How does Tekmetric improve the automotive repair order form process?

Tekmetric’s Shop Management System is a reliable cloud-based system, so you never have to worry about misplacing an automotive repair order form again....Tekmetric’s [DVI solution](https://www.tekmetric.com/post/digital-vehicle-inspection-guide) takes clarity one step further by allowing technicians to add pictures and videos of any concerns to the holistic Digital Vehicle Inspections.

How to Get Better Results from Automotive Repair Order Forms | Tekmetric

The article from Tekmetric discusses strategies to improve automotive repair order forms to achieve better business results, highlighting how standardized and optimized forms can increase average repair order values, as demonstrated by Metro Motor's success across multiple shops.

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See how Metro Motor grew their average repair order to $800 across 19 shops with Tekmetric

Under the Lift: Stories from the Automotive Frontier (New Episode)

Thought Leadership

How to Get Better Results from Automotive Repair Order Forms

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May 22, 2023

Read time: 1 min

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Most of Our Tools Have Become Digital

We’ve got the world at our fingertips with GPS and smartphones. These modern digital solutions make us feel more comfortable navigating the unknown. They minimize our risk of getting lost in the first place, and even if we do stray off the intended path, we can rest assured that they’ll guide us back with near-instant reorientation. For most of us, opting for the more efficient choice, digital maps, is an easy one.

As a shop owner, you use a mix of practical knowledge and industry research to inform business decisions on a daily basis. And as your shop continues to grow, your choices will have an even bigger impact on your team, your customers, and your business.

Navigating these big picture decisions like selecting the right shop management system can be difficult, especially when you’ve got other process decisions to worry about, like choosing the best automotive repair order form. The good news is that we’ve got your back and we’re here to walk you through it.

We’re all familiar with automotive repair order forms in this industry. A standard automotive repair order form usually isn’t more than a page or two. It contains vital information like the work to be done on a vehicle, any parts to be ordered, and a cost estimate of all the services to be provided. The trusty pen and paper automotive repair order form has been a repair shop staple for decades, and we get it. The traditional method is familiar, comfortable, and gets the job done. You might even say, “If it ain’t broke, why fix it?”

We’re glad you asked. We’ve compiled a list of ways that your automotive repair order form process may be holding your shop back from reaching its true potential.

Where the Manual Automotive Repair Order Form Process Falls Short

A traditional automotive repair order form might guide you towards a sale in the same way that using a paper map might eventually get you from Point A to Point B. But as a shop owner, you need tools that are reliable. Here are some ways your current automotive repair order form process might not be driving the business results you want to see.

1. Obscured Data

If your shop’s estimate and repair process is still tied to more traditional methods, your data might not be very accessible. Your service advisors might run into a few snags while trying to pull up any prior declined jobs, sales, or repair order data.

And trying to locate a misplaced document can eat up a lot of time, but locating the data is only half the battle. To make sense of all the data from repair orders, you’ve then got to manually crunch all the numbers yourself. Paper maps obscure data in the same way.

They lack the ability to save routes and destinations or track your travel progress in real time. Not to mention, if your map goes missing—like an automotive repair order form saved to the wrong folder on your computer—you’ve instantly become lost.

2. Poor Legibility

A messy automotive repair order form can really throw a wrench in your shop’s workflow and sales process. Your technicians and service writers have limited time to move repair orders forward, and your customers deserve their full attention.

More time spent trying to decode an illegible automotive repair order form means less time answering the phone for prospective customers or tending to the customers that are already in your shop supporting your business.

By the time the phones do get answered, your team often has no choice but to tell the customer on the line, “I’m sorry, no, we can’t get you in this week” or “No, we don’t have time for that.” And the resulting financial loss can be devastating over time.

According to Ratchet and Wrench, the “cost of saying ‘no’ to customers” might even cost some shops upwards of $23,000 in just one year. Think about all the gas, time, and energy you burn through when a poorly-drawn map gets you lost. The same goes for manual automotive repair order forms.

3. Limited Space

When using a traditional automotive repair order form, your service writers have to fit their assessment into narrow boxes, directly limiting their ability to effectively communicate necessary repairs.

