Meet the Tekmetric Mobile App: Auto Inspections for the New Era

Running a repair shop takes more than turning wrenches. It’s booking appointments, reminding customers to show up, following up on declined jobs – all while keeping bays full and the front office running smoothly.

But for most shops, staying connected with customers feels like a second job. Some rely on a patchwork of booking tools, texting apps, and review platforms. Others don’t follow up at all. Either way, things slip through the cracks. The result? Missed appointments, lost revenue, and customers who never return.

That’s why we built Tekmetric Marketing.

Not another system to learn. Not another login to juggle. It’s built right into Tekmetric, the platform you already trust to run your shop. With online booking, reminders, campaigns, follow-ups, reviews, and even a professional website all in one place, Tekmetric Marketing helps you keep customers engaged and loyal automatically – without piling more work on your plate. And it’s designed so anyone on your team can use it. No marketing expertise required.

More Cars. Higher ARO. Steady Repeat Business.

Every repair order holds untapped potential. A declined brake job today can turn into tomorrow’s revenue. A routine oil change can become the start of a long-term relationship.

Tekmetric Marketing makes sure those opportunities don’t slip away. Customers can schedule online 24/7, filling bays while you sleep. Automated reminders cut down on no-shows and keep the calendar steady. Follow-ups on declined jobs and maintenance turn “not today” into approved work. Seasonal campaigns help you bring customers back when business slows.

And if your shop doesn’t have a website, Tekmetric can build one for you, giving customers one more way to find you, book online, and keep your bays full.

As Ryan Froats of Yorktown Auto Care put it:
“As an independently-owned shop, dedicating resources towards outreach and follow-up can be challenging. Tekmetric Marketing allows me to communicate with my customer base in a variety of ways, without tying up hours of my work week.”

That’s the difference between a full schedule and an empty bay. Between a one-time job and a loyal customer.

Turn Great Service Into Lasting Loyalty

Great service doesn’t stop when the car leaves the bay. Tekmetric Marketing makes it really easy to keep the relationship going. Post-visit follow-ups that check in with customers after service, showing you care and helping you catch issues early. Review requests that boost your reputation on Google, making it easier for new customers to find and trust you. Private feedback that gives you valuable insights to improve service and address concerns before they go public

Together, these touchpoints build trust, strengthen relationships, and turn satisfied customers into loyal advocates.

One Platform. No Missed Messages.

Because Tekmetric Marketing lives inside Tekmetric, all customer communication flows through one platform – from estimates and approvals to reminders, follow-ups, and promotions. No more bouncing between systems or wondering what’s been sent. Everything is tied to the customer profile, making communication clear, consistent, and professional.

Tekmetric Marketing also works in sync with your shop’s calendar, repair orders, and payments. Bookings instantly block off availability. Reminders align with scheduled work. Everything just works without syncing headaches or double entry.

And here’s the best part: Tekmetric Marketing is designed for busy shop owners and front office staff. It’s easy to set up, runs automatically in the background, and helps you grow your business without adding more to your to-do list – or requiring a marketing degree.

As Corey Hansen of Hansen Auto Repair shared:
“It’s so convenient having everything in one place, right inside Tekmetric. I already have Tekmetric open for managing the shop and invoicing, so I don’t have to switch tabs or log into something else to engage with my customers. Having it all together just makes things faster—and for me, saving time is huge.”

Auto Repair. Done Right.

Tekmetric has always been the all-in-one platform that helps shops run better — from managing repairs to taking payments. Now, with Tekmetric Marketing, it’s also the platform that helps you grow faster, keep customers loyal, and deliver a better experience at every turn.

Turn every visit into the next one. With Tekmetric Marketing, it happens automatically.

This month we were all about operational efficiency saving you time in messaging customers, managing employees, and staying on top of your inventory. Your time is your money. So be sure to take advantage of these features to save time in your day. 

Save Time With Template Messages 

Effective communication is vital to a high quality customer experience. However, it can be time consuming and frankly, repetitive. That’s why we’ve introduced templated messages.

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Your top 3 most used customer messages (inspection, estimate, and invoice) can now be customized to fit your shop’s communication needs and voice. These are fully customizable and paired with the ability to create any other message template you’d like. 

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Who’s this for?: Customers on our Scale Tier with Tekmessage turned on. 

Learn more about default messages                        Learn more about message templates 

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Manage Employees Easily Across Your Shops 

Have employees that work across your multiple locations? Well, managing them just got easier. This month we put out two separate releases that allow you to seamlessly create, move between shops, and delete employees right from the MSO dashboard. No more hopping in and out of each shop’s profile.

