At Tekmetric, we’ve been busy creating the most requested feature by users: true two-way texting. We’re excited to announce that this November, you and your guests will be able to communicate with each other in a seamless, hassle-free way.
Send and Receive Texts Directly in Tekmetric
Once your shop sets up two-way texting within Tekmetric, your team and customers will be able to have instant, harmonious digital conversations.
On your end, the Tekmessage interface will have a similar look and feel to social media messaging services (such as Facebook Messenger).
Your customers, however, will see the conversations as regular text messages on their phones.
To use Tekmessage, simply click the messaging icon in the top right corner of your shop’s header within Tekmetric. Doing so will open the Tekmessage sidebar, where you’ll be able to see a full list of conversations with guests, send and receive texts, and search conversations.
Make Life Easier for Your Customers
With Tekmessage, your customers will no longer have to deal with clunky web browser links.
Previous shop management messaging services required customers to open a link from a text in order to send a message to the shop.
Now, with Tekmessage, customers can simply send a text message without having to open a web browser. And your service writers will instantly be able to see messages and respond without ever having to leave Tekmetric.
Note: Digital vehicle inspections and estimates will still be sent as a clickable link because they include data-rich content such as graphs, checklists, etc.
All you have to do is message your customers using the Tekmessage integration, and they’ll receive a text. When they text back, it’ll show up in Tekmessage. Badda-bing. Badda-boom.
Sync Your Shop’s Original Phone Number to Tekmessage
With Tekmessage, you’ll be able to streamline how new customers communicate with your shop by choosing the phone number your shop sends messages from within Tekmetric.
You can use your shop’s existing phone number—the one you have been advertising on your website and Google My Business profile—to make it easier than ever for new customers to reach you and for service writers to add their new customers' information to Tekmetric.
Or, you can choose a different phone number based on the available phone numbers in your area. Either way, when you text customers via Tekmessage, the number that they will see on their phones will be the one you chose during setup.
And if you're a multi-shop owner, you can set up a separate Tekmessage number for each individual shop.
Centralize Customer Communication
Think of Tekmessage as your new customer communication command center. From the Tekmessage sidebar, you’ll be able to:
Search existing contacts by name and number
Send texts to customers and numbers not yet in the system
Receive and respond to texts from new and existing customers
Create and view upcoming appointments
Create and view active repair orders
Quickly view customer profiles
Mark messages as read and unread
See which employee sent a response and what time they sent that response
Although our goal is to help you determine the best ways you can enhance your auto repair shop profit margin, we’re still going to shoot straight with you: opening a shop isn’t easy. You’re going to have to put in some hard work, but exceeding your goals will be well worth it. Along the way you’ll learn new things through trial and error and encounter some unexpected challenges, but who doesn’t when they step outside of their comfort zone, pursuing something they’re passionate about?
One question you may have is, "Is it even a good time to start an auto repair business?" That's a tricky question to answer. Coming off the heels of a pandemic in an economy that has seen better times might scare any new business owner. But remember, some of the most long-standing businesses were started during economic recessions.
Although there’s been better times to start an auto repair business, your shop can still be successful. And it’s clear that the demand for automotive repairs isn't going anywhere.
Take a look at these statistics on the latest automotive repair trends:
In 2022, there will be an estimated 76 million vehicles aged 16 years or older in the United States.
It’s estimated that by 2022, 18% of American households will use an auto repair service at least once a year.
The number of vehicles on the road that are 12 years or older is anticipated to increase by 15%.
In the past decade, the average length of time that drivers own their automobiles has increased by 60%.
As you can see, the need for vehicle repairs will likely increase due to the fact that drivers are choosing to stick to their trusty ol’ vehicles rather than opting for a shinier new ride. But regardless of whether the auto repair industry’s profit trends are growing or plateauing, making smart business decisions will not only prepare your shop for future transformation but also help your shop survive disruptive trends in the future.
Let’s get to boosting your shop’s short and long-term profits.
We’ve listed each of these tactics in the order you should take during each of your business growth phases: the seed stage, the start-up stage, the established stage, or the expansion stage. The order of these 10 tactics does not determine their importance; each tactic complements one another to put your shop in the fast lane to success.
Fast Facts
Industry size and past growth: The U.S. auto mechanics industry is worth more than $68 billion in 2022 and has seen steady growth the past five years.
Growth forecast: The U.S. auto mechanics industry is projected to experience continued growth in the coming years and expand by more than 10% by 2026.
Number of businesses: As of early 2022, 264,121 auto mechanic businesses operated in the US.
Number of people employed: As of early 2022, the United States auto repair industry employed about 561,359 workers.
Drivers can sometimes see repairs as frivolous or not important.
Reasons for their skepticism can stem from many things: the customer can’t see what the service advisor is seeing on their end; they might not have a way to gauge the importance of the issue at hand; maybe a service advisor doesn’t communicate the problem correctly or forgets to ask the customer if they’re following along.
Tekmetric’s features empower auto repair shops to improve customer transparency, streamline communication, provide flexible payment options, and simplify the payment process.
These promote customer trust, enhance satisfaction, and ultimately help your shop close more repair orders. And that's what matters most.
Because at the end of the day, if customers feel they can trust your shop, they'll be more likely to return the next time they need something repaired.
With a complete view of how all your shops are performing and access to the tools needed to make changes quickly, shop management systems help run your shop with smooth and agile business operations, provide a consistent experience for customers, and ultimately maximize revenue and support your shop's growth.
Features such as unified reporting across all your shops and shared customer history work to create seamless processes for managing your business as a centralized organization.
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