supervise staff technicians regarding more complex jobs, giving staff technicians an opportunity to experience hands-on learning. Overall, having multiple technicians on a single job improves efficiency by allowing you to align and prioritize your technician resources.
In addition to the multiple technician updates, we also released the Inventory Activity Feed. To ensure smooth operations and profitability, it's crucial to understand the flow of money. Inventory plays a necessary role in this process and with this update, shop owners now have an extra eye to spot inconsistencies in pricing and quantity. This new feature allows shops to monitor key changes made to parts inventory, identify and rectify errors and enhance operational efficiency and employee training initiatives.
As we move into Q3, we continue to strive for further updates that increase productivity within internal operations or streamline the customer experience from the first touchpoint until repair completion and beyond.
Commitment to Education and Learning Opportunities in the Industry
In an industry as complex as auto repair, there is no shortage of learning opportunities to improve your shop or learn how to incorporate customer feedback into our ongoing improvements.
At Tekmetric, we value a commitment to growing our knowledge base and sharing that with our peers at various events, whether it be in-person conferences or through webinars. Our dynamic duo John Phelps and P.J. Leslie attended WorldPac STX in Nashville, Tennessee in late April to share with repair shops key strategies to boost profits through enhanced customer experiences. Their presentation included leveraging digital tools and enhancing the digital buying experience, transforming buyer trends into revenue drivers and customer retention through excellent experiences.
From there, P.J. had two additional speaking opportunities at Thoroughbred Diesel in Winchester, Kentucky and AASPA Tools in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania in the month of May where he presented on How Customer Experience Can Change An Industry. At both events, he shared his expertise regarding digital purchasing experiences, leveraging trends for revenue growth, mastering customer retention strategies, and surpassing expectations of the CX generation. Additionally, John Phelps, made an appearance on the Changing the Industry podcast where he discussed Career Shifts and Setting Industry Standards. At Tekmetric, we believe that the desire to give and improve the lives of our customers is ultimately what will drive your business to reach its full potential.
We participated in the ASI & ASTA Summer Social in Apex, North Carolina which provided an opportunity to network and connect with shop owners and tire dealers from the area. Our participation at these events helps us better understand your needs, fueling our commitment to product innovation and excellence in customer experience.
Tekmetric also aims to support our shop owners in sharing their own insights and lessons about measuring up in today’s industry through the webinars that we host. This quarter, we hosted a webinar entitled “Confessions of A Shop Owner,” which included Travis Troy, owner of Honest Wrenches, along with Ward Myers, VP of Training and eServices at Advance Auto Parts, Gregg Rainville, SVP at Steer, and Ian Miller, Partner Manager at Tekmetric. The key points were all about defining and developing shop culture and leveraging technology to be more efficient in the auto repair space.
Prioritizing Data Security
We recently increased our benchmark in data security by earning SOC 2 Type II compliance. Tekmetric meets the five principles that are required which include: security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality and privacy. With SOC 2 Type II compliance, we are able to keep any information that you put into Tekmetric secure, from your shop’s data to your customers’ information. This gives us more confidence that as we continue to improve the quality of Tekmetric, we are also ensuring the security of everything that is entrusted to us.
Keeping Our Foot on the Gas
As we close out the first half of the year, Tekmetric aims to use our customer-centric approach as the fuel that ignites our product innovation. Through our commitment to attending industry events and listening to customer feedback, Tekmetric meets its customers where they are, with constant plans to keep innovating and improving. We head into Q3 with our customer-obsessed mentality to continue improving and streamlining shop operations with Tekmetric.
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