The truth is that estimates tie into professionalism. When the first oral surgeon gave you an estimate for your wisdom tooth removal surgery, they helped you:
Manage your expectations: You knew what kind of procedure to expect, and how much you could expect to pay for it.
See that the office cared about your wellbeing: The oral surgeon and their staff wanted you to make the best choice possible and gave you a resource to accomplish that.
Have a reference point for the future if any issues come up: For example, if you got charged a couple of hundred dollars more after your procedure, you’d have documentation to show that the extra cost wasn’t part of the plan.
Wisdom tooth removal surgery isn’t cheap. Neither is auto repair work.
Just like a professional oral surgeon’s office explains to patients what their options are and how much they should expect to pay for procedures, a professional auto repair shop shows drivers what their repair work options are and how much they should expect to pay for repairs.
That professionalism is what helps you win over and retain more customers. If your customers are deciding between different auto repair shops, they’ll likely stick with the business that shows the most professionalism.
What Makes Inspections and Estimates High-Quality?
What do we mean by “high-quality”? In our experience, the building blocks of high-quality records are inspections and estimates that
Offer clarity (are easy to understand)
Offer accuracy
Are professional
Offer room for customer choice and feedback
Open the pathway to effective communication
But before we explore these characteristics further, let’s look at the different types of inspections and estimates.
Comparing Different Inspection Approaches
There are three main ways to put together inspections and estimates at auto repair shops:
Via pen and paper
Digitally, but without software
With auto repair estimating software
We know there are different variations of all three of these methods. For example, with pen and paper, you may use pre-printed inspection forms and have technicians check boxes and scribble notes as they work.
As for digital, you can use emails or spreadsheets. For the purposes of this piece, we’ll be sticking to the email method in examples.
And of course, there are different options for auto repair estimating software on the market.
Auto repair estimating software is the best method if you want to leverage the benefits of high-quality inspections and estimates. But not all auto repair estimating software solutions are built the same.
Auto Repair Estimating Software Features to Look For
There are several features that make auto repair estimating software truly high-quality:
The most important feature? Digital vehicle inspections. At a basic level, digital vehicle inspections enable technicians to quickly punch in inspection details into software via their tablets or smartphones. And by going with auto repair estimating software like Tekmetric that has a well-built digital vehicle inspections feature, technicians will be able to:
Clearly list out specific findings, minimizing the chance of misunderstandings about the type of repairs needed
Attach photos and videos to inspections to better show customers what the issues with their vehicles are
Categorize repairs by severity; Tekmetric has a color-coded system technicians can use to show customers which repairs need work done ASAP, which repairs can wait for a bit, and what’s A-OK with their vehicles
And thanks to Tekmetric, service advisors can email or text customers those inspections and estimates.
Customers can then approve or decline specific jobs from wherever they are, be it waiting at the coffee shop next door or lounging on their couch at home—there’s no need for them to hang around at your shop.
Of course, if they want to wait at your shop, they’re more than welcome to. But many customers will appreciate staying in the loop about their repairs if they do decide to do something else.
And because this all happens through auto repair estimating software, the service advisors will be able to see exactly which jobs customers authorized, minimizing the chances of miscommunication and customer frustration.
The Advantages of Auto Repair Estimating Software
1. Clarity
Auto repair estimating software significantly increases the clarity your customers have about repair work at your shop. With the right solution, customers will be able to read specific findings on an inspection, understand exactly what work they need done, and directly approve the repairs they want on the included estimate.
No more struggling to read the handwriting on a paper estimate, nor will they have to repeat themselves over the phone to make sure they’re understood correctly after reading the email a service advisor typed out.
Additionally, if the auto repair estimating software has search functionality for inspections and estimates, customers will be able to quickly get their questions answered because service advisors can look up details in seconds.
Auto Repair Estimating Software That Provides Clarity
Tekmetric gives customers the ultimate clarity on inspections and estimates.
Once a service advisor sends a customer their inspection and estimate, the customer can see each repair their vehicle needs. As a bonus, customers can also get a transparent look at the urgency of each specific repair, thanks to Tekmetric’s color-coded approach. All repair work, and the urgency of that work, is clearly spelled out.
And, by being able to attach photos and videos to the digital vehicle inspection, customers can see for themselves what’s going on.
