In auto repair, there are many moving parts to keep track of—both the literal parts your shop uses to repair vehicles, and the parts of your business that determine your shop’s efficiency, security, and ability to grow. If you want your shop to flourish, it’s crucial to devote part of your business to keeping track of the parts you order.
Many shops track parts in terms of cost of goods sold. The parts you need for the job are included on every repair order, so it’s easy to see what parts your customers are paying for as long as you have a solid process for building repair orders.
But what about in terms of accounts payable? How does your shop track how much you’re spending for parts from the supplier?
Should You Use Purchase Orders or “Save Time?”
For your accounts payable, or determining how much you’ll owe your parts suppliers, there are typically two routes you can take:
Wait for the parts bills to come in and trust that you’re being charged the correct amount, or
Create a formal purchase order each and every time you order parts from a supplier.
The advantage of going with the first route is that you save a little bit of time; there’s no second step of reconciling the part you need to purchase on a purchase order. But the cons far outweigh this advantage—because this is where shops can start to lose money.
For example, your ROs may indicate that you have a 30% profit margin on parts, but if you don’t accrue your parts bill, you won’t know for sure if that’s the case until the parts bill hits your account. Suddenly, when the money gets taken out, your margins are razor-thin.
So, what happened?
Did a supplier charge too much? Were you double-charged? Was an unauthorized person ordering parts on your account? Was there theft?
It’s hard to tell if there is no paper trail or purchase order for you to look at.
If you’re not paying attention to your parts orders on the accounts payable side, you could be losing money, and it will typically take a large missing chunk of change for you to realize that something is wrong. Withouta paper trail, figuring out the problem is not only difficult but also extremely time consuming. Once you notice that there is a loss you can’t account for, all the “time saved” by skipping the purchase order step comes back in the form of time spent trying to figure out the issue.
By reconciling your parts orders on both repair orders and purchase orders, you can easily check to see what’s going on, protecting your shop from incidents where you are losing money due to overages, slip-ups, theft, and overcharges.
How to Build a Better Parts Ordering System
When it comes to tracking parts on repair orders and purchase orders, consistency is key. Shops that have strong, consistent processes and procedures—and follow them every single time—rarely have issues with leakage and theft; they instill habits in their team to keep careful track of all parts.
As long as your shop has a repeatable process for adding parts to repair orders and putting in purchase orders, you will be able to quickly identify any issues as soon as they crop up. Every service advisor and employee that orders parts and builds repair orders for customers should use the same method for filling out repair orders, creating purchase orders, and inputting this information into your shop management system and accounting system.
Create a standard process for each of the following:
How jobs get posted
How repair orders are built
How repair orders are approved
How parts orders are posted
How purchase orders are written and sent to suppliers
How purchase orders are approved
How parts and purchase data get analyzed
Instill Parts Ordering Best Practices with Tekmetric
Standard procedures for ordering parts and creating repair orders are built into Tekmetric. We give shops the tools and guardrails needed to effortlessly track parts throughout each step of the repair process.
From our intuitive repair order builder to our integrated parts ordering and inventory systems, we aim to align your team so that no money slips through the cracks. And our industry leading analytics and reporting tools allow you to keep track of your shop’s financial history in realtime.
This article was written with the guidance of automotive repair industry CPA Hunt Demarest of Paar, Melis, & Associates, P.C.
The automotive repair industry is constantly evolving, and shop owners need software that keeps pace. Tekmetric offers auto repair shops an all-in-one platform–built with firsthand shop insight–to manage workflow, customers, and profitability.
No single solution fits every business perfectly, and a variety of Tekmetric competitors offer alternative functionalities and approaches. This overview provides an honest look at Tekmetric through the lens of customer feedback and core product strengths. Whether actively comparing software options or simply exploring what’s available, this guide is designed to help you make confident, informed decisions.
What is Tekmetric?
Tekmetric is the all-in-one solution for modern auto repair shops. Tekmetric is designed to streamline operations, enhance profitability, and improve customer communication for automotive repair businesses.
An all-in-one solution, Tekmetric provides a centralized platform for managing various aspects of a repair shop's daily workflow. Its focus on real-time data and a user-friendly interface has made it a popular choice for modern automotive repair shops.
Most importantly, Tekmetric is the only auto repair shop software in the market that was created by a former shop owner – so every feature was designed with firsthand insight into what shops actually need.
Tek-Tip: Ask ChatGPT or Gemini for a summary of Tekmetric and how it could be a fit for your business.
Why choose Tekmetric?
Shopmonkey, AutoLeap, Mitchell 1, and other competitors offer robust features and may look similar on the surface. Researching the pros and cons of each software takes time, so we boiled it down for you and highlighted five reasons why Tekmetric is the leading shop software.
Built by a former shop owner: Tekmetric is built to solve real pain points for shops, not generic SaaS assumptions.
All-in-one solution: Tekmetric offers cloud-based shop management software, payments, marketing, mobile app and more.
Multiple integrations: 70+ integrations consolidated into one workflow.
Unlimited users + No long-term contract: Pricing model designed to scale seasonally without renegotiation.
