It’s easy for most auto shops, myself included, to mimic what other shops are doing. Asking other shop owners questions like, "Hey, how do you do this?" or “What do your customers like?”
I definitely started off that route, and although we were growing, it was a slow growth.
When I began implementing newer, more modern strategies, my shop’s growth really took off. I first implemented a digital vehicle inspection (DVI) system with Tekmetric when I had about four team members in 2017. We were doing about 100 cars a month.
It was an adjustment. There were a couple of things I had a hard time with at the beginning. Essentially, I tried to run our shop’s physical systems—like our whiteboard—the exact same way as the DVI software.
What I didn’t realize was I needed to make two changes. One being that I needed to make the full switch to the new, modern-day auto repair shop software. The second being that I needed to adapt our physical systems to the software’s programs, or completely move them from physical to digital.
Once we did the full switch to the auto repair shop software, we were ready to rock n’ roll.
I loved when we first switched. Matter of fact, I had a five-year-loyal customer that had never bought anything but oil changes with us. For five years, we’d tell him he had a bad oil leak. Fast forward to using DVIs for the first time, I asked him if he would be the guinea pig for our new DVI system through Tekmetric.
Once we did the full inspection on his vehicle—with all of the pictures, findings, and pricings—we sent it to him via text message. He was sitting on the couch, and he's reading it. He looked up at me and goes, "Wow. Do it all!"
“We had tried everything with this customer—a show and tell, brought him out to his car to show him the leak—but for some reason, once he saw it there on his cell phone, with no hesitation he said, ‘do it all’.”
My jaw hit the ground, and I'm thinking to myself, “You've got to be kidding me.” We had tried everything with this customer—a show and tell, we've brought him out to his car to show him the leak—but for some reason, once he saw it there on his cell phone and with no hesitation said, "do it all".
Once I knew the influence digital vehicle maintenance software had on my shop’s customers, I didn’t hesitate keeping it and bringing it into our new location when we moved.
The say “yes” mentality, being there for the team so they could be there for our customers, and using shop maintenance software are all huge pieces to the puzzle.
Entrepreneurs play a vital role in transforming our lives by disrupting markets and revolutionizing industries. We are thrilled that Sunil Patel, Founder & CEO of Tekmetric is to be recognized as a finalist for the Entrepreneur Of The Year®. 2025 Gulf South program. As the world's most prestigious business award for entrepreneurs, now in its 40th year, Entrepreneur Of The Year is at the forefront of identifying game-changing business leaders. The program has honored the inspirational leadership of such entrepreneurs as Howard Schultz of Starbucks Corporation, Eric Yuan of Zoom, Jodi Berg of Vitamix and Kendra Scott of Kendra Scott LLC.
We're honored to have Sunil recognized among so many other ambitious business leaders in the Gulf South. Learn more about the Entrepreneur Of The Year Gulf South program and follow us along on our journey to the regional awards celebration! Link to full article
Learn more about the story of Tekmetric and Sunil Patel in our latest documentary.
Tekmetric Community
Sunil Patel Earns Finalist in Entrepreneur Of The Year
We're happy to announce that our commitment to innovation and customer satisfaction has been recognized! For Spring 2025, G2 has awarded Tekmetric with a range of badges, including Momentum Leader, Best Results, Best Usability, Most Implementable, and Grid Leader.
These awards reflect our customers' experiences and trust in Tekmetric, highlighting their role in our success.
What These Badges Mean
Momentum Leader: We're leading the pack, constantly evolving to meet the ever-changing needs of the automotive industry.
Best Results & Best Usability: Tekmetric is designed to be intuitive and user-friendly, helping you achieve the results you want.
Most Implementable: Change can be scary – That's why we've made it easy to get started and integrate with Tekmetric so you can hit the ground running.
Grid Leader: This badge showcases how our customers describe Tekmetric as the go-to solution for auto shop management.
Thank You to Our Customers
We couldn't have done it without our customers! Your feedback and support drive us to continually improve and deliver the best possible shop management experience. We're excited to continue this journey with you and can't wait to see what we accomplish together in the future. We'll continue to innovate, listen to your feedback, and provide the tools you need to run your shop.
At Tekmetric, we understand that data security is more than just a priority—it's a responsibility. That’s why we are excited to announce that Tekmetric is now ISO/IEC 27001 certified! Combined with our SOC 2 Type II certification, this achievement underscores our commitment to keeping customer and partner data safe and maintaining systems that operate at the highest standards.
What is ISO/IEC 27001?
ISO/IEC 27001 is the internationally recognized standard for Information Security Management Systems (ISMS). It represents a comprehensive framework for managing and protecting an organization’s information assets, ensuring confidentiality, integrity, and availability of data.
To obtain this certification, Tekmetric went through rigorous audits and a thorough examination of security protocols, risk management practices, and data protection measures.
As we continue to innovate shop management solutions to best support our customers, achieving this certification reinforces that our platform and internal workflows protect the highly sensitive data customers and partners trust us with.
What This Means for Tekmetric Customers
For Tekmetric customers, achieving ISO/IEC 27001 certification means you can trust that we adhere to the highest standards for information security.
Enhanced Data Security & Trust: Our certification guarantees that Tekmetric has stringent security measures in place to safeguard sensitive data, including customer information, financial records, and business data.
Reduced Risk of Data Breaches & Security Incidents: By adopting a proactive approach to risk management, Tekmetric minimizes the likelihood of security breaches and disruptions
Compliance & Regulatory Alignment: Our ISO/IEC 27001 certification helps customers demonstrate compliance with data protection regulations, such as GDPR and CCPA.
This certification reinforces our commitment to safeguarding your data, providing you with peace of mind and confidence in our Shop Management platform. To learn more about all our certifications and our commitment to security, visit our Trust Center.