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We’re excited to announce that Tekmetric, the leading cloud-based shop management system for automotive repair shops, is joining forces with Shopgenie, the leading auto repair shop CRM, to provide a comprehensive all-in-one solution that optimizes operations and drives growth for auto repair shops. This combination is set to combine the best of both worlds, offering shop owners smarter tools, seamless integrations, and enhanced features to optimize operations and drive growth—all from a single, unified platform.

So, what does it mean for our partner shops? Here’s a few of the benefits you’ll see in the coming months: 

• Streamline your operations: Managing your shop requires balancing internal processes while delivering top-notch customer service. With the addition of Shopgenie, we’re not just expanding our platform—we’re creating a true all-in-one solution that addresses the real-world challenges you face every day. Soon, you’ll have one platform, one login, and one phone number for all customer communication, simplifying your workflow and reducing complexity.
• Enhance Customer Engagement: Keep your customers informed and engaged with automated marketing tools, text reminders, and follow-ups. With integrated communication tools, you’ll deliver exceptional service that strengthens relationships and boosts customer loyalty.
• Increase Efficiency & Profitability: Benefit from seamless integrations with CRM, booking, and marketing tools that reduce manual work, streamline operations, and ultimately increase profitability. Plus, you’ll continue to have the flexibility to use Tekmetric’s 70+ integrations in our robust ecosystem, with Shopgenie continuing to build and support integrations with other shop management systems.

Here’s what our leadership has to say:

“This combination sets a new standard for efficiency and customer experience in the industry. At Tekmetric, we are committed to providing shop owners with best-in-class tools to manage and grow their businesses. Similarly, Shopgenie’s ability to solve real-world challenges with intuitive technology has earned it the trust of shop owners nationwide,” said Sunil Patel, Founder and CEO of Tekmetric. “Together, we are building an all-in-one platform that empowers shop owners to attract, retain and serve customers more effectively, driving long-term growth.”

“Tekmetric’s relentless pursuit of innovation and passion for creating products that make shop owners’ lives easier could not be a more perfect fit for Shopgenie and our customers,” said Kieran O’Brien, CEO and Co-Founder of Shopgenie. “Our combined strengths will create a more complete, powerful platform that sets a new standard for auto repair software solutions.”

At Tekmetric, helping shops measure up is at the core of everything we do. With this combination, we’re building a seamless, all-in-one solution to manage every aspect of your shop more effectively. Together, we’re setting a new benchmark for the industry and aim to take your shop to the next level. Learn more at https://www.tekmetric.com/shopgenie.

Choosing the best auto repair software for your shop is essential for staying competitive in today’s digital landscape.  While many shops are adopting digital solutions, the variety of options for the top auto shop software can make the choice overwhelming. To find success, it is important to identify a solution that aligns seamlessly with your business goals and strategy.

What is Auto Repair Shop Software?

Auto repair software is a digital tool shop owners can use to streamline workflows and help with daily tasks like invoices, reporting, and payments. These softwares are designed to make shops run smoother and reduce headaches. Each software has a unique set of features and functionality. This guide was created to help you find the best shop management software and compare and contrast features.

Benefits of Auto Repair Software

Auto repair software can offer a lot of benefits for your shop including:

• Reduced back and forth with customers through two-way texting.
• Quicker inspections leading to more vehicles per day.
• More secure files through cloud-based software versus pen and paper.
• Automated tasks take less time like parts ordering and repair order creation.
• Increased visibility of how your business is doing through real-time dashboards.
• Keep track of customer notes, names, and vehicle history in one place.

All of these benefits improve efficiency in your shop leading to more revenue. Plus, your staff will be able to do more in less time making their lives easier.

