On busy days, it can feel like there are a million things happening at your shop. Technicians are hard at work getting repairs knocked out and service advisors are helping customers. Even on slow days, there’s work to be done. You might decide to tackle that new marketing plan or personally call customers to remind them of service work they’d previously put off.
No matter the circumstances, it’s important to have a way of juggling and managing it all. However, keeping track of everything with pen and paper, a whiteboard, or just by playing it by ear can quickly turn into a headache. After all, those methods are unreliable and complicated. Information can easily get lost in the mix, and all it takes is for one misunderstanding to knock things off track.
Repairs management software can keep you and your team on track and free up your time as a shop owner so you can focus on the high-level aspects of growing your business. Service advisors can use Tekmetric’s Job Board to see the status of repairs, appropriately delegate tasks to technicians, and give customers updates every step of the way.
Get a Bird’s Eye View of Different Stages in the Repair Process
When you access Tekmetric’s Job Board, you and your team can decide if you want to view jobs that are “Active,” “Saved for Later,” in “Accounts Receivable,” “Paid,” or even “Deleted.” On a day-to-day basis, your service advisors will likely manage repair work from the “Active” view.
Tekmetric’s Job Board categorizes “Active” repairs into three buckets: “Estimates,” “Work-in-Progress,” and “Completed.”
Column 1: Estimates
Every new repair order that a service advisor creates will first appear as a card in the “Estimates” column. The repair order will stay in that column as the technician conducts an initial digital vehicle inspection (DVI) and the service advisor prepares a repair estimate for the customer.
Service advisors can see the status of each repair order on the top left corner of each individual card. Statuses will indicate where in the estimate process a repair is: “Not Started,” “Requires Authorization,” “Pending Authorization,” or “Declined All.” In the “Estimates,” column, these statuses automatically change as each repair moves through the estimate process.
On the bottom right-hand corner, service advisors will see either a paper airplane icon that indicates when an estimate was sent to a customer, or an eye icon that indicates when a customer viewed the estimate.
On each card, the service advisor will see three dots on the upper right corner. When they click on the dots, they’ll see three options: “Authorize,” “Save for Later,” and “Delete.” When a customer declines all jobs in a repair order, the service advisor will see an additional option after clicking on those three dots: “Post as Declined.”
If you want to get the most accurate close-ratio metrics possible, you can go into the user permissions settings and remove the “Delete” option. By doing so, the service advisor must mark repair orders with all declined jobs as “Post as Declined.”
Column 2: Work-in-Progress
If a customer declines all jobs in a repair order, then that card will remain in the “Estimates” column with the status “Declined All.” However, if the customer approves at least one job in the repair order, that repair order card will then automatically move to the “Work-in-Progress” column and automatically get tagged as “Not Started.”
Note: the service advisor will still be able to view the declined jobs by clicking into the repair order.
When a card is moved to the “Work-in-Progress” column, the options under the three dots in the upper right-hand corner will change to: “Complete Work,” “Set Status,” and “Delete.” However, as the shop owner, you can take away the “Delete” option by configuring the user permissions.
The service advisor can manually add status updates by selecting “Set Status.” From there, they can choose the right status from the dropdown menu that will show up on their screen. For example, they can mark that a repair order is “In Progress,” “Waiting on Parts,” or “Waiting on Sublet.” The resulting designation will show up on the top left corner of each repair order card.
The service advisor will also see a timeline on the bottom of each repair order card indicating how far along a technician is in their repair. Service writers, shop owners, and shop foremen don’t have to go into individual repair orders to get this information. With one glance at the Job Board, they can know exactly where a repair is (for instance, 3 hours out of 4 completed, so 75% of the way there), and update the customer by sending them a message via true two-way texting.
Note: technicians will also see the work-in-progress line in their workspace, the Tekmetric Tech Board.
Column 3: Completed
Once the technician has finished a job, the service advisor can return to the three dots on the top right-hand corner of a repair order and select “Complete Work.” Doing so will move the repair order into the “Completed” column.
Note: repair orders will automatically hit Tekmetric’s Tech Board once the customer has given approval. You can configure user permissions to enable your technicians to mark repair orders as complete. However, to minimize confusion, we recommend keeping this capability of marking repair orders as complete to service advisors.
