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As 2023 winds down, it's a great time to reflect on the strides made across the independent auto repair industry.

Throughout the year, we’ve been collecting data, talking to shops that rely on Tekmetric every day, and gaining valuable insight into how your shop can prepare for the best year possible in 2024.

That’s why we released our latest Industry Index Report earlier this year, to give shops and industry resources to not only compare their performance against other shops but also some concrete tips and tricks they can implement at their shop. 

This comprehensive analysis not only assesses the industry's vitality but also seamlessly integrates unique Tekmetric’s partner shop data, presenting a goldmine of opportunities for optimizing shop management.

The result is a compelling narrative that provides a bird's-eye view of auto repair in 2023 and delves into Tekmetric-specific data, to offer shops like yours the actionable insights you need for success in 2024.

Here’s how shops can take advantage of these trends in 2024.

My daughter had been working at my other shop location when that customer stopped by, a woman who was maybe mid-to-late thirties. Had her kids with her. Her car had a lot of problems. My team was about to be the bearer of bad news. 

Her kids were a bit anxious, so my daughter suggested that she go wait at the McDonald’s next door and have a meal. But the woman stayed. 

As my daughter worked with the managers of that shop, she sensed that this woman was extremely stressed. So, being the person she is, my daughter started talking with her. She asked her how she was doing, trying to get her to open up. 

“I’m having this problem with this car, and on top of everything else right now, it’s just too much,” the customer said. 

“I’m really sorry about that,” my daughter replied. “Hopefully, we’ll find a solution. Anything you got going on, anything we can help with?” 

“No, not really at this point. Just know that I appreciate you asking. It's just been a rough month for me.”

Then she started getting teary-eyed. 

“It’s ok, it’s totally ok,” my daughter comforted her. “I can be a friend to talk to.” 

“My husband just died,” the customer said. “He would bring his car here. And now I have the car here for you guys to work on. I’ve got two kids. He died unexpectedly. Everything’s a whirlwind right now. We don’t even have the money to do what we need to do to have a burial for him.” 

My daughter realized that the burden of the car repairs on top of everything else this woman needed to take care of was just too much. No one should ever have to deal with all of that. 

So she called me and told me what was going on. 

“What do you want to do?” I asked.

“Dad,” she cried, “Can we just fix her car for her? We can get her back on the road because she needs to get rolling. She’s got to deal with personal stuff. And then can we get her back to do the other repairs that need to get done? Can we just take care of her?”

So I turned to my team and told them what’s going on, told them what my daughter had asked of us. 

“Is everybody in agreement with that?” 

“Yeah,” they all chimed. 

So I told them to call the vendors and get rock bottom prices on the parts. We’d cover the additional costs for the parts, cover all the labor, and get her back on the road. 

It was an important moment for all of us. It made business come down to the human level. Obviously, shops need money to run. But we saw, with our own eyes, that there’s a greater value in our work than just selling parts and labor.

Have You Outgrown Cash Basis Accounting? Here’s How to Switch to Accrual Basis.

When you think about what makes the holidays a wonderful time of the year, perhaps images of spending time with loved ones, playing in the snow, and sipping hot chocolate come to mind.

Those activities are all part of the holiday spirit. But goodwill and charity also make the holidays a wonderful time of the year. And as an auto repair shop owner, you’re in a unique position to give back to your community.

There are different ways you can pay it forward—and if you end up liking how things go, you can make giving back a year-round activity, rather than just something you do during the holidays.

Many shop owners believe that their Effective Labor Rate (ELR) is the ultimate way to measure shop performance. If you want to boost your ELR, you have two choices:

• Pay your employees less
• Improve your shop efficiency

Since your employees are the lifeblood of your company, team efficiency is the way to go. The more efficient your business is, the better your month-over-month performance will be, positively impacting not only your bottom line but also your peace of mind.

Here are 6 strategies that you can use to boost team efficiency and enhance your ELR.