Traditional forms lack the space for any prior customer or vehicle concerns, which means your team may not be getting the full picture on any given RO. In an industry plagued by mistrust and stereotypes, customer trust is essential to maintaining and growing your business.

In the same way that you might not be able to trust a broad state map to help you navigate a particular city, customers may not put faith in your technicians and shop when looking at a general estimate missing all the specifics.

4. Inconvenienced Customers

Customers feel the same way about paper receipts and paper estimates as most of us do about a glove compartment crammed full of paper maps: inconvenienced and overwhelmed. Your customers lead busy lives and might dread coming into the shop because of the time commitment alone. Relying on a traditional automotive repair order form process means taking up even more of their time by tying them to your shop with in-person authorizations and payments.

Digitize Your Automotive Repair Order Form Process To Drive Towards Success

1. Easily Access Your Shop’s Data

Tekmetric’s Shop Management System is a reliable cloud-based system, so you never have to worry about misplacing an automotive repair order form again.

Instead of combing through files and trying to piece together clues like a detective, Tekmetric links your customer records, declined jobs list, and other real-time reports with easy round-the-clock access for the whole shop, which means less late nights at the shop crunching numbers.

Tekmetric also recognizes returning customers and can populate ROs with their prior information, saving your service writers hours each year.

2. Improve Legibility

Typed reports are easy for everyone to read, minimizing the potential problems that come with difficult-to-decipher automotive repair order forms. With Tekmetric, the whole team can hop on the same RO at the same time, driving teamwork and communication further than ever. Remember: more time spent tending to prospective customers on the phones is more opportunity to say “yes” to customers. Help your team focus on the tasks at hand and get customers back on the road. Your customers and financial forecast will thank you.

3. Get the Full Picture

With a digitized automotive repair order form, space is no longer limited. Service writers can use as much (or as little) space as they need to effectively communicate service suggestions in a transparent fashion. Tekmetric’s DVI solution takes clarity one step further by allowing technicians to add pictures and videos of any concerns to the holistic Digital Vehicle Inspections. A handy color-coded system even lets customers know which concerns are most time-sensitive. Build customer trust and loyalty by empowering customers to make informed decisions about their vehicles, and help prevent them from running into bigger problems down the road.

4. Give Your Customers More Freedom

Drivers are looking for reliability and convenience. With a digital automotive repair order form process, customers are no longer physically tied to your shop. Tekmetric lets customers approve authorizations and even complete the payment process directly from their phones, giving them the freedom to step away for a business meeting or go to their kid’s soccer game. By honoring your customers’ time, they are much more likely to leave a positive review, and in turn, drive more business to your shop. Show customers you care and become the go-to shop for their family and friends.

Guide Your Team, Your Customers, and Your Business in the Right Direction

A traditional automotive repair order form might be getting the job done, but if your shop is still tied to this traditional method of recordkeeping, your business is likely expending time, energy, and resources that could be spent growing your shop instead. By digitizing your automotive repair order form process, you can improve workflow, build customer trust, and cultivate a shop where everyone wins.

👉 Ready to grow your automotive business? [Book a personalized Tekmetric Demo Here]

FAQ

Chargebacks are something that no shop owner wants to deal with.

Your business relies on big-ticket sales, and chargebacks on those sales can squeeze your margins.

When a guest goes through their bank or credit card company to get a refund, whether it’s because they were unhappy with the repair or not, it can leave shop owners in a bind where they might have to eat the cost of the labor, parts, and profit.

There are some cases where business owners can make a case against the chargeback, but it can be a lengthy process and most banks and credit card companies will side with the cardholder who’s making the complaint.

Protecting your business from chargebacks doesn’t start when the payment is processed, nor does it end with being reimbursed for a single chargeback. The best way to protect your business from chargebacks is to establish clear, open communication with your guests and adhere to a consistent and secure payment process.

Always Get Your Guests’ Consent Before Doing Work

When your service advisors take guests through the repair order, they should listen carefully to what the client wants; service advisors can never be too careful.

If that means spending some extra time to review the repair order with the guest, it’s time well spent.

A little more time spent on the front-end can save you a lot more time on the back-end. Once the RO is thoroughly reviewed, you can get either written or verbal consent for the work and the cost. It’s worth keeping in mind that it’s easier to document written consent.