Once a job is complete, the service advisor can jump into the repair order and select the payment tab on the top bar. In the payment tab, the service advisor can collect payment in a number of ways, including cash, check, and credit or debit card. The service advisor can click the green “View & Share Invoice” button to send the customer an invoice. If your shop has Tekmerchant text-to-pay set up, the service advisor can send the invoice directly to the customer’s phone.
When the service advisor clicks on the three dots on the upper right corner of the repair order card after the customer pays in full, they’ll see the option: “Post as Paid.” We recommend that the service advisor doesn’t click this option until after the customer has picked up their vehicle, because clicking “Post as Paid” results in the card getting categorized as “Paid” in the Job Board. If a service advisor needs to move the repair order back to the Job Board, they can click on the dropdown menu right next to where it says “Job Board” in the top bar, and click on “Paid.” Then, they can find the repair order they want to move back, click the three dots in the right-hand column, and click “Unpost.”
If a customer hasn’t paid yet, the service advisor will see these options after they click on the three dots on the upper right corner of the card: “Post to A/R” and “Reopen RO.” Selecting “Post to A/R” is for sending a repair order to the accounts receivable department. This option is for charge accounts, or for customers who want to pay in installments rather than in full.
The “Reopen RO” option is for situations where something needs to be updated in the repair order at the last minute, like adding a charge for a missing part.
Once a ticket has been paid in full, the service advisor can view it later by clicking on the dropdown menu right next to where it says “Job Board” in the top bar, and clicking “Paid.” If the ticket gets sent to the accounts receivable department, the service advisor can click on that same drop-down menu and select “Accounts Receivable” to view it.
Customize Views for Maximum Speed
Sometimes, service advisors will want to change up their view of the Job Board to access different types of information faster. With Tekmetric’s Job Board, they can quickly sort and organize current jobs.
Service advisors can navigate to the top bar of the Job Board and select whether they want to populate the information on the Job Board by:
RO Status, whichwill give the service advisor a snapshot of which stage each repair order is in. For instance, they can choose to see every repair order that’s labeled “In-Progress.”
Employee, which will give the service advisor a precise picture of exactly what each technician is working on at any given time, so they can appropriately assign new repair orders.
Appointment Type, which will enable the service advisor to see which customers are waiting at the shop, and which have opted to drop off their vehicles and return later.
Service advisors can also use the Job Board’s search bar to their advantage and immediately find specific jobs. For example, they can search for a vehicle year or customer name, and the relevant repair order will appear on their screen. With the search bar, the service advisor will spend even less time hunting down a specific repair order!
Repairs Management Software: Manage Your Shop Without Micromanaging
With Tekmetric, you’ll have access to the same information as your service advisors and technicians. You can use the Job Board to keep an eye on repairs without disrupting your team.
As your team becomes more and more confident using Tekmetric’s Job Board, they’ll be able to self-manage. In turn, you’ll have more time to focus on the high-level aspects of building your business, such as using Tekmetric’s realtime reports to forecast sales. Or, you might decide to use your newfound time and flexibility to take a much-needed vacation—all while still being able to see what’s going on at your shop. As long as you have a device and an internet connection, it’ll be like you never left!
Starting a tire shop can be a profitable business venture, especially if you already own an auto repair shop and want to expand your services. Today's vehicle owners are increasingly looking for one-stop shops that cater to all their automotive needs, from engine repairs to tire services.
By adding tire services to your offerings, you can attract more customers and increase your revenue. Services typically include tire sales, installation, balancing, rotation, and repair. In this guide, we'll cover everything you need to know about how to start a tire shop, including the permits required, startup costs, profitability, and tools to help you streamline your operations.
10 Steps to Open Your Tire Shop Business
1. Market Research and Planning
Market Research: Assess the demand for tire services in your area, analyze the competition, and identify your target market.
Business Plan: Outline your business plan, target market, competition analysis, services offered, pricing strategy, and financial projections.
2. Legal Considerations and Permits
Business Structure: Decide whether to register as a sole proprietorship, partnership, LLC, or corporation.
Licenses and Permits: Obtain the necessary licenses and permits to operate a tire shop, including a business license, sales tax permit, and any environmental permits for proper tire disposal.
Insurance: Get appropriate insurance coverage, such as general liability, property, and worker's compensation.
