5 Benefits of Digital Vehicle Inspections For Your Shop

Safeguarding the physical and digital confidential assets of your business is of utmost importance for any repair shop owner. However, figuring out the right steps to initiate this process can be challenging.

The Importance of Security

Shop owners must always know who is coming in and out of their shops, this can be monitored by alarms and security camera systems throughout and around the building to insure the physical protection of the digital systems within the shop.

For those who are working in the shop, they should be trained on the protection of proprietary data within the shop by implementing password management, data integrity, and regular system backups.

Finding the Right Tools for the Job

Choosing a shop management system such as Tekmetric can help you manage your shop more efficiently, automate your processes and improve your overall customer communications while keeping your data secure and protected.

Shop management systems have proven to be beneficial for protecting data in the case of natural disasters or fires. When you are looking for a shop management system to protect your data be sure to choose the system that is transparent regarding their systems data backup process and insurance in the event of a breach. ‍

Switching to the Cloud

Deciding to make the switch to cloud-based systems for data storage and accessibility such as Tekmetric can give shop employees and owners peace of mind knowing that their digital confidential assets are safe and secure.

Training and empowering employees on how to protect digital information is equally as important as physically protecting your shop with security alarms, cameras and locks.

By implementing the right processes and tools, shop owners and their employees can be confident that their shop's data is secure, accessible and protected from unexpected crises. 

For more information, view our data security checklist here. 

It is often said that “a picture is worth a thousand words.”  When it comes to vehicle inspections, you could even say a photo is worth a thousand happy customers. Digital vehicle inspections (DVIs), complete with photos and videos, give your customers a clear picture of their vehicle’s status and empower them to make well-informed decisions regarding repairs. This not only enhances the customer experience but also fosters a culture of trust and builds long-lasting relationships. Take a look at three ways DVIs can drive growth and success in your shop: 

1. Fostering trust with photos and videos of repairs for approval. 

Digital vehicle inspections provide the clearest way your associates can tell a customer what you found within their vehicle and the possible solutions. Using the media the technician captures, the vehicle owner is empowered to make a knowledgeable decision based on your technical knowledge and experience. 

Sending the customer six to eight photos and videos more than 50% of the time leads to a higher ARO. Not sending enough photos and videos may not give the customer enough information on the health of their vehicle. Conversely, too many images and videos can overwhelm the customer. Capturing the full state of the vehicle with just the right number of photos and videos facilitates a culture of transparency and builds trust with customers, enhancing their experience and leading to more repeat business.

2. Proactively monitoring overall vehicle health.

“I should only get my car inspected if something seems off.” Wrong! A great way to view DVIs is to think about them in terms of overall vehicle health. A thorough DVI can not only provide insight into the customer’s original complaint; it can also give you a full picture of other issues that might be impacting the vehicle or will in the future. Just as you might need blood work and X-Rays for a correct diagnosis from your doctor, a DVI done correctly can provide insight into the health of your vehicle and help technicians make strong, educated repair recommendations.

Completing a routine “check-up” with DVIs can verify if the vehicle is in top-notch shape or proactively identify issues a customer might not see. Even if a customer does not want regular check-ups, technicians can still complete a thorough DVI when the vehicle comes in for repairs and potentially prevent further issues down the road. DVIs go beyond simply making a profit. They are a tool used to build a relationship with customers and ensure their safety on the road.

3. Educating the customer with convenient, easy-to-understand explanations. 

DVIs seek to leave no questions unanswered. When vehicle owners are presented with the option for a repair, they need to know two things: information about the problem and the benefits of the repair. This is where DVIs come in as an opportunity to educate the vehicle owner and give them the information they need to make the right decision. 

With Tekmetric’s MotoVisuals integration, the recommended repairs in a DVI are accompanied by educational videos and animations that give more context to the issue and how the technician’s proposed repair can benefit the vehicle owner. This provides a greater understanding of the repair process for your customers – they can even share the videos with a car-minded partner or friend for a second opinion. By educating the customer on the purpose of a repair, it gives them more confidence in your shop.

Ultimately, DVIs lead to a higher close ratio and ARO because they present the information in a transparent manner that leads to greater trust. When vehicle owners can see the why behind their repairs and understand the value of the solutions you are offering them, they’re more likely to return. As a result, you are setting your shop to experience increased customer retention, stronger relationships with your customers and ultimately, greater profitability.