Top Shop Management Software Features to Look For

The solution you use in your shop should offer a comprehensive suite of features to streamline operations, enhance your customer experience and increase profitability. These features might take on several forms, so look for options that fall into one of the following five categories:

• Security Features
• Convenience Features
• Trust Features
• Efficiency Features
• Expansion Features

Security Features

The best automotive repair shop software is one that prioritizes security. Your shop collects tons of data both internally and externally each day. Not only do you store information on your shop’s productivity and financial performance, but vehicle owners also entrust you with their personal information. In all cases, that information should be stored safely and protected by your software solution. Some key features to look for include:

• Cloud-based. Cloud-based systems are one of the most secure solutions available. Not only is the data stored in a cloud-based system available to you anytime, anywhere, but it is also regularly backed up to provide an additional layer of protection against unforeseen events like natural disasters or equipment failures.
• Third-party security certification. Third-party certifications validate a shop management system’s commitment to data protection. Tekmetric recently achieved SOC II Type 2 Compliance, demonstrating its dedication to safeguarding customer data in five areas: security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality and privacy.

Convenience Features

When customers have an excellent, convenient experience, they are more likely to return to your shop for future repairs. The best car repair software you can use in your shop helps you personalize the customer experience for your target audience and improve customer communication. Here are some customer-centric features to consider:

• Digital payment solutions. With features like integrated payments, buy now pay later and text-to pay, customers can pay in a manner that works best for them, allowing them to pick up their car after hours, pay invoices from their office and even complete a payment for their college student from states away.
• Two-way texting. Two-way texting features can streamline communications, allowing your team to easily text with customers. With two-way texting, you can even designate your shop’s existing landline number as the contact to avoid confusion.
• Automation. With automation-based features like SmartJobs, your service advisors can create jobs in only one or two clicks, allowing them to focus less on manual tasks and more on interacting with customers.

Trust Features

In the auto repair industry, creating customer loyalty is critical for differentiating your shop and driving business. Your customers will keep coming back if they trust your team and the services you provide. As you search for the best shop management software for your shop, look for a solution that helps you increase transparency and build trust with new and existing customers alike. Some features might include:

• Digital vehicle inspections. DVIs allow technicians to complete a comprehensive inspection of the vehicle and send customers pictures and videos of any repairs it might need. This strategy helps customers better understand what is happening with their vehicle, making them more likely to agree to necessary repairs.
• Educational integrations. Some integrations can help educate your customers on the necessity of a repair or how their vehicle should work. With Tekmetric’s integration with MotoVisuals, for example, customers can view animated videos of proposed repairs that explain why these repairs are vital for their vehicle. This creates a seamless experience for your customers while building trust and strengthening the relationship.

Efficiency Features

In addition to providing secure data storage and enhancing your customer experience, investing in auto repair software can also help your mechanic shop run more efficiently. The best auto repair software for you should offer customizable functionality that streamlines your internal processes and workflow to help you finish repairs on time. Here are some features that promote efficiency:

• Inventory orders. In addition to building the estimates, a comprehensive shop management system can support your team in ordering parts and managing inventory. Tekmetric has created an inventory management solution that enables your technician to order parts as they are completing the repair diagnosis. This streamlines the work order process and removes any potential miscommunications between technicians and managers or service advisors ordering parts, leading to a more accurate and efficient process.
• Automatic progress updates. Tekmetric automatically updates new notes within a repair order for all team members to view the updates as soon as they are entered. Service advisors can then automatically send these updates to the customer, so the customer remains informed even if the service advisor is occupied with another task. With automatic updates, the customer has a play-by-play of the repair – and they can complete the next task, such as approval or payment, without any back-and-forth over the phone or having to come in person.
• Mobile App for 24/7 access. A mobile app can help your technicians perform inspections faster and be able to take pictures/videos right from their device. Mobile apps can also help shop owners check on reporting and dashboards while away from their desks.
• Shop dashboard real-time reporting. Reviewing dashboards in real-time allows you to respond to potential bottlenecks or problems that arise throughout the day. For example, you can review your profitability early in the week and determine if you’re on the right path or if you need to take steps such as calling customers for approvals or following up on declined work to generate more repairs.

