How to Synergize Your Auto Repair Shop Invoicing Software With the Rest of Your Business

August 28, 2023

Read time: 3 min

Add as a preferred source on Google

Make the Payment Process Flexible

What do drivers need from you and your team? Generally, people need their cars back on the road as soon as possible. However, we don’t all live our lives at the same pace; people have different schedules and availability for pickup, as well as different financial needs. Customers need information about the repair job so they can plan their finances. Vehicle repairs can be expensive, and the estimate process is where drivers see just how expensive a given trip to the shop will be.

Many customers are also best served by an invoicing process that is as touchless as possible. Instead of hanging around a shop, it makes sense for them to be able to drop their car off and come back later, especially as the world manages COVID and other safety or regulatory issues.

Connect Your DVI, Estimate, and Invoicing Processes

Your estimate, invoice, and digital vehicle inspection (DVI) should all connect in your shop. If you’re using multiple systems to send these out, or are missing potential opportunities for automation, you are losing time that could be spent fixing vehicles, servicing customers, and thinking big picture about your business.

The invoicing phase really starts when you produce an estimate and put a number on the table that leads to personal financial decisions for the driver.

DVIs with photos and videos make talking the customer through the work much easier, saving time and stress on both sides of the service desk. Customers who can see the suggested work are more likely to sign off, too, boosting the Gross Profit Dollars and Average Repair Order of your shop.

Of course, the invoice is the final sale. It must leave the customer with a sense of satisfaction and trust, and complete the process with respect to their needs.

The less moving parts in your workflow, the better. Use an auto repair shop invoicing software that connects these three separate steps in a process that is as easy as possible for all involved.

Make Communication Easy

Your auto repair shop invoicing software should be seamless and simple. Does it present options in a way that is easy to understand? Is it simple for drivers to open your invoice?

To keep the payment process smooth and easy, make sure your auto repair shop invoicing software utilizes text-to-pay so that customers can pay from their phone. That small reduction in steps provides a little extra peace-of-mind for your customers so they can worry less about their repairs and continue to focus on their day.

Since the invoicing process really begins with the estimate, you want to make sure that you are able to communicate with customers, and agree upon the repair work as clearly as possible. Any confusion in the estimate process may lead to customers paying more than they expected, and in a worse-case-scenario, a chargeback.

It’s good to have a true two-way text capability built into your invoicing software so that you can clear up any pricing confusion with customers, even when they step away from the shop.

Track Declined Work

Some customers may not be able to pay for all of the work you present. And that’s okay! As long as your software is able to track declined jobs, you can follow up with customers later on down the road.

Following up can lead to extra repair work, and it’s good for drivers, who are trying to manage the maintenance on their vehicles alongside everything else going on in their day-to-day lives. They may not be thinking about when their car needs an oil change or when they need to change their brake pads. By showing that you are thinking about those things, you’re letting them know that you are there to help them out; you’re giving them a little extra service that many other shops can’t or won’t.

Make sure your system has a feature to track declined work, and train your service advisors how to connect with customers who need it.

Tie it to Accounting

There’s no need to duplicate the act of counting invoices or reconciling them. You should be able to integrate your auto repair invoicing software with your accounting software. When an invoice clears, the balance sheet should change, presenting a real-time view of your shop performance. The less lag, the crisper the insights; a delay of several hours between updates can give you an incomplete picture of daily performance.

A clean accounting process makes your job easier in so many ways: cleaner reports, less time tinkering with data, and fast decision making for the health of your business. The simple solution of syncing up your auto repair invoice software with your accounting system will pay dividends for you and anyone else making leadership decisions for your business.

Reinforce Your Brand

The invoicing process is an opportunity to set the stage for further follow-up and touch points in the future: discounts and deals, customer satisfaction surveys, event invites, and follow up on work that needs to be done. A smart invoicing system can drive both leads and conversions.

