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.
Show Your Customers the Problem with Digital Vehicle Inspections
First and foremost is perhaps the most obvious, but digital vehicle inspections are so powerful they're always worth mentioning.
Implementing digital vehicle inspections into your day-to-day shop regimen will help you show customers the severity of specific repairs. During the inspection, service advisors can send videos and photos to the customer to show them any maintenance issues, build trust, and either sell that work or capture it as a declined job.
As we all know, a picture speaks a thousand words. With digital vehicle inspections, you can write a story for the customer using pictures and explanations of any vehicle issues your technicians found. We've seen Tekmetric users on average include 5 images within their DVIs, and up to 20 and more images for really large repair orders.
Instantly Text Message Your Customers
Modern features help your shop provide a modern experience, and that starts with communication. You don't have to waste valuable time dealing with scattered, inconsistent customer communication when we have modern tools available.
Cloud-based shop management systems let managers and service writers easily communicate with customers without missing a beat with real-time texting directly from your shop's landline phone number. It all happens on your end within Tekmetric, along-side crucial customer information, inspection findings, parts availability, and so much more.
Not to mention shops can even let their customers pay for their repairs through a text message, no matter where they are. We've even seen shops setup a contact-less drop-off and pick-up process with an old-school key-drop system, and modern shop management systems that let service writers text and receive payments anywhere, anytime.
Offer Consistent Service Customers Can Trust with Canned jobs
Shops that can simplify workflows and standardize their processes will get cars in and out quicker, free up their time to provide a better customer experience, and can focus on keeping operations flowing smoothly.
Canned jobs are pre-saved jobs that include labor and parts associated with common repair work done. We recommend you build canned jobs for services you provide frequently in your shop to save your service writers time when generating repair orders.
Tekmetric’s BG Canned Jobs gives your repair shop the ability to provide customers with high-quality maintenance service backed by BG’s industry-leading products.
Tekmetric already empowers your team to assemble ROs in minutes with integrated labor guides, canned jobs, and customizable parts orders. But with BG products, you can ensure that your customer will be getting safe, reliable, and high quality products every time a power steering, transmission, and brake RO is created.
Transform Your Shop with Tekmetric
Tekmetric’s features empower auto repair shops to improve customer transparency, streamline communication, provide flexible payment options, and simplify the payment process.
And this helps build customer trust, enhance satisfaction, and drive more repair orders. By utilizing Tekmetric's comprehensive features, auto shops optimize operations, deliver exceptional service, and cultivate long-term customer relationships.
When he set off to create Tekmetric, founder and CEO Sunil Patel had an ace up his sleeve: experience running his independent auto repair shop.
Running a repair shop is the background of everything we do. It's that partnership between Tekmetric and the auto repair shops that leverage the platform daily that enable us to build the absolute best tool for the job: running an independent auto repair shop.
So we set out on a mission to deepen our connection with our customers and understand each shop's unique challenges and wins by visiting as many customers as possible.
We wanted to understand the unique challenges and victories each shop faces, to truly deepen our connection with you. The results? It blew us away. Your stories, your shops and your teams are the heart of what we do. You inspire us every day to provide the best solutions for the independent auto repair industry.
Tekmetric's Customer Obsession
Whether your shop is general repair, like brakes, fluids and check engine lights, or a specialized business focused on older European cars, there’s one thing that’s always the same: the amazing, critical work your shop does to get people back on the road!
And it’s your amazing shops that use Tekmetric that make all this possible. Our customers' valuable feedback is what helps us develop a better platform, and the proof is in the pudding.
No one knows what it takes to run an independent auto repair shop better than the teams that rely on Tekmetric to power their operations.
Here's what we heard from shops and why they love Tekmetric:
Tekmetric's ease of use and simplicity in running your shop
Everything you need to run your shop is organized, tracked, and maintained in one tool.
Whether you're a shop owner peaking into real-time performance reports or analyzing shop trends, a general manager ensuring cars flow quickly and efficiently through your shops, a service advisor supporting customers, or even a technician fixing cars, Tekmetric can help your shop operate like a well-oiled inline 6.
Tekmetric empowers shop to grow and reach their next level
We constantly hear how shop owners have leveraged Tekmetric to grow their business in ways they never expected.
Whether that means opening and managing multiple locations, simply adding a few new bays moving into a larger location, or even expanding your operations to service more customers, Tekmetric's simplicity and complete control over your shop makes it easy to track, plan, and grow.
Tekmetric's commitment to transparency and communication
Because we're so customer-obsessed, we're always here to help! As a cloud-based solution, Tekmetric helps run your shop by doing a lot of the operational "heavy lifting," so to speak.
Not only do we provide the right tools for the job, but we're here to partner with your shop. Our support doesn't end, and we're always a quick message or phone call away, anytime you need support!
Our Commitment to Shops Like Yours
Because we're here to help your great shop get even better, we're always open to hearing how we can make Tekmetric even better!
Your auto repair labor revenue and parts margins are critical for enhancing your shop’s profitability. Adjusting your pricing on parts to make a profit is pretty straightforward.
But when it comes to labor times for auto repair shops…that’s where things can get a bit tricky.
Yes, you need competitive labor rates, but you also need to keep those rates reasonable so you don’t scare off your customers with sky-high prices.
3 ways your shop can make more money on labor:
By using a labor matrix
By creating custom labor rates
By applying a labor guide markup
Before we dive into the differences between these three methods for setting the best labor times at your shop, here’s a quick refresher on the one thing these methods have in common: the labor guide.
What is a Labor Guide?
A labor guide is like the gospel of labor times for auto repair shops. It tells you how long, on average, it takes to complete different types of repair work.
Remember that the times listed in auto repair labor guides are averages, so it’s best to treat them as a starting point.
The answer to that question depends on a number of factors, and getting the right categorization for each part is crucial for maintaining healthy profit margins while minimizing the risk of rush orders and frustrated customers.
Inventory and Stock Management to Minimize Complexity
When you and your team are replacing parts during repairs, it’s important to consider what parts you have on hand versus what parts you’ll need to order.
If you don’t, you risk overstocking and sinking money into too many units of a particular type of part, or understocking and making a customer wait while you hope that the expedited shipping for a part pulls through.
By having the right inventory and stock management processes in place, you can make it easier for your service advisors and technicians to avoid frustrations.
Here are some best practices for inventory and stock management at your auto repair shop.