Expansion features

One common mistake shop owners make is buying an auto repair shop management software that only meets their current needs. The best auto repair softwares grow with your business and can integrate with other products.

• Integrations. Each auto repair shop is unique and has different needs. In addition, each shop will grow and have new emerging needs down the road. Purchase an auto repair shop software that meets your current needs and can integrate with other features you will need later on. Ask fellow shop owners which integrations they find helpful and learn from their success.
• Multi-Location. If you are a shop owner with a vision to expand into multiple locations, make sure your auto repair software can handle the task. Tekmetric offers multi-shop management where you can view all of your reports in one place and streamline your workflow across locations.
• New Services and Products. Do you envision your shop offering tires or other products in the future? Not all auto repair softwares are built equal, so make sure your software is up the task.

What is the best auto repair shop software?

The best automotive repair shop software for you is one that allows you to run your business smoothly while also supporting security, convenience and transparency between you and your customers. When your software supports these areas, you will be better poised to streamline your shop’s processes and create a better customer experience – ultimately driving your bottom line.

Choosing a software is a personal decision based on your specific business strategy, budget, customers and team. Fortunately, many softwares have advanced features that can be customized to your goals and needs. These advanced features come at a price and each software has differing pricing plans. Make sure your research includes pricing and what the ROI will be for your shop.

Final Thoughts

When researching the right shop management solution for your shop, look for the right features to meet your needs and workflow. Another expert tip is to utilize unbiased review platforms like G2 to discern which software is best for you. Lastly, network and connect with fellow shop owners and see what they recommend.

The checkered flag is in sight, moving to the last stretch of the race at a good pace! As Tekmetric kicked off Q3, we focused on two main priorities: streamlining the customer experience and enhancing our relationships within the auto repair industry. With a customer-obsessed approach, Tekmetric is committed to driving product innovation through these two avenues, as we continue to evolve and better serve you – our partner shops.

Streamlining the Customer Experience from Beginning to End

This quarter, we made it our goal to continue helping shops improve the customer experience from start to finish. The customer experience involves streamlining operations at every level, so the vehicle can be safely repaired and back on the road as soon as possible. From estimate to the final payment, our end goal is to help you be as efficient as possible.

As part of our efforts this quarter, we sought to identify and eliminate bottlenecks to enhance shop efficiency while meeting customers where they want to be. We also implemented updates that many of you, our partner shops, have recommended to keep Tekmetric relevant to the entire shop experience. Together, these updates combine to create a stronger shop management system that helps your shop run smoothly and ultimately supports growth over time: 

• Simpler Day-to-Day With Enhanced Data Integrations: With ALLDATA and TireFitment,  service advisors can now get labor and tire data directly from these integrations within the Tekmetric platform.
• Tire Purchasing Made Easy: With Tire Suite you can manage all tire operations directly from the platform including compliance, regulatory standard adherence, inventory management, and even purchasing via our integration with PartsTech. 
• Increased Transparency in Inspections: Through our integrations with Advance’s MotoVisuals, you can now more easily educate your customers with repair animations.    iCustomer Comms Simplified: We added template messages and the ability to adjust text verbiage for estimate, inspection and invoice links, which limits redundancy and streamlines communication.
• Increased Payment Flexibility With BNPL: Our partnership with Affirm allows shops to meet vehicle owners where they are with flexible payment plans for nearly any budget or repair need, including Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL). Customers who introduce BNPL see a 3x increase in ARO. 

Growing Relationships Within the Industry

As Tekmetric continues to streamline and enhance the customer experience, we are also focused on strengthening our relationships within the auto repair industry. As a customer-obsessed shop management system, we aim to support shops in providing the highest quality service to vehicle owners they can – and this wouldn’t be possible without valuable feedback and insights from you, our partner shops. This approach allows us to better understand the real challenges you face, so we can provide innovative solutions that help you accomplish your goals and succeed in a market where the consumer expects more from their repair shops.