Are you putting your best face forward on your invoice? Make sure your logo, website, and phone number are on the invoice. Add taglines or other writing that you think will send a positive message to your customers. Anywhere the invoice traces back to (either in the shop or online) should look like an extension of what you send your customers. So keep your website and social media up to date.

If you own multiple shops, make sure there is uniformity across all invoicing systems so that you can reinforce your brand standards no matter which location a driver brings their car to. The more consistent the customer experience, the better it will be for your end customer, and the more you will be able to test ideas for your shop so you can innovate, too.

👉 Ready to grow your automotive business? [Book a personalized Tekmetric Demo Here]

FAQ

Thought Leadership

Inventory Management Best Practices for Auto Repair Shops

May 22, 2023

Read time: 3 min

As a shop owner, you have the ability to tune into your shop’s performance metrics, employees’ bandwidth, and overall profit margins with a few clicks.

Lucas Underwood and David Roman, hosts of the ASOG podcast, recently sat down with Tekmetric CEO Sunil Patel at the Vision Hi-Tech Training and Expo in Kansas City, Kansas.

Sunil shared some key insights into facing challenges, embracing change, streamlining processes, prioritizing customers, and the power of “always starting with why.”

Note: the following answers have been condensed for clarity.

On Facing Challenges and Handling Stress

ASOG: We spoke with PJ Leslie (Tekmetric’s Business Development Director) recently, and he was talking to us about your ability to take anything that comes your way and overcome it.

PJ shared with us that no matter the circumstance, you’re always able to say, “We’re going to get through this, and we’re going to make something from it.”

You created an amazing thing despite the adversity that you’ve faced. How were you able to do that?

Patel: My wife and I went through some hard times with our daughter, Brianna, about a year ago.

And what I told my wife during that time was, “You know what? I’m ready to face this challenge.

We’re going to find the best doctor we can find and the best solution for her. And Brianna will live life one day at a time.

We’re not going to think about the future, we’re going to live life today.”

Since that day it’s been almost ten months and everything has been great. She’s doing beautifully.

A key component to handling stress is delegation.

You’ve got to let go of some of your responsibilities no matter how unnerving it is. Remind yourself that you can continue to keep your momentum on your shop, business, and goals by delegating.

That’s why you have a team—so you can tackle and conquer each task that comes your way.

On Embracing Change and Switching Gears

ASOG: You’ve gone from being a physician to a police officer to an auto repair shop owner, and now you’re the co-founder and CEO of Tekmetric. What made you want to go from physician to shop owner?

Was there a rock bottom for you? Was there a point where you decided, “I don’t want to be a physician any longer?”

Patel: I was fortunate that I never hit rock bottom. I’ve always tried to live in the moment. And I’m always intrigued by learning new things. With that being said, it took me going from industry to industry to learn the skills that helped form Tekmetric.

Let’s say you set a goal for yourself to go to the gym more often.

Now, if you don’t want to go to the gym, then you will keep training your mind to make sure that gym is just not your thing. It’s not until you have a breakthrough that you are able to change your mindset.

You have to train your reticular activating system (RAS), a network of nerve pathways located in the brain stem that mediates overall behavior, so that going to the gym becomes a positive activity.

Along with reminding yourself that you want to go to the gym, write down when you want to make the change and why.

Let’s say this is your goal, 'In March 2023, I will feel great, I will look great, my clothes will fit me better, and I can hear my family and friends saying ‘You’ve done a fantastic job.'

You have to recognize and reframe each limiting belief that is preventing you from achieving your end goal. An example of a limiting belief would be something along the lines of, "Ah, I’ve had a long day, I can just go to the gym tomorrow.' You have to reframe it to, 'I’ve had a long day, time to finish strong with a trip to the gym.'

You have to be very intentional. You truly have to want to reach the finish line.

This concept goes for shop owners, too. If you’re wanting to expand your shop, you’ll need to change the way you’re running your business. You can do that with shop management software.