2024 Tekmetric Recap

With Digital Vehicle Inspections shops can go the extra mile and introduce a new level of transparency through a frictionless experience for the customer.

They can get clear pictures or videos to show them what's wrong, have the inspection results sent to their email, and approve or decline work with just the click of a button.

However, while this is super simple for the customer, for Service Advisors, finding the right inspection can be time-consuming. Especially when your shop is training new service advisors and introducing them to your standard operations.

To save your Service Advisor's time and effort, we are excited to announce our newest feature: Default Inspections. 

This feature streamlines the inspection process and makes it easier for you to provide great service to your customers.

Remember spring and summer of 2020? A lot of us are probably trying to forget and move forward, and we feel you. It was a scary time period for everyone, including the automotive repair industry.

Last April, auto shop owners were wondering, are my customers going to come into the shop? If people stay inside, are they going to drive less? If they drive less, are they still going to come into the shop as frequently? What if other industries are affected, and people have less money for repairs?

We were nervous like everyone else. But anyone who knows Tekmetric knows that we’re committed to driving the auto repair industry forward; we wanted to answer these questions and put Auto Repair Professionals’ minds at ease.

We also wanted to enable shops to not only endure the pandemic but also grow and come out stronger than ever before.

Strength in Numbers

If there’s one thing that makes us feel confident, empowered, and like we know what’s going on, it’s numbers. (Tracking shop performance and providing insights is kind of our thing).

We’ve seen the power of metrics in shops across America, and we know that customers, service advisors, technicians, and the entire auto repair industry benefit when auto shop owners can make informed decisions.

So we launched the TM-500 Index. The TM-500 tracks the Average Repair Order and Car Count of five hundred auto repair shops located across the United States. But data don’t mean squat if it ain’t easy to read. The TM-500 let’s users sort data by time and region so they can quickly explore trends.

Want to know the ARO and Car Count between the months of June and November of 2020? Simply set the time period “by month,” and the TM-500 will generate an easy-to-read graph.

Want to know if shops in midwest states had a higher or lower Car Count than southwest states last summer? Simply set the time period you want to observe, and hover over different regions on a map of the United States to learn how they performed.

Just as the Tekmetric system for auto repair shop management gives shop owners better insights into their shops, the TM-500 gives Auto Repair Professionals better insights into their industry.

But knowing is only half the battle.

A Catalyst for Digital Transformation

The auto repair industry has lagged behind almost every other service industry in how we utilize technology. Almost anyone with a smartphone can order a pizza, sushi, enchiladas, or any other food they want and track it while it’s being delivered to their door.

Meanwhile, someone paying hundreds or even thousands of dollars for a new transmission still has to go in-person and deal with a half-legible piece of paper that feels greasier than the pizza and enchiladas put together!

But we get it. People are sometimes reluctant to change. For many auto shop owners, however, the COVID-19 pandemic was the “now or never” moment to fully digitize their shops.

In 2020, Tekmetric prioritized the rollout of several features we had been working on to help shops provide their customers with the experience they’ve come to expect in almost every other part of their lives. In April of 2020, we rolled out Text-to-Pay, allowing shops to invoice and collect payment via text message.

In November of 2020, we rolled out True Two-Way Texting to make it easy for service advisors and customers to communicate throughout the entire repair process.

Combined, these two features enabled Tekmetric users to provide a completely touchless experience to their customers without sacrificing the quality of their work or customer service.

Much like in other industries, customers who bring their cars in for repairs appreciate the extra service and transparency of a more enhanced, digitally assisted customer experience.

As we watched many shops grow by using Tekmessage and Tekmerchant, we kept an eye on the overall performance of the TM-500. We were able to see when shops began to bounce back in summer after an early slump, and developed other understandings about where the industry was headed.

Over time, we have added new metrics to the TM-500 such as state-by-state Labor Margin, Parts Margin, Effective Labor Rate, and Car Count to gain a more complete picture of these high-performing shops.

What Have We Learned Since the Onset of the Pandemic?

When making conclusions about where the industry is going, we like to be informed by both quantitative and qualitative data.

The numbers give us a factual look at what’s gone up or down, and talking to people in the industry helps us make correlations between how certain behaviors, processes, and principles affect these trends.

Between the data we gathered from the TM-500 and the feedback we were able to gather from talking to auto shop owners, here’s what we have learned.

We’re excited to announce that Tekmetric now supports the new Nexpart Multi-Seller integration! This new integration gives Tekmetric customers one-click access to your entire supply chain. Now it’s easier than ever to build detailed estimates and find the right parts & tires from ALL of your suppliers on ONE screen.

The Largest Parts Network in The Industry

‍For over 25 years Nexpart has been the industry leader in parts cataloging and electronic ordering. Nexpart has built long standing relationships with over 53,000 parts suppliers. In recent years Nexpart released Multi-Seller, an all-in-one ordering system that gives you a bird’s eye view of your entire supply chain.

With Nexpart Multi-Seller you’ll gain access to more suppliers in more places backed by the most comprehensive parts catalog in the industry. Find the right parts for the job fast with real-time inventory and wholesale pricing.

Now Available: 50+ Tire Suppliers For FREE

Need tires? Nexpart Multi-Seller now connects you to over 50 national tire suppliers for FREE. Access big names like ATD, NTW, Tire Rack Wholesale and more all in ONE click!

If your shop is equipped for tire services, it’s now easier than ever to make strong recommendations for any budget and keep your customers in house. With parts & tires plugged directly into Tekmetric, you can add a set of tires to an estimate in seconds. If the customer isn’t quite ready to pull the trigger on a set of tires, simply save the quote in Tekmetric. Boost ARO, and get more ROI out of your tire equipment.

Build Strong Workflows & Stronger Estimates

Tekmetric enables you to create accurate estimates and get approvals faster which saves you time, boosts productivity, and builds customer trust. Keep your repair jobs moving without delays thanks to real-time inventory tracking, immediate access to part availability during job setup, and integrated parts ordering, now with Nexpart  Multi-Seller. With Tekmetric, you can effortlessly monitor all repair jobs and the inventory assets assigned to every vehicle, and if a part isn't available, quickly browse your shop inventory for a swap or order a replacement through Nexpart Multi-Seller, all within a single intuitive program.

Earn Multi-Seller Rewards On Every Parts Order

As an additional benefit, Nexpart Multi-Seller customers earn rewards points on every parts order*. Every $1 spent on parts earns 1 Rewards Point. Multi-Seller shops can redeem points for up to $500/Year in eBay Gift Cards.

*Available to all US and Canadian Nexpart Multi-Seller users. Tire purchases not currently eligible for Rewards. Learn more and see the full terms and conditions.

How To Get Started in Tekmetric

1. Click the Shop Settings section on the bottom left menu bar.
2. Click the Integrations tab.
3. Click Manage from the Nexpart Multi-Seller integration box.
4. Add your Nexpart Multi-Seller Username and Password.
5. For detailed instructions on how to order parts view this video

To learn more about Tekmetric or book a demo, visit https://info.tekmetric.com/nexpart or call 832-787-0900

To learn more about Nexpart Multi-Seller, you can get started and create a free account at www.nexpart.com

Looking for a full walkthrough? Need help setting up your vendors? Schedule an onboarding appointment with a Nexpart Rep.