When customers can see with their own eyes that their car’s engine is seriously rusted, they’re more likely to place their trust in your team. Anything you and your team can do to show customers that you’re acting in good faith will help customers trust you more.
You and your team can personalize the inspection process even more by taking the time to sit down with customers and review the results so you can help them budget repairs more efficiently, like what Aaron Smith and his employees over at S&S Auto Repair do.
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Take it from Smith at S&S Auto: “If a technician brings us a digital inspection and there is a lot of stuff in red, we can go through and break them down into the three categories of safety, maintenance, and repairs. In each category, we break it down further: this needs to be done today, this can wait until your next oil change, and this one we can work on in the next six months, but you need to budget for it.”
2. Accuracy
Auto repair estimating software is the most effective way your team can ensure that customers get accurate inspection and estimate details.
Because they can view the inspections technicians put together in one main system, service advisors can create estimates without having to open multiple tabs, decipher difficult-to-read handwriting, etc.
And in turn, customers will gain the benefit of inspections and estimates that are as accurate as possible.
Accuracy for Your Customers
Because Tekmetric runs on the cloud, technicians can punch in inspection details on a tablet or smartphone while they work, and color-code each inspection finding by severity.
From there, service advisors can view all the inspection details, put together the estimate portion, and send everything off to the customer.
The customer can then check off exactly which repairs they want, and decline the repairs they don’t want. No copying and pasting and deciphering tricky handwriting involved—for anyone!
3. Professionalism
Whether we like it or not, customers judge all businesses by their level of professionalism, and you might be surprised at how the little things add up.
Your shop’s inspections and estimates are one of the most effective ways you can show your customers how professional your shop is across the board—and a huge part of professionalism is standardization.
Pen and paper can easily look unprofessional, and out dated. Modern customers have modern expectations, and will happily rather have their inspection findings emailed to them.
That's where a shop management system comes in, standardized your intake process
Professionalism in a Flash
For example, default inspection templates make it easy for your team can put together inspections and estimates with the same general appearance over time, and customers will notice! Customers will also be able to directly approve the work they want done and decline the work they want to hold off on. No confusion.
Your customers will be impressed by your shop’s consistency, the look of the inspections and estimates, and they’ll also be relieved that they can easily access that documentation for future reference.
They won’t have to worry about hunting down a paper inspection or trying to remember exactly what they approved over a typed-out email estimate if they need to reference something later on.
4. Effective Communication
What goes hand-in-hand with increased customer agency? Pathways to effective communication. Part of giving your customers agency over the repair work they approve and decline, and the rest of the process, is making it easy for them to communicate with your team.
Auto Repair Estimating Software
The right auto repair estimating software opens up multiple reliable communication pathways for customers, especially given that many customers won’t be sitting around at your shop.
Instead of having to play telephone or email tag, for example, customers can message your shop, and every service advisor logged into the system will see it. From there, one of those service advisors can answer the question or give an update.
Customers won’t have to deal with disparate communication and can have peace of mind that your team will receive their messages and respond to them in a timely manner.
So let’s return to the example we used above, where the technician finds an additional issue that wasn’t included in the initial estimate.
With an auto repair estimating software solution that lets service advisors reach out via email and text, it’s more likely that the customer will see the message, even if they’re busy with errands or in a meeting, and they can promptly authorize the additional work or ask questions before there’s a major hold up.
Simplify Every Step
Service advisors don’t have to call or walk up to technicians to ask them about the severity of repairs, and technicians don’t have to call or walk up to service advisors to clarify whether or not a customer gave the go-ahead for specific jobs.
When your team members interrupt each other less, they’ll be able to better enter and maintain a state of flow, which will help them knock out tasks more efficiently.
They’ll also get along better with each other, and your customers will notice! When they see that everyone gets along, customers will trust your shop more. Think about your own experiences—when you go to the dentist, don’t you feel more at ease and trusting when you see that the dentist and dental assistants all get along? Your customers feel the same.
Learn how to Modernize Your Shop to Drive Success
As you’re researching different solutions by doing things like determining which features you need, reading software reviews, sifting through common myths, attending demos, and more, keep your eyes and ears open.
Make sure any solution you implement at your shop has all the features you need. Don’t assume that a particular solution will tick off all your desired boxes. Perhaps the solution you’re evaluating is missing a key feature that would defeat the purpose of you even rolling it out for your team.