Shop Tip: Use the Courtesy Inspection to Guide the Approval Process.

Using a shop management system like Tekmetric where the guest can see the courtesy inspection and click through and select the work they want and the work they want to put on hold can set clearer guidelines for both the guest and the service advisor.

Establish a Transparent Relationship with Your Guests

Providing excellent customer service is good practice for any auto repair shop, but it also goes a long way toward preventing chargebacks.

Let your guests know that you’re committed and dedicated to fixing their problem, even if that means taking their vehicle back into the shop if the guest is not 100% satisfied.

If you make it clear to your guests that they can come back to you about any concerns, they are far less likely to go to their bank or credit card company first. And it’s better to do a little extra work to ease the mind of your guest than it is to give away an entire repair order for free or go through legal hassles.

Shop Tip: Set a Clear and Easy Return Policy.

If your shop doesn’t already have one, consider establishing a clear and easy return policy and make it visible to guests via signage or with messaging on repair orders.

Simple policies such as “If you’re not satisfied, call us, and we’ll make it right” can go a long way in terms of letting guests know they should go straight to you if there’s something wrong.

Thought Leadership

How to Protect Your Auto Repair Shop from Chargebacks

Read time: 3 min

G2 gathers the reviews and opinions of real Tekmetric customers and compares them with competitors in the auto repair shop software industry. Awards are based on metrics such as usability, results, and other factors.

For Fall 2025, G2 has awarded Tekmetric with a range of badges, including Momentum Leader, Best Results, Best Usability, Best Realtionship, 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.
Best Relationship: Tekmetric has always been focused on creating a positive experience and relationship with our customers.

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.

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Tekmetric Continues Momentum with Fall G2 Awards

September 12, 2025

Read time: 2 min

HOUSTON – October 31, 2023 – Tekmetric, industry leading automotive repair shop management system, has released Smart Jobs, the industry’s first smart job building feature that quickly builds jobs in just one click to help streamline the creation of repair orders. In just one click, shops can quickly build an estimate with parts and labor, check on-hand inventory levels and shop at preferred vendors right in Tekmetric. This revolutionary feature enables service advisors to focus on customer service while simultaneously reducing workload.

"When it comes to running an independent auto repair business, efficiency is paramount," said Sunil Patel, CEO of Tekmetric. "With Smart Jobs, shops have the opportunity to respond to customer needs quickly and accurately, saving time and hassle for everyone. This is a game-changer for our industry, and we are confident that it will revolutionize the way shops operate and deliver customer service."

With one click in Tekmetric, service advisors can now build a job based on the vehicle selected, and Tekmetric will automatically:

● Create a job title

● Add the relevant labor line and apply a labor matrix

● Add the necessary parts, filters and fluids and apply a parts matrix

● Check inventory for all parts, then fetch them from your favorite vendors if not in stock

● Apply a locked package price to the entire job

● Apply any necessary fees

In addition to building repair orders more efficiently, Smart Jobs also accelerates the parts ordering process. Not only can the feature automatically apply the correct quantity of parts, filters and fluids to the repair, but it also shops for out-of-stock items and prepares an order within Tekmetric. For quick jobs, like cabin air filters, Smart Jobs has been able to save approximately one minute per job, adding up quickly throughout the day. Smart Jobs can also help new employees to begin building jobs faster. This can lead to improved productivity and reduced errors, helping employees to produce high-quality work earlier in their training.

Smart Jobs will be available to Tekmetric customers in 2024. To request pricing or schedule a demo visit https://www.tekmetric.com/feature/smart-jobs.

About Tekmetric

Tekmetric, a Houston-based auto repair technology company, offers a cloud-based platform that enables auto repair shop owners to enhance productivity and increase profitability through its streamlined workflow management processes. Designed by a former shop owner, Tekmetric’s platform drives shop efficiency through real-time data, a customizable user interface and customer-centric communication tools. Since its launch in 2016, Tekmetric has disrupted the industry with its robust fully-integrated system, developed with an emphasis on customer transparency and user collaboration. For more information, visit www.tekmetric.com.