Tekmetric has remained committed to 2024 as a year filled with product innovation, providing updates that included feedback from our customers to demonstrate our commitment to a customer-centric approach as we continue to grow. From product updates and attending industry events to elevating our approach to data security, the second quarter has built on the first quarter’s momentum, leading to a vibrant first half of 2024.

Supporting Shops by Enhancing Efficiency

Tekmetric is systematically seeking opportunities to better understand the needs of shop owners and how our product can help shops run more efficiently. Building on our commitment to enhancing shop effectiveness, we focused Q2 on implementing updates that significantly bolster operational efficiency across the board.

Having the right technical team is essential, and with our latest update, shops can now assign multiple technicians to a single job, ensuring greater collaboration and efficiency. This update allows more experienced technicians to supervise staff technicians regarding more complex jobs, giving staff technicians an opportunity to experience hands-on learning. Overall, having multiple technicians on a single job improves efficiency by allowing you to align and prioritize your technician resources.

In addition to the multiple technician updates, we also released the Inventory Activity Feed. To ensure smooth operations and profitability, it's crucial to understand the flow of money. Inventory plays a necessary role in this process and with this update, shop owners now have an extra eye to spot inconsistencies in pricing and quantity. This new feature allows shops to monitor key changes made to parts inventory, identify and rectify errors and enhance operational efficiency and employee training initiatives.

As we move into Q3, we continue to strive for further updates that increase productivity within internal operations or streamline the customer experience from the first touchpoint until repair completion and beyond.

Commitment to Education and Learning Opportunities in the Industry

In an industry as complex as auto repair, there is no shortage of learning opportunities to improve your shop or learn how to incorporate customer feedback into our ongoing improvements.

At Tekmetric, we value a commitment to growing our knowledge base and sharing that with our peers at various events, whether it be in-person conferences or through webinars. Our dynamic duo John Phelps and P.J. Leslie attended WorldPac STX in Nashville, Tennessee in late April to share with repair shops key strategies to boost profits through enhanced customer experiences. Their presentation included leveraging digital tools and enhancing the digital buying experience, transforming buyer trends into revenue drivers and customer retention through excellent experiences.

From there, P.J. had two additional speaking opportunities at Thoroughbred Diesel in Winchester, Kentucky and AASPA Tools in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania in the month of May where he presented on How Customer Experience Can Change An Industry. At both events, he shared his expertise regarding digital purchasing experiences, leveraging trends for revenue growth, mastering customer retention strategies, and surpassing expectations of the CX generation. Additionally, John Phelps, made an appearance on the Changing the Industry podcast where he discussed Career Shifts and Setting Industry Standards. At Tekmetric, we believe that the desire to give and improve the lives of our customers is ultimately what will drive your business to reach its full potential.

We participated in the ASI & ASTA Summer Social in Apex, North Carolina which provided an opportunity to network and connect with shop owners and tire dealers from the area. Our participation at these events helps us better understand your needs, fueling our commitment to product innovation and excellence in customer experience.

Tekmetric also aims to support our shop owners in sharing their own insights and lessons about measuring up in today’s industry through the webinars that we host. This quarter, we hosted a webinar entitled “Confessions of A Shop Owner,” which included Travis Troy, owner of Honest Wrenches, along with Ward Myers, VP of Training and eServices at Advance Auto Parts, Gregg Rainville, SVP at Steer, and Ian Miller, Partner Manager at Tekmetric. The key points were all about defining and developing shop culture and leveraging technology to be more efficient in the auto repair space.

Prioritizing Data Security

We recently increased our benchmark in data security by earning SOC 2 Type II compliance. Tekmetric meets the five principles that are required which include: security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality and privacy. With SOC 2 Type II compliance, we are able to keep any information that you put into Tekmetric secure, from your shop’s data to your customers’ information. This gives us more confidence that as we continue to improve the quality of Tekmetric, we are also ensuring the security of everything that is entrusted to us.

Keeping Our Foot on the Gas

As we close out the first half of the year, Tekmetric aims to use our customer-centric approach as the fuel that ignites our product innovation. Through our commitment to attending industry events and listening to customer feedback, Tekmetric meets its customers where they are, with constant plans to keep innovating and improving. We head into Q3 with our customer-obsessed mentality to continue improving and streamlining shop operations with Tekmetric.