You may have seen us at the Shop Hackers Conference in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, where Adam McInturff, VP of Sales and Phil Acree, Head of Payment Sales presented on our latest features and upcoming innovations. We also spoke to many of you about the trends you are seeing in the industry and how Tekmetric can support your needs – from hiring service writers to succession planning. We continued these conversations at ATE Spokane in Washington and ASCCA in California and gathered key insights as we look ahead to the end of 2024 and the beginning of a new year. 

Thanks to you and your key feedback shared through these conversations, Tekmetric has been able to provide excellent service and innovative solutions throughout this quarter, resulting in recognition from the G2 Summer Awards in these categories: Overall Leader, Best Usability, Most Implementable and Momentum Leader. In addition, Tekmetric was named the best auto shop management software by G2. This recognition is a significant testament to the support of each of you, your teams and the valuable insights you provide.  

Aspiring To Inspire with Thought Leadership

For Tekmetric, customer relationships aren’t confined to the walls of a conference room. We also aimed to share the knowledge through webinars and conversations with industry outlets that sparked important conversations about what’s changing in our industry. 

With our webinars, our aim is to help you uncover actionable insights that you can apply to grow your shop. Some of these conversations included our webinar, “Innovate to Elevate,” led by John Phelps, Director of Channel and Partnerships, where he talked about transforming the customer journey with the end goal of streamlining operations and boosting customer satisfaction. Similarly in our payments webinar, Phil Acree, Head of Payments covered the current state of consumer financing and how shops can enhance the customer experience regarding the payment process.

We also shared this knowledge through key industry outlets, so you can share and discuss with your team, including:

• Future proof your shop exit strategy. P.J. Leslie, Director of Business Development, along with Matthew Schwab, owner of Clutch Automotive, shared tips to prepare your shop for the future and retirement by building a well-crafted exit plan so exiting shop owners can confidently step into the next phase of their lives, knowing they have set up a legacy for their shop.
• Strategic use of evergreen and real-time data. We also published an article with Vehicle Service Pros titled, “Using numbers to supercharge your shop’s performance, where we discussed how to use real-time and evergreen data to expand your shop.

As we leave an upbeat Q3, Tekmetric continues to keep its eye on the finish line for this year: helping shops enhance the customer experience through product innovation. We are very proud that our commitment to a two-way relationship with our customers has been the driving force behind every improvement and our collaborative approach with other leaders in the industry enables us to build a steady foundation for continuous innovation. We aim to continue measuring up as we enter the final quarter of 2024.

Breast cancer is the most diagnosed cancer among women in the U.S. after skin cancer. In fact, there are currently more than four million women with a history of breast cancer in the U.S. Most, if not all of us know someone who has been greatly impacted by this disease.

Founded in 2011, Brakes for Breasts unites independent auto repair shops to support people affected by breast cancer and donate to ongoing research for a cure. You may have heard the saying, “prevention is better than cure.” Brakes for Breasts takes that to the next level through the belief that “prevention is the cure.” The organization offers participating shops a chance to raise money for the Cleveland Clinic Breast Cancer Vaccine Fund, supporting the creation of a vaccine that can prevent TNBC (triple negative breast cancer). 

Today, Brakes for Breasts has expanded to work with hundreds of shops nation-wide, raising more than $1.8 million. Its founders, Leigh Ann Best and Laura Frank, are both powerhouses in the auto repair industry who established Brakes for Breasts to raise money for breast cancer research and provide a bigger voice to women in the auto repair industry. 

In 2020, Tekmetric donated more than $10,000 to Brakes for Breasts. This year, our goal is to donate even more – and we need your help! There are multiple ways to participate:

• Sign up with Tekmetric. During the month of October, Tekmetric will donate $50 to the Brakes for Breasts campaign for every new shop that signs up for Tekmetric. 
• Share the campaign with your customers. If you are a TechNet shop, make sure your customers know that when they come to you for a qualifying brake service between September 1 and October 31, you are offering a rebate on qualifying brake pads that they can choose to donate to the fund.   
• Donate directly. Participating independent repair shops can work directly with Brakes for Breasts by offering customers free brake pads on brake jobs in the month of October, then donating 10% of the labor from that brake service to the fund. 
• Donate with Tekmetric's fundraising link. If you want to go straight to Brakes for Breasts without any brakes, use this link to donate any dollar amount to Brakes for Breast. You can choose between a one-time donation or a monthly contribution.

