Introducing Tekmetric Marketing: Keep Customers Coming Back, Automatically

The customer experience begins from the time vehicle owners bring in their car all the way to the final touchpoint: the payments portion. Integrated payments meet customers where they are in today’s digital market whether that means they can pay from their home, pick up their vehicle after hours or pay from states away for college students to pick up their car. Beyond approving an estimate and two-way texting, customers can pay wherever they are, whenever it is most convenient for them. Integrated payments facilitate shop efficiency, improve the customer experience and meet customers where they need to be.‍

1. Facilitate shop efficiency

Integrated payments help the shop run more efficiently with a visible, centralized location. Service advisors maximize the shop’s workflow and drive the bottom line because they can complete more repairs due to efficiency. Integrated payments allow customers to pay without being at the shop or needing a physical credit card. Forgot your credit card at home? Not a problem!

Tekmetric’s text- to-pay feature allows your customers to pay anytime, from anywhere - whether they’re a busy professional who needs to pick up after hours or a parent paying for repairs for their college student. Text-to-Pay allows you to get the repair done and be able to pay for it without a major disruption to your daily routine or needing a physical credit card to make a payment.

2. Improve the customer experience 

Along with facilitating shop efficiency, integrated payments streamline the automotive customer experience with a unique opportunity to drive revenue to the shop while also providing a value-added experience to the customer. Customers will remember how convenient (or inconvenient) it was to pay during the final touchpoint of the auto repair process.

In addition to text-to-pay, integrated payments offer flexible, forward-thinking solutions that allow shops to save time and effort when managing funds and customer payments. Shop owners can share invoices and accept payments via text and email, enabling the customer to pay directly from their smartphone and pick up the vehicle when it is convenient for them. 

3. Meet customers where they want to be

Most auto repair purchases are surprise purchases that not even the best budgeter can anticipate. With integrated payments, Tekmetric caters to the customer’s budget and needs. Not the other way around. Repairs can be a stressful experience so why not make the customer’s life easier by allowing them to pay from home, from states away or in installments?

Offering Buy Now, Pay Later options, allows you to meet the customer where they are financially by providing installment payment options. When your customers need to get the repair done but do not have the budget to be able to pay for it in full in one sitting, BNPL meets your customer where they are financially while also ensuring the safety of the vehicle owner by getting the repair done. 

Digital payments are necessary for auto repair shops in the modern digital market. By implementing customer-centric digital solutions, you can significantly improve your shop’s customer experience by meeting customers where they are, reaching new ones and increasing your shop’s workflow efficiency. Making the last touchpoint of the experience more convenient creates a positive, lasting impression on the vehicle owner and creates trust with your repair shop – encouraging them to become a loyal customer and generate repeat business or referrals. 

One of the most challenging parts of being a service advisor is building trust with drivers. Many drivers already feel apprehensive about spending money on repairs, but you’re still tasked with letting them know exactly what’s wrong with their car. And sometimes, that means identifying more issues than they were expecting.

At Tekmetric, we’ve heard a lot of great tricks of the trade from service advisors like you. And we’ve designed Tekmetric with many of these insights in mind. By leveraging Tekmetric’s capabilities, you can more effectively upsell, cross-sell, and reach more customers—and see your shop’s ARO and gross profits rise.

Here are the best auto repair shop software features within Tekmetric to help you flourish in your role.

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.