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Who’s this for?: Customers with our multi-shop add-on package.  

Learn more  

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Manage Inventory More Effectively With The Inventory Feed 

Managing inventory effectively is crucial for shop operations. To help shops stay on top of pricing and quality changes we’ve introduced the Inventory Activity Feed. This will now automatically log stock orders, parts moved into inventory, and purchase order cost updates. 

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Who’s this for?: All customers. 

Learn More 

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See Continuous Improvement of Our ALLDATA Integration 

In August, we launched our ALLDATA integration, offering you yet another option for labor guide integration with Tekmetric’s shop management system. Since then, we’ve continued to improve it including the introduction of vehicle specification information and a search bar for easy navigation. 

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Who’s this for?: Customers on our Grow and Scale Tiers who integrate with the ALLDATA labor guide. 

Learn More About This Integration 

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Within an auto repair shop, data serves many functions: streamlining day-to-day operations, helping service advisors and tracking a shop’s cash flow. But you can also harness the power of data to plan for the future. In fact, strategically leveraging data can help you determine when it is time to open a new location. Think of it as your roadmap to multi-shop success. Data helps you every step of the way, from optimizing your existing business, to creating a plan for a new shop, to maximizing workflow across all locations.

Looking at the Big Picture: The New Location Roadmap

When you start planning for a new location, your strategy should prioritize the big picture of your business, allowing you to strategically determine the process for opening the next shop. Key metrics and analytics can help you monitor your business performance and plan for both the long- and short-term future. Whether you are expanding for the first time or the tenth, leveraging data can help make the process smooth, strategic and simple. It’s as straightforward as 1… 2…3: 

1. Getting Started: Make Your First Location the Best It Can Be

Before opening a new location, ensure your existing shop is optimized. Your goal is to maximize efficiency and productivity, so you can replicate the process at a new location. Take a good, hard look at your numbers, and be honest with yourself about your business performance. Some key questions to ask include:

• What are your ARO and car count, and can you increase them?
• How many repeat customers do you have versus new customers?
• How effective are your mechanics at completing their work? 
• Will adding another mechanic or bay be enough to support my current levels of business growth?
• How frequently are customers approving your full estimate or returning for follow-up work on previously declined jobs?

Once you have determined that your existing business is performing at the highest level possible, you are ready for the next step.

2. Creating a Plan: Determine Criteria for Your New Location 

As you look to add a location, it is important to identify your business needs and the assets you have available. Data from your existing location(s) is key to this step. Not only can you analyze business performance to determine your financial ability to open a new shop, but you can also identify opportunities with new customers to target or niche services to offer.   

For example, if your existing location is overwhelmed with customers seeking same day or next day service, another shop might be the solution. Or, if you are targeting customers in a different area of town, building or buying another location closer to the population you are targeting might draw them in. Here are some questions to ask when determining the criteria for a new location:

• Have I maximized the efficiency of my existing location(s)?
• Can I afford to build a brand-new shop, or should I buy an existing business?
• What is my close rate at my existing location(s)?
• What demographic am I targeting, and how can I meet their needs with this new location?

3. Setting Up for Success: Use Tekmetric Multi-Shop to Maximize Workflow 

Once you have multiple locations, it is critical that you maximize workflow between all locations. You can compare locations using Tekmetric Multi-Shop to monitor performance, track key metrics and determine each location’s strengths and weaknesses. A good question to ask yourself is: how can I leverage each location’s strengths to support continued business growth? 

First, ensure that you have replicated the optimized processes from your original location(s) at the new shop. You have worked hard to ensure your business was performing at the highest level possible before opening a new location – make sure to keep that momentum moving!

Second, play to the strengths of each location so they support each other. For example, determine which locations are high versus low volume to maximize your technicians’ time at all locations. If one shop is a high-volume location overwhelmed with work, you can leverage a lower volume location by moving some cars there for same-day repairs. Just don’t forget to move the cars back to the original location for the customer’s convenience! 

The idea of multiple auto repair shop locations can seem daunting, but by maximizing your data, you can simplify the process to ensure you are prepared for the next step. First, put all your efforts into running a top-tier business with your existing location(s). Once you are satisfied with your performance, utilize data to establish a clear plan for opening your next location. Finally, use tools like Tekmetric Multi-Shop to maximize workflow and leverage each location’s strengths to support the overall business. This approach will maximize your productivity and efficiency across all your locations, increasing your overall bottom line and keeping customers satisfied.