Also, we can’t stress this enough—get your team involved in the decision-making process! They’ll be using the software daily, after all, and it’s important that you go with something they’ll feel comfortable using.
By modernizing and advancing beyond pen and paper and clunky emails (or other non-software-based digital methods), you’ll open the doors to increased transparency, greater customer agency, more sales, better recording keeping, and enhanced team collaboration—just to name several benefits.
You can still keep your notepad and pen around for times when you want to jot down a reminder, and email isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. But ultimately, you’ll feel more at ease when your business is turbocharged with a shop management system.
He and Sunil Patel started Tekmetric in 2016, and today, it’s become the preferred auto tech software in the auto repair industry.
Prasanth’s success prompted Authority Magazine to contact him for an interview on the formula for scaling success.
Below are just a few excerpts of Prasanth’s interview with Ken Babcock (CEO of Tango), along with bonus content for any entrepreneur seeking to scale their business.
Scaling with People
Let’s look at each component.
The Right People.
First, you have to have the team that serves your company the best.
At Tekmetric, we learned this the hard way. We had a phenomenal idea — but our first team wasn’t comprised of exactly all the people we needed.
And that meant we failed in the first round. It was disappointing, but we learned a valuable lesson, and the next round, we hired people based on the talents we knew we needed. It was the right move, and it set us in the right direction toward success. In fact, many of the team members from this second group are still with us today.
Tekmetric’s People Today: The Best Support in the Industry
Today, Tekmetric has a growing team of people working in various departments, such as customer support, sales, product development, and human resources.
Walk into our Houston headquarters, and you’ll see people from all backgrounds catching up on their week, discussing the next product update, or talking about the future of our company over a cup of coffee.
A large portion of our team works remotely. We have employees across the United States, including: </p><ul>
Cleveland, OH
Washington, DC
Denver, CO
San Diego, CA
But no matter where our team members are, one of the big things they have in common is that they’re passionate about providing Tekmetric’s customers with the best experience and support possible.
Our support team in particular is easy to get in touch with.
Customers don’t have to spend hours listening to annoying “waiting” music on the phone or anxiously sitting in front of their computers for a response to a support ticket.
The Tekmetric support team acts to get questions answered quickly and any issues resolved fast.
After all, auto tech software needs to move at the pace of the auto repair industry—fast—and support is an important part of that process.
Having the idea is great; getting it right as you grow is vital. You may not have the details fully fleshed out, but you must know what you want to do and the tools you need to get there.
I’ve always said, if you have a goal in mind, and you don’t know how to get there, then you’re doing something right.
If you do know how to get there, you’re not thinking big enough. Think long and hard about what you want your business to look like.
Once you figure out those initial steps and orient yourself in the right direction, you can think ahead to challenges like growing and scaling.
Tekmetric’s Direction Today: Driving the Auto Repair Industry Into the Future
The Tekmetric team keeps a close eye on what’s happening in the auto repair industry so that we can stay one step ahead when it comes to driving the auto repair industry into the future.
For example, Tekmetric listened to its customers’ desires for a true two-way texting feature, which enables shops and their customers to communicate more seamlessly than ever before.
Tekmetric also frequently adds to its list of integrations with industry-leading tools so that shop owners can set up workflows that work best for them.
And Tekmetric listens to what shop owners, technicians, and service advisors are saying, taking their feedback and suggestions into account.
We know that we cannot do this on our own, and respect the contributions of people throughout the industry.
It’s a well-known fact in the auto-repair world that summer is the busiest time of the year. As the weather heats up and families start going on road-trips, more and more drivers bring their vehicles into the shop for maintenance.
Service advisors are an integral part of running your shop.
Not only do they have to greet every customer and learn what they need, but they also need to connect a lot of moving parts, whether that means sending repair orders to guests, making sure they’re getting approved, coordinating with technicians, or literally tracking down parts for repairs. that service advisors keep a cool head.
Making sure every job makes it through the repair process without fault while providing guests with kind and diligent service can be tough, but there are tools and habits that can make the job a breeze.
Here are a few actionable tactics you can start using immediately at your shop so service advisors can stay brisk in spite of the heat.
Mechanic interviews are challenging for both the employer and candidate because the right candidate has to be a fit in personality and technical ability. Plus, the numerous certification types, manufacturer nuances, and shop needs make it even more challenging to become a mechanic.
