Sunil Patel on How Tekmetric is Revolutionizing the Auto Industry

In an era where digital solutions are rapidly transforming industries, the auto repair space is no exception. Fortunately, in addition to increasing efficiency and streamlining customer service, this growing reliance on digital systems also offers an opportunity to enhance transparency. Transparency is essential to building trust and empowering vehicle owners with the knowledge they need to make informed decisions regarding repairs. When leveraged correctly, digital solutions can bridge the gap between auto repair shops and customers, creating opportunities for transparency from the moment the customer brings the vehicle to your shop to the final payment and pick-up.

Using Technology to Educate Your Customers

In an industry where trust is paramount, educating your customers is one of the best value-adds you can offer. When done conveniently and thoroughly, education can help the customer better understand their vehicle’s problems, the necessity of the proposed repairs and what additional repairs need immediate attention. This in turn allows them to make the best decision for the health of their vehicle and their safety as the driver.

Digital solutions can play a significant role in educating customers. In conjunction with the technicians who complete the repair, service advisors are in a unique position to educate the customer about their vehicle and repairs. When the service advisor takes the time to clearly share the technician’s diagnosis and proposed repairs, the customer can better understand where their money is going. Digital solutions can help streamline this process, which makes customers more likely to approve repairs – ultimately driving your average repair order. Some digital solutions include:

• Digital Vehicle Inspections. Aside from cost, customers care about two things when it comes to repairs: what repair is needed to get the car back on the road, and how long it will take. DVIs fulfill both needs – and they provide the information in a digital format the customer can easily access and understand. With the right mix of photos and videos sent to the customer, vehicle owners can see the healthy and unhealthy parts of their vehicle. By using DVIs as a tool to educate your customers clearly and conveniently, you can foster a relationship based in trust and transparency from the beginning.
• MotoVisuals. Tekmetric’s MotoVisuals integration makes explaining tricky car problems easy. MotoVisuals offers a wide selection of simple-to-follow animated videos about general vehicle repairs to accompany your DVI. By sharing a MotoVisuals video with the vehicle owner, you can leverage top-notch visuals to effortlessly explain repairs without confusing tech jargon. This can help make it an easy “yes” for the vehicle owner when it comes to approving repairs.  

Building Trust by Meeting Customers Where They Are

A big part of establishing transparency in your shop is creating convenience for your customers. Through convenient digital tools, you can share information with customers easily and clearly in a format they can access anytime, anywhere. For example, by facilitating a convenient, two-way digital conversation, you can share repair updates and answer questions all through a simple text. You can even share photos and videos to further illustrate your recommendations. When customers can text you and get immediate responses, they can rest assured that your shop will meet their needs in an efficient manner.

At Tekmetric, two-way texting and text-to-pay both build on convenience through transparent communication, from repair questions to financial needs and payment options:

• Two-way texting. Two-way texting allows for open communication between your shop and the customer in a format that is accessible anytime, from anywhere. Nearly all parts of the repair process can be completed via text, from sharing DVIs to gaining customer approvals.  Customers can view images of their car and ask questions, and the service advisor can respond with clear explanations or even share videos through MotoVisuals. This also creates a simple, transparent record of the repair process, including time and date stamps, whether a customer viewed the message and more.
• Text-to-pay. Vehicle repairs are often one of the most expensive purchases a customer can make. Therefore, it’s important to offer financial options that are easy to access, so they can easily review the invoice and submit payment. Text-to-pay provides the tools shop owners need to offer a seamless, convenient payment experience for customers, while keeping data secure and fully integrated into the Tekmetric system.

Establishing Transparency Through Secure Digital Payment Options

Transparency is critical from start to finish in the auto repair process. You work hard to establish and build trust with the vehicle owner throughout the repair – so it’s crucial to maintain the same level of transparency at the final touchpoint: the payment. After the repair, you should offer a secure form of payment your customer will be able to review, clearly understand and complete in a format that is easiest for them.

• Buy Now, Pay Later. When it comes to finances, most repairs are surprise purchases for vehicle owners. Even with a budget, there is no way a customer can anticipate the exact cost of the necessary repair ahead of time. By offering payment installment options through Buy Now, Pay Later, shop owners can demonstrate transparency about the total cost of the repairs while providing options for financing so the customer can complete the repair while adhering to their budget.
• Integrated Payments. Shops run more efficiently with integrated payments due to a visible, centralized location. Integrated payments allow customers to pay without being at the shop or needing a physical credit card. Within one click, the customer can pay, streamlining the final part of the customer experience and maximizing the shop’s workflow through a quick and painless payment process.

Transparency fosters greater trust and loyalty between auto repair shops and vehicle owners. By providing clear and open communication throughout the auto repair process, shops can build stronger relationships, gain new business and increase customer satisfaction. The more transparent you are, the greater the vehicle owner’s trust in your shop. This enhances your reputation and your business performance, leading to more customers, an excellent customer experience and ultimately greater profitability.

Transparency within the auto repair invoice process goes a long way. Most customer will feel uncertain about approving expensive repairs if they don't truly understand the need for them. That's why it's up to your shop to foster a trusting relationship by clearly showing customers the issue, and the need for a repair.

The right invoicing system will improve your shop’s workflow, save your team time, enhance your customers’ experience, and provide you with peace of mind.

Here’s how Tekmetric’s Cloud-Based Shop Management System provides seamless shop management that leads to frictionless payment processing:

• A service advisor can create a repair order and dispatch it to a technician to run a digital vehicles inspection (DVI).
• The technician conducts the inspection.
• The service advisor sends the customer a DVI report, which will outline all the findings.
• The customer can approve or decline individual line items on the repair order directly from their smartphone.
• Once the customer finishes scrolling through the estimate, designating the jobs they approve and decline, your shop has the go-ahead to begin the repair(s).
• Once repairs are complete, there’s a digital record of exactly what the customer approved. That way, when it’s time to pay, there are no surprises.
• Once the customer pays with their preferred method, they can look back over the receipt—from their computer or smartphone—and feel confident that your shop did exactly what you said you’d do.

After a job is completed and payment is received, all the details from the invoice and repair order become part of your reports and customer history in Tekmetric.

Tekmetric’s cloud-based automotive invoice software has designed the entire process to reduce bottlenecks, build trust, and ensure that customers know exactly what to expect.

By moving smoothly from one step to the next, your team will be able to boost their efficiency, manage their workflow, and spend the extra time building rapport with customers and getting their cars back to good working order.

While it’s important to focus on customer service and providing reliable repair work, your shop’s entire repair process, from beginning to end, should be consistent. If your shop has stellar processes for greeting customers, writing estimates, selling work, and completing work, you can stick the landing with a solid check out process.

If done the right way, your shop’s invoicing process will enhance the efficiency in your shop while leaving a positive, lasting impression on customers.

The invoices your shop hands out are a representation of how transparent your shop is. Your customers will gain visibility into exactly what they’re paying for. And the more they can understand an invoice, the more they can answer the question we’ve all asked ourselves when we’re customers, “Okay, what am I paying for?”

So, why not end on a strong note? Make your shop’s customers feel more at ease with easy-to-understand invoices.

Here are four ways to simplify your shop's invoicing process.