At Tekmetric, we’ve been busy creating the most requested feature by users: true two-way texting. We’re excited to announce that this November, you and your guests will be able to communicate with each other in a seamless, hassle-free way.
Send and Receive Texts Directly in Tekmetric
Once your shop sets up two-way texting within Tekmetric, your team and customers will be able to have instant, harmonious digital conversations.
On your end, the Tekmessage interface will have a similar look and feel to social media messaging services (such as Facebook Messenger).
Your customers, however, will see the conversations as regular text messages on their phones.
To use Tekmessage, simply click the messaging icon in the top right corner of your shop’s header within Tekmetric. Doing so will open the Tekmessage sidebar, where you’ll be able to see a full list of conversations with guests, send and receive texts, and search conversations.
Make Life Easier for Your Customers
With Tekmessage, your customers will no longer have to deal with clunky web browser links.
Previous shop management messaging services required customers to open a link from a text in order to send a message to the shop.
Now, with Tekmessage, customers can simply send a text message without having to open a web browser. And your service writers will instantly be able to see messages and respond without ever having to leave Tekmetric.
Note: Digital vehicle inspections and estimates will still be sent as a clickable link because they include data-rich content such as graphs, checklists, etc.
All you have to do is message your customers using the Tekmessage integration, and they’ll receive a text. When they text back, it’ll show up in Tekmessage. Badda-bing. Badda-boom.
Sync Your Shop’s Original Phone Number to Tekmessage
With Tekmessage, you’ll be able to streamline how new customers communicate with your shop by choosing the phone number your shop sends messages from within Tekmetric.
You can use your shop’s existing phone number—the one you have been advertising on your website and Google My Business profile—to make it easier than ever for new customers to reach you and for service writers to add their new customers' information to Tekmetric.
Or, you can choose a different phone number based on the available phone numbers in your area. Either way, when you text customers via Tekmessage, the number that they will see on their phones will be the one you chose during setup.
And if you're a multi-shop owner, you can set up a separate Tekmessage number for each individual shop.
Centralize Customer Communication
Think of Tekmessage as your new customer communication command center. From the Tekmessage sidebar, you’ll be able to:
Search existing contacts by name and number
Send texts to customers and numbers not yet in the system
Receive and respond to texts from new and existing customers
Create and view upcoming appointments
Create and view active repair orders
Quickly view customer profiles
Mark messages as read and unread
See which employee sent a response and what time they sent that response
Order too many parts and your money and space are tied up in inventory. Order too few and when you run out of what you need, projects come to a standstill while you wait for a delivery. That’s why you need a solid auto parts inventory management system.
Auto parts inventory management is a process that helps you decide when to buy, store, use, or sell auto parts, so you can be sure that items you need are in stock when you need them. This requires tracking parts you have on hand and streamlining the process of reordering or replacing them at the right time.
An inventory system will help your shop run more efficiently and free up a ton of time. Implement an effective system to tighten up your workflow and take your business to a higher level.
When thinking about how to run an auto repair shop, we might start by thinking about a well-managed football team. The different players know what they’re responsible for, show up to accomplish their jobs, put their best effort into everything they do, and perform their best as a team. Players have each others’ backs both on the field and off the field. They can think on the fly, and move as a unit toward the end zone.
How do your players work together? When mechanic shops assemble the right team, devise the right strategy, and run the right plays, they can win, too. Service advisors can stay informed about what’s going on with every repair order at any given moment in time, switch easily between tasks even when the shop is busy, and provide excellent customer service. Technicians are able to focus on their work and spend more time turning wrenches. And customers? They’ll get their cars back fast and drive away with a good impression of your shop.
Shop owners who think more deeply about how to manage a mechanic shop are rewarded for their efforts. Well-managed shops see exponential returns. Stellar team performance leads to customer satisfaction and repeat business. The more successful your shop, the more you can invest back into your team, continuing the cycle of success for all involved.
Building a startup takes time, effort, and a lot of determination. You and your team have invested in a great idea, and everyone works diligently to bring new team members, investors, and customers on board. However, the process doesn’t end once the product or service has taken off and gained popularity.
A startup can operate on a lean team, with people wearing multiple hats and taking on extra responsibilities. But as the company grows, it will be time to hire more employees and scale the company to meet demand.
How to scale the business is an enormous question that causes hesitation for many leaders. How do you expand your business offerings and your team without losing the heart and inspiration that helped the startup succeed in the first place?
In my own business, Tekmetric, which offers shop management software for auto repair businesses, I have relied on a few tactics that enabled me—and our whole team—to scale sustainably. Here are four of the most vital.
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