3. Startup Costs and Financing
Startup costs for a tire shop can vary depending on factors such as location, size, and the range of services offered. If needed, secure funding through personal savings, investors, or loans. Typical expenses include:
Lease or purchase of property: Costs will vary based on location and size.
Equipment and tools: Tire changers, balancers, alignment machines, and hand tools.
Inventory: Initial stock of tires and related products.
Marketing: Advertising and promotional materials to attract customers.
Staffing: Wages for skilled technicians and support staff.
4. Choose a Location
Select a location that is easily accessible and visible to potential customers. High-traffic areas near major roads or highways can increase your shop's visibility and attract more customers. In addition, consider how close your shop will be to competitors and other auto repair shops.
5. Marketing and Branding
Branding: Develop a strong brand identity, including a logo, signage, and marketing materials.
Marketing Plan: Implement marketing strategies, such as local advertising, online marketing, and promotions. Consider offering discounts, loyalty programs, and special deals.
Website: A website may be your first impression to a potential customer. Make sure your website showcases your services and shop appropriately.
SEO: Search engine optimization (SEO) can be a powerful tool to help shops be more visible to local customers searching for auto services.
Social Media: Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok can be useful tools to help you reach new customers and promote special offers/events.
Local Advertising: Billboards, signage, Google ads, and direct mailers can be influential local marketing tactics to win over new customers.
Tek-Tip: If you need help coming up with a tire shop business name, we have developed a guide to the best automotive business names. In addition, we developed an AI-powered mechanic business name generator tool that can also help with logo creation.
6. Equipment and Tools
Invest in high-quality equipment and tools to provide efficient and reliable tire services. Essential equipment needed to open a tire shop includes:
Suppliers: Establish relationships with tire suppliers and distributors. Negotiate favorable terms and prices.
Inventory: Stock a range of tires for different vehicles and price points. Include related products like rims, tire accessories, and repair kits. Consider stocking a diverse inventory with summer, winter, performance and off-road tires.
8. Staffing and Training
Hire experienced and skilled technicians who are knowledgeable about tire services and automotive repairs. Providing ongoing training and development opportunities can help ensure your staff stays up-to-date with industry trends and best practices.
9. Tire Shop Software
To streamline your tire services and improve efficiency, consider implementing Tekmetric's Tire Suite. This powerful tool offers several features to enhance your tire shop management, including:
DOT# Registration: Automatically register Department of Transportation (DOT) numbers with tire manufacturers, ensuring smooth operations.
Easy Access Tire Specifications: Equip your Service Advisors with instant access to comprehensive tire data, facilitating accurate tire selection.
Add Tires from Inventory: Identify the correct sized tires directly from your inventory right on the RO, speeding up the creation of any tire job.
10. Grand Opening and Beyond
Grand Opening: Plan a grand opening event to attract customers and build awareness.
Customer Service: Focus on providing excellent customer service to build a loyal customer base.
Continuous Improvement: Regularly assess and improve your services, marketing efforts, and operations.
Benefits of Adding Tire Services
1. Increased Revenue Streams
Adding tire services to your auto repair shop can create new revenue streams and attract a broader customer base. Vehicle owners are more likely to choose a shop that offers comprehensive services, saving them time and effort.
2. Enhanced Customer Loyalty
Offering tire services can improve customer loyalty by providing a one-stop solution for all their automotive needs. Satisfied customers are more likely to return and recommend your store to others.
3. Competitive Advantage
By offering specialized tire services, you can differentiate your shop from competitors and position yourself as an expert in the field.
How Much Do Tire Shops Make Per Year?
The annual revenue of a tire shop can vary widely based on factors such as location, size, and the range of services offered. On average, a well-managed tire store can generate annual revenues ranging from $200,000 to $2 million. By offering high-quality services and building a loyal customer base, you can maximize your shop's profitability.
Final Thoughts
Starting a tire shop business can be a rewarding and profitable venture, especially when integrated with an existing auto repair shop. By following the steps outlined in this guide and leveraging the benefits of Tekmetric's Tire Suite, you can streamline your tire services, improve customer satisfaction, and increase your shop's profitability.
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.
Effective customer communication is crucial in the auto repair industry, no matter how big or small your shop may be. In fact, customer communication is at the heart of the most successful shops. However, there’s more to it than just writing a repair order or making a phone call and leveraging effective strategies for communicating can make the difference in a shop’s level of success. In this guide, we will go over qualities of great customer communication and how you can leverage digital tools like your auto repair shop management system to be a better communicator. Together, these assets can help you enhance customer loyalty and grow your shop’s bottom line.
