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.
Scaling your auto repair business requires moving beyond simple spreadsheets and paper repair orders. You need a robust shop management software that has enterprise-level features, centralized real-time reporting, and helps you provide a consistent customer experience across locations.
This guide breaks down the top enterprise software solutions for auto repair shops with 2+ locations.
Top 5 Enterprise Solutions for Shops With Multiple Locations
Finding the right software partner for your expanding shop is critical to your success. Below you will find our top overall picks for multi-shop operators (MSOs).
Multi-shop owners love Tekmetric because they can run their entire business, across all locations, from one platform. Featuring an all-in-one shop management solution with centralized real-time reporting, marketing, payments, and 70+ integrations, Tekmetric makes it easier for you to manage multiple locations. Why we picked Tekmetric:
Centralized reporting: Real-time dashboards enable you to see how each location is performing. You can track financials, employee performance, shop metrics, ARO, car count, and more.
All-in-one solution: Instead of switching between platforms, Tekmetric offers shop management, POS, and CRM in one place.
Company history: Built by a former shop owner, Tekmetric is often praised for ease of use, simple onboarding, reliable support, and listening to customer feedback.
Shop-Ware is designed to help you maintain consistency across multiple locations with unified customer history, reporting, and employee management features.
Why we picked Shop-Ware:
Reporting: Find the metrics that matter the most to your business.
Customer experience: Standardize your customer experience across locations.
Employee management: Easily compare employee productivity and manage permission levels.
Protractor is a popular shop management system for shops with multiple locations or franchises. Protractor offers advanced reporting features and shop management features so you can run your shop confidently.
Why we picked Protractor:
Reporting: Performance tracking, insights, and employee productivity monitoring.
Fullbay specializes in heavy-duty truck and trailer repair shops. Most standard shop software struggles with the complexity of fleet maintenance, but Fullbay was built for it.
Why we picked Fullbay:
Centralized inventory: Track parts and inventory across all locations.
Integrations: Fullbay has plenty of industry interrogations to keep your shop running.
If you are looking for a lighter software solution, Garage360 might be a good option for your shop. Supporting quick-lube, body/collision, and fleet, Garage360 can be used in a variety of shops.
Why we picked Garage360:
Versatile: Can be used in multiple shop types.
Permission control: Manage your employee permissions across locations.
Reporting: Pull the data you need to make informed decisions.
Pricing: Starting at $79/mo (billed annually).
Which software features should I look for when I manage multiple shops?
If you are comparing software options for your chain operations, these are the modern features to look for:
Centralized real-time reporting: Tired of trying to guess how each shop location is performing? Pick a software that can pull the data you need from any location or aggregate it across shop locations within a user-friendly dashboard.
Inventory/parts management: Tracking parts can be difficult as you expand. Find a solution that can track inventory levels and transfer parts as needed across locations.
Standardized workflows: Having standard workflows streamlines your shop operations. Select a software that can standardize your operations, prices, and procedures.
Employee permissions:Managing employee permissions is critical to ensuring the safety of your company data and holding employees accountable. Pick a software that keeps your business secure.
Single vs. Multi-Location Management: What are the differences?
Why can’t you just use a single-shop system? The difference lies in automation and control.
Standardization: In a multi-location setup, you need to ensure that technicians at every shop are following the same workflow and procedures so your customer experience is consistent.
Visibility: Single shop software may have reporting, but you need to be able to compare metrics between shops to make informed business decisions.
Security: Multi-shop software provides employee permission settings and typically comes with advanced data protection.
Pricing: Most single-shop software options will charge you per user or limit repair orders. Enterprise software will grow with you and charge based on the number of locations.
Final Thoughts
Choosing an enterprise-level auto repair shop software isn't just about features; it's about finding a partner that helps you maintain a consistent customer experience as you grow. Whether you prioritize inventory management, deep metrics, or standard procedures, ensure you find a solution that can grow with you.
Thought Leadership
Shop Management
Best Auto Repair Software for Multiple Locations (Full Guide)
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