All proceeds will go towards The Cleveland Clinic Breast Cancer Vaccine Research Fund. The end goal is to create a vaccine that can create a world free of breast cancer.

Brakes for Breasts is a tremendous opportunity for your shop to partner with your local community to benefit people affected by breast cancer. Our customer Austin Blanton, owner of Import Auto Shop, experienced this phenomenon first-hand when his shop participated in previous years: “When you’re worried about money and busy dealing with operations stuff, you can lose sight of paying it forward. For example, one of the things we did last year was get involved with Brakes for Breasts.” 

As we aim to focus on our customers, we are also happy to be part of initiatives that will transform lives for generations to come. For our customers who have been impacted by this disease, the month of October honors what you have overcome to be here. By promoting further research and support of your journey, we hope to support the creation of better cancer care for all who are impacted by this disease. Let’s hit the brakes on breast cancer and work towards a cure together!

This month we were all about operational efficiency saving you time in messaging customers, managing employees, and staying on top of your inventory. Your time is your money. So be sure to take advantage of these features to save time in your day. 

Save Time With Template Messages 

Effective communication is vital to a high quality customer experience. However, it can be time consuming and frankly, repetitive. That’s why we’ve introduced templated messages.

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Your top 3 most used customer messages (inspection, estimate, and invoice) can now be customized to fit your shop’s communication needs and voice. These are fully customizable and paired with the ability to create any other message template you’d like. 

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Who’s this for?: Customers on our Scale Tier with Tekmessage turned on. 

Learn more about default messages                        Learn more about message templates 

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Manage Employees Easily Across Your Shops 

Have employees that work across your multiple locations? Well, managing them just got easier. This month we put out two separate releases that allow you to seamlessly create, move between shops, and delete employees right from the MSO dashboard. No more hopping in and out of each shop’s profile.

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Who’s this for?: Customers with our multi-shop add-on package.  

Learn more  

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Manage Inventory More Effectively With The Inventory Feed 

Managing inventory effectively is crucial for shop operations. To help shops stay on top of pricing and quality changes we’ve introduced the Inventory Activity Feed. This will now automatically log stock orders, parts moved into inventory, and purchase order cost updates. 

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Who’s this for?: All customers. 

Learn More 

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See Continuous Improvement of Our ALLDATA Integration 

In August, we launched our ALLDATA integration, offering you yet another option for labor guide integration with Tekmetric’s shop management system. Since then, we’ve continued to improve it including the introduction of vehicle specification information and a search bar for easy navigation. 

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Who’s this for?: Customers on our Grow and Scale Tiers who integrate with the ALLDATA labor guide. 

Learn More About This Integration 

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In an era where digital solutions are rapidly transforming industries, the auto repair space is no exception. Fortunately, in addition to increasing efficiency and streamlining customer service, this growing reliance on digital systems also offers an opportunity to enhance transparency. Transparency is essential to building trust and empowering vehicle owners with the knowledge they need to make informed decisions regarding repairs. When leveraged correctly, digital solutions can bridge the gap between auto repair shops and customers, creating opportunities for transparency from the moment the customer brings the vehicle to your shop to the final payment and pick-up.

Using Technology to Educate Your Customers

In an industry where trust is paramount, educating your customers is one of the best value-adds you can offer. When done conveniently and thoroughly, education can help the customer better understand their vehicle’s problems, the necessity of the proposed repairs and what additional repairs need immediate attention. This in turn allows them to make the best decision for the health of their vehicle and their safety as the driver.