Good communication in your shop is characterized by:
An efficient and accurate workflow
Understanding and fulfilling customer needs
Creating trust and driving safety by educating customers on their vehicles
Maximizing and Streamlining Your Workflow
Good communication starts internally. Streamlining communication between your service writers and technicians is key to ensuring the customer’s needs are met in the most efficient way possible. To master this, encourage your team to leverage internal tools like your shop management system to streamline internal conversations. This can help create a more efficient communication process, allowing you to both maintain a continuous workflow and enhance your overall customer experience. Some of Tekmetric’s features to streamline workflow include:
Job Board. Within Tekmetric, internal and external notes can minimize the back-and-forth during a repair process. For example, internal-facing notes on a job board allow for immediate communication between your technicians and service advisors with just the click of a button. Additionally, job boards also have customizable statuses that share the state of a repair at a glance – no more chasing down a technician after your day off for a progress update. Together, these features streamline your shop’s internal communications, driving efficiency and allowing smoother behind-the-scenes operations for everyone.
Inventory and Ordering. To help streamline the ordering process, Tekmetric includes a feature that allows the technician to find the parts that they need for the vehicle, rather than going through a service advisor. By empowering the technician to review labor times, order the correct parts and note their needs internally, this feature can reduce communication bottlenecks and enhance communication – from the technician to the service advisor, and eventually to the customer.
Meeting Customers Where They Are
The best way to reach a customer is whichever method they prefer. Some may prefer email or phone, but many people are on-the-go and also appreciate text updates. In fact, 81% of Americans text regularly, with 90% of text messages opened within the first three minutes since it was sent. Because of this, Tekmetric has built-in, two-way texting to help you make your customer experience more convenient. Whether sharing repair updates or enabling a parent to make a payment for their college student from states away, texting enables customers to reach your shop for important matters without inconveniencing themselves. This includes features like:
Two-way texting. With two-way texting, customers no longer have to deal with phone tag hassles and can reach the shop at the tip of their fingertips. This capability gives the customer more autonomy in the repair process, allowing a convenient way for them to ask questions, view photos or video and approve repairs.
Text-to-pay. Payment is the final touchpoint you have with a customer. The text-to-pay feature makes this process virtually painless. Customers can pay from their office, in the evenings at home or even from miles away if they are traveling. By offering this option, you can simplify the payment process, and the customer can pick up their vehicle sooner – resulting in a happier customer and more efficiency in your shop.
Facilitating A Culture of Trust, Safety and Education
In the auto repair industry, shops have a responsibility to ensure the safety of their customers’ vehicles. Utilizing digital tools in your shop can demonstrate your commitment to vehicle owner safety, as well as help you facilitate a culture of trust that seeks to educate the average customer about the health of their car. Some tools might include:
Digital vehicle inspections. DVIs provide two key qualities your customer highly values: information and benefits. A complete DVI with photos, video and clear notes gives customers the autonomy to examine the repairs your technician proposes and decide which recommendations they want to approve. It benefits your shop too: when you share eight photos or more, your ARO can actually increase because the media allows the customer to see where the vehicle needs repairs with their own eyes. With two-way texting, you can send photos directly to the customer’s phone as well, enhancing both the convenience and the level of trust they have in your shop.
MotoVisuals integration. One of the responsibilities of the service writer is to educate the vehicle owner on why the repair is needed for their car. With Tekmetric’s MotoVisuals integration, you can share clear, easy-to-understand animations and videos with voiceovers that talk about why a repair is important. This helps drive the vehicle owner’s confidence in the repair, creating a culture of education that ultimately drives trust and loyalty and keeps your customers coming back for more.
The Bottom Line?
Ultimately, communication is a strategic business tool that can drive efficiency and enhance your shop’s performance. By prioritizing clear, consistent and personalized interactions, you can build lasting relationships, enhance customer satisfaction and elevate your shop’s performance. Embracing digital tools and strategies like Tekmetric can empower you to optimize your communication efforts and achieve sustained growth. This commitment to maintaining a customer-first mentality is reflected in your ability to communicate both with your team and your customers and, when done effectively, can increase customer retention and lead to more profit for your shop.
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