This guide can be used to help repair shops/dealerships ask the right questions and also help technicians be prepared for questions they will likely encounter. Below you will find the most common car mechanic interview questions broken down by mechanic and service advisor level plus tips to ace your next interview.
Top mechanic job interview questions
While every auto repair shop differs in how they run their job interview process, these are some of the most common questions you can expect. Ranging from technical questions to customer service, be prepared to answer these common questions before your next interview.
General interview questions for car mechanics
These common questions cover basic automotive repair experience and relevant work history.
Tell me about yourself and your experience as an automotive technician.
Why do you want to work for our company/shop?
How do you stay up to date with new automotive technologies and repair techniques?
What certifications do you currently hold (ASE, manufacturer-specific, etc.)?
Are you comfortable working weekends, evenings, or overtime if needed?
Technical interview questions for mechanics
These technical interview questions cover more specific hand-on experience and tools/equipment.
Which repairs are you best at?
How much would you estimate your tool inventory to be worth?
What steps do you take when diagnosing a check engine light?
What tools and diagnostic equipment are you most familiar with?
Have you worked with hybrid or electric vehicles?
Do you believe in factory recommended vehicle maintenance intervals?
How comfortable are you with OEM scan/diagnostic tools?
Experience & situational questions for mechanics
These questions help employers understand how you would handle various shop situations and also helps them understand your communication skills.
Can you describe a time when you had to work under a tight deadline?
How do you deal with angry customers?
How do you prioritize tasks when you have multiple vehicles to work on?
What would you do if you made a mistake on a repair? How do you handle accountability?
What do you do if you encounter a vehicle with an issue you've never seen before?
Additional questions to expect
Are you comfortable serving those in need once a month?
Are you comfortable doing a DVI on the majority of vehicles you touch?
How do you handle a high-pressure environment when the shop is busy?
How do you handle a situation where you're unsure about how to fix a problem?
Tell me about a time you went above and beyond for a customer?
Top interview questions for service advisors
While the interview questions for service advisors will be similar to mechanics, there will be small differences. Typically, service advisors will be more customer facing and shops will tailor their questions to focus more on customer service and communication style.
General interview questions for service advisors
Are you comfortable selling repair services?
Are you comfortable working on a commission based salary structure?
Who do you believe has the best after market products?
How do you deal with a customer saying that you are more expensive than their last shop?
How do you win back angry customers?
How do you handle over the phone quotes?
Technical interview questions for service advisors
What are your greatest strengths as a service advisor?
Who do you trust for moving electrical parts?
How do you handle working in a fast-paced environment?
Are you comfortable meeting sales goals and upselling services?
How do you stay up to date with new automotive technology and service trends?
How do you handle stress during busy hours?
Experience & situational questions for service advisors
How do you explain complex vehicle repairs to a customer who doesn’t understand cars?
What steps do you take to build trust with customers?
Have you ever had to deal with a miscommunication between a technician and a customer? How did you resolve it?
Can you describe a time when you turned a dissatisfied customer into a repeat customer?
How do you handle multiple customers needing assistance at the same time?
Additional questions to expect
How do you explain the importance of routine maintenance to a customer?
What experience do you have with automotive service software or point-of-sale systems?
How do you prioritize repair orders and schedule work efficiently?
How do you explain repair estimates to customers?
How would you respond to 1-star reviews?
Job interview tips for mechanics
Research: Not all shops are created equal so make sure to research before applying to make sure they are a good fit. You can also look at online reviews to see what their customers are saying.
Preparation: Use the commonly used questions above to help you prepare for the interview. Practice how you would answer each question and ways you can present yourself well.
Attire: You have 7 seconds to make your first impression and attire is a big part of that. Dress to showcase your professionalism and experience.
Highlight your experience/certifications: Showcasing your certifications and experience can go a long way to in making sure you land the job.
Ask thoughtful questions: Some interviewers will allow you to ask questions during the conversation. Make sure you have a few questions to ask that help you learn more about the shop.
Follow up: if you haven’t heard back from the shop and you are still interested, give them a call and remind them of your interest in the position.
Final thoughts
Interviews are challenging in any industry but mechanic interviews can be even more challenging with the shortage of talent available. This guide will help you either prepare for your next interview or provide you with common questions to ask your next hire. Lastly, always hire for culture fit and talent second. Culture problems are a lot harder to correct than technical car knowledge.
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