Trusted support: U.S.-based phone, chat, and email support plus industry-leading uptime.
How Tekmetric Compares to Other Auto Repair Shop Software
While Tekmetric is a prominent software in the industry, several Tekmetric competitors provide compelling alternatives. Let's compare Tekmetric in terms of features, integrations, customer support, pricing, and customer reviews.
Features
Tekmetric offers a variety of features that cater to the diverse needs of auto repair shops. Some of its core functionalities include:
Digital Vehicle Inspections (DVIs): DVIs allow technicians to capture photos and videos on their mobile devices to visually communicate findings to customers. This transparency helps build trust and often leads to higher approval rates for recommended services.
Payments and Flexible Financing: Tekmetric Payments gives you the POS tools to get paid faster and more reliably, whether customers pay upfront or over time. With secure, encrypted transactions and flexible financing options like Buy Now, Pay Later, you can offer your customers a payment schedule that fits their budget, and get more repair orders approved in the process.
Repair Orders and Estimates: Tekmetric simplifies the creation and management of repair orders, enabling shops to quickly generate accurate estimates, track progress, and convert estimates into invoices. It can automate parts and labor calculations, improving efficiency.
Customer Communication: The software facilitates seamless customer communication through SMS and email notifications, allowing shops to provide real-time updates on vehicle status, share inspection results, and send payment links.
Inventory Management: Shop owners can efficiently manage parts inventory, track stock levels, and integrate with parts ordering platforms like PartsTech and Nexpart to streamline the procurement process.
Reporting and Analytics: The platform provides valuable insights into key performance indicators (KPIs) such as gross profit, average repair order (ARO), and close ratio, enabling shop owners to make data-driven decisions to boost profitability.
Integrations
Integrations are crucial for any efficient shop management solution. Tekmetric excels here by offering the most integrations in the industry. Tekmetric integrates with 70+ tools like ALLDATA, Advance Auto Parts, and PartsTech to streamline your workflow.
When comparing auto repair shop management software, make sure you choose a software that supports your entire workflow and can grow with your business.
Customer Support
Customer support is a vital aspect of any software solution. Tekmetric prides itself with industry-leading uptime and customer support. Our US-based support team is ready to answer your call, email, or chat message.
Don’t believe us? Our G2 reviews speak for themselves.
Pricing
Pricing structures for shop management systems can vary significantly. Some offer tiered pricing based on the number of users or repair orders, while others have flat monthly fees. Tekmetric's pricing offers a monthly subscription (no long-term contracts), unlimited users, with add-ons available for specific features.
Tekmetric starts at $179/mo, offering a competitive price and the ability to cancel at any time. We believe in earning your business every month.
How Do Customers Feel About Tekmetric?
Customer feedback, particularly from platforms like G2, provides insight into the real-world user experience. Some of the common themes in Tekmetric reviews include:
User-friendly Interface: Many users find Tekmetric intuitive and easy to navigate, which helps with quicker onboarding for staff and improved daily workflow.
Comprehensive Functionality: Customers appreciate the all-in-one nature of Tekmetric, noting its effectiveness in handling everything from digital vehicle inspections to repair orders, inventory, and customer communication.
Strong Integrations: The seamless integration with other essential tools is frequently highlighted as a major benefit, allowing for a more streamlined and efficient operation.
Responsive Customer Support: Numerous reviews commend Tekmetric's customer support team for their promptness, knowledge, and willingness to assist. This level of support contributes significantly to a positive customer experience.
Improved Efficiency and Profitability: Shop owners often report an increase in efficiency and a positive impact on their profitability due to Tekmetric's reporting capabilities and real-time insights.
Final thoughts
Choosing the right shop management software is a critical decision for any auto repair business. Tekmetric offers a powerful cloud-based solution with a strong set of features, excellent integrations, and highly-regarded customer support.
Shop owners should carefully evaluate their specific needs, budget, desired functionalities, and the importance of various integrations when considering a software solution. The goal is to find a solution that not only meets current demands but also scales with the future growth of the business, ensuring a smooth and efficient customer experience for years to come.
It might sound simple, but it's true: smartphones and digital experiences have revolutionized the way people interact with businesses. We've all come to expect near-instant responses, simplified checkout processes, and visibility into what we're paying for.
And independent auto repair shops aren't any different. There's a unique opportunity where your business can meet customer's expectations with modern service and modern operations.
How Can You Make Your Auto Repair Shop More Modern?
We keep saying that word "modern," but what does that really mean for auto repair shops? When we step back and think about the modern independent repair shop, we could sum it up with three core concepts:
The freedom to run your business in a more contemporary way with data, industry knowledge, flexibility and independence to work as in whatever way is best for you and your shop.
The power to simplify your shop's operations can gain complete visibility, control and opportunity to determine the best path forward for every decision.
The best experience for your customers, every time, for every job, whether that's a coolant flush and pad replacement, or a turbo rebuild.
With the right tools in place, your team members won’t have to stress about extra oversight and can feel empowered to take the reins at work. And your customers can have a more active say in the repair process.
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.
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