Digital solutions can play a significant role in educating customers. In conjunction with the technicians who complete the repair, service advisors are in a unique position to educate the customer about their vehicle and repairs. When the service advisor takes the time to clearly share the technician’s diagnosis and proposed repairs, the customer can better understand where their money is going. Digital solutions can help streamline this process, which makes customers more likely to approve repairs – ultimately driving your average repair order. Some digital solutions include:

• Digital Vehicle Inspections. Aside from cost, customers care about two things when it comes to repairs: what repair is needed to get the car back on the road, and how long it will take. DVIs fulfill both needs – and they provide the information in a digital format the customer can easily access and understand. With the right mix of photos and videos sent to the customer, vehicle owners can see the healthy and unhealthy parts of their vehicle. By using DVIs as a tool to educate your customers clearly and conveniently, you can foster a relationship based in trust and transparency from the beginning.
• MotoVisuals. Tekmetric’s MotoVisuals integration makes explaining tricky car problems easy. MotoVisuals offers a wide selection of simple-to-follow animated videos about general vehicle repairs to accompany your DVI. By sharing a MotoVisuals video with the vehicle owner, you can leverage top-notch visuals to effortlessly explain repairs without confusing tech jargon. This can help make it an easy “yes” for the vehicle owner when it comes to approving repairs.  

Building Trust by Meeting Customers Where They Are

A big part of establishing transparency in your shop is creating convenience for your customers. Through convenient digital tools, you can share information with customers easily and clearly in a format they can access anytime, anywhere. For example, by facilitating a convenient, two-way digital conversation, you can share repair updates and answer questions all through a simple text. You can even share photos and videos to further illustrate your recommendations. When customers can text you and get immediate responses, they can rest assured that your shop will meet their needs in an efficient manner.

At Tekmetric, two-way texting and text-to-pay both build on convenience through transparent communication, from repair questions to financial needs and payment options:

• Two-way texting. Two-way texting allows for open communication between your shop and the customer in a format that is accessible anytime, from anywhere. Nearly all parts of the repair process can be completed via text, from sharing DVIs to gaining customer approvals.  Customers can view images of their car and ask questions, and the service advisor can respond with clear explanations or even share videos through MotoVisuals. This also creates a simple, transparent record of the repair process, including time and date stamps, whether a customer viewed the message and more.
• Text-to-pay. Vehicle repairs are often one of the most expensive purchases a customer can make. Therefore, it’s important to offer financial options that are easy to access, so they can easily review the invoice and submit payment. Text-to-pay provides the tools shop owners need to offer a seamless, convenient payment experience for customers, while keeping data secure and fully integrated into the Tekmetric system.

Establishing Transparency Through Secure Digital Payment Options

Transparency is critical from start to finish in the auto repair process. You work hard to establish and build trust with the vehicle owner throughout the repair – so it’s crucial to maintain the same level of transparency at the final touchpoint: the payment. After the repair, you should offer a secure form of payment your customer will be able to review, clearly understand and complete in a format that is easiest for them.

• Buy Now, Pay Later. When it comes to finances, most repairs are surprise purchases for vehicle owners. Even with a budget, there is no way a customer can anticipate the exact cost of the necessary repair ahead of time. By offering payment installment options through Buy Now, Pay Later, shop owners can demonstrate transparency about the total cost of the repairs while providing options for financing so the customer can complete the repair while adhering to their budget.
• Integrated Payments. Shops run more efficiently with integrated payments due to a visible, centralized location. Integrated payments allow customers to pay without being at the shop or needing a physical credit card. Within one click, the customer can pay, streamlining the final part of the customer experience and maximizing the shop’s workflow through a quick and painless payment process.

Transparency fosters greater trust and loyalty between auto repair shops and vehicle owners. By providing clear and open communication throughout the auto repair process, shops can build stronger relationships, gain new business and increase customer satisfaction. The more transparent you are, the greater the vehicle owner’s trust in your shop. This enhances your reputation and your business performance, leading to more customers, an excellent customer experience and ultimately greater profitability.