Tekmetric

Transforming the Shop Owner Experience with Auto Repair Shop Software

The article discusses how implementing specialized auto repair shop software, like Tekmetric, can significantly enhance the shop owner experience by streamlining operations, increasing average repair orders, and providing personalized tools that improve efficiency and business growth across multiple locations.

By default, we use third-party cookies in order to personalize your experience. Read our Cookie Policy.

Accept

Preferences

Manage Consent Preferences

Essentials

Always active

Necessary for the site to function. Always On.

Analytics

Analytics

Measures usage and improves your experience.

Marketing

Marketing

Used for targeted advertising.

Personalization

Personalization

Remembers your preferences and provides enhanced features.

The GPC signal has been honored.

Reject All

Accept All

Thank you! Your submission has been received!

Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

Preferences

Join 1,000+ industry leaders at Tektonic 2027. Early bird pricing is now open.

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)

Register Now Read the Story Watch Now

Thought Leadership

Transforming the Shop Owner Experience with the Right Tools

Author

|

March 24, 2022

|

Read time: 4 min

Play / PAUSE audio blog

\ Add as a preferred source on Google

Latest Posts

Reading the ARO Gaps Among Your Shops

How to Deliver a Consistent Auto Repair Customer Experience Across Every Location

Auto Repair Platform Features that Actually Matter

Grow Every Multi-Shop Location

table of contents

https://www.tekmetric.com/post/asog-podcast-sunil-patel

As a shop owner, you have the ability to tune into your shop’s performance metrics, employees’ bandwidth, and overall profit margins with a few clicks.

Lucas Underwood and David Roman, hosts of the ASOG podcast, recently sat down with Tekmetric CEO Sunil Patel at the Vision Hi-Tech Training and Expo in Kansas City, Kansas.

Sunil shared some key insights into facing challenges, embracing change, streamlining processes, prioritizing customers, and the power of “always starting with why.”

Note: the following answers have been condensed for clarity.

On Facing Challenges and Handling Stress

ASOG: We spoke with PJ Leslie (Tekmetric’s Business Development Director) recently, and he was talking to us about your ability to take anything that comes your way and overcome it.

PJ shared with us that no matter the circumstance, you’re always able to say, “We’re going to get through this, and we’re going to make something from it.”

You created an amazing thing despite the adversity that you’ve faced. How were you able to do that?

Patel: My wife and I went through some hard times with our daughter, Brianna, about a year ago.

And what I told my wife during that time was, “You know what? I’m ready to face this challenge.

We’re going to find the best doctor we can find and the best solution for her. And Brianna will live life one day at a time.

We’re not going to think about the future, we’re going to live life today.”

Since that day it’s been almost ten months and everything has been great. She’s doing beautifully.

A key component to handling stress is delegation.

You’ve got to let go of some of your responsibilities no matter how unnerving it is. Remind yourself that you can continue to keep your momentum on your shop, business, and goals by delegating.

That’s why you have a team—so you can tackle and conquer each task that comes your way.

On Embracing Change and Switching Gears

ASOG: You’ve gone from being a physician to a police officer to an auto repair shop owner, and now you’re the co-founder and CEO of Tekmetric. What made you want to go from physician to shop owner?

Was there a rock bottom for you? Was there a point where you decided, “I don’t want to be a physician any longer?”

Patel: I was fortunate that I never hit rock bottom. I’ve always tried to live in the moment. And I’m always intrigued by learning new things. With that being said, it took me going from industry to industry to learn the skills that helped form Tekmetric.

Let’s say you set a goal for yourself to go to the gym more often.

Now, if you don’t want to go to the gym, then you will keep training your mind to make sure that gym is just not your thing. It’s not until you have a breakthrough that you are able to change your mindset.

You have to train your reticular activating system (RAS), a network of nerve pathways located in the brain stem that mediates overall behavior, so that going to the gym becomes a positive activity.

Along with reminding yourself that you want to go to the gym, write down when you want to make the change and why.

Let’s say this is your goal, 'In March 2023, I will feel great, I will look great, my clothes will fit me better, and I can hear my family and friends saying ‘You’ve done a fantastic job.'

You have to recognize and reframe each limiting belief that is preventing you from achieving your end goal. An example of a limiting belief would be something along the lines of, "Ah, I’ve had a long day, I can just go to the gym tomorrow.' You have to reframe it to, 'I’ve had a long day, time to finish strong with a trip to the gym.'

You have to be very intentional. You truly have to want to reach the finish line.

This concept goes for shop owners, too. If you’re wanting to expand your shop, you’ll need to change the way you’re running your business. You can do that with shop management software.

On Company Culture and Customer Feedback

ASOG: What is different about Tekmetric from the other shop management software companies on the market? What is it about Tekmetric that your supporters latched onto?

Patel: I feel that our company, our culture, and our following, are very, very strong and hard to duplicate.

And early on, we got vocal shop owners on board with Tekmetric. They bought into Tekmetric, and they ran with it. And we’ve stayed in touch with them through the years.

Additionally, we always stay connected with our customers. It doesn’t matter how big Tekmetric gets. It’s a company priority that we will always make it a point to talk to shop owners. We want to get that face-to-face time with them.

We want to see what’s bothering them, and we will never lose sight of that.

Along with talking to shop owners, we’ve always made sure that we listen to what they’re saying.

We were the first shop management software to incorporate a user group where we can actually get feedback from shop owners and have them vote on features that they would want to see in our software.

We did it manually through a Google spreadsheet at first.

Now, we have a customer success team that focuses on customer feedback.

ASOG: Everybody says it’s their company’s culture that makes them stand out. What’s unique about Tekmetric’s culture?

Patel: Some of the people on our team have been with us since day one.

And in addition to listening to our customers, we also listen to our team. As a company, we’re constantly improving our internal processes.

We never rest.

The processes that work for us today won’t work for us tomorrow—when we’re a 20-person team vs. a 50-person team vs. a 90-person team. It’s a process of constant change to make sure that we’re doing everything to the best of our ability.

On Implementing Shop Owners’ Feedback

ASOG: With customer feedback being a priority for Tekmetric, how do you balance Tekmetric’s features to avoid getting to the point that it’s overloaded with hundreds of buttons that do hundreds of different things?

Patel: Software matures over time. You're constantly bolting on features—over and over and over. However, you don't want to have this very complex software with unlimited buttons that do every single thing you can think of. It needs to be in a streamlined formatting process where you solve the issues that the shop owners are having along the way.</p>

Simon Sinek’s book, Start With Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action, is fundamental reading for our team. When we get a request saying a shop owner wants a purple button here and a blue button there, we have to be able to drill into why they want that change to begin with.

The buttons shop owners are asking for may not actually be what they need. It could be something completely different and unrelated. </p

At Tekmetric, we don’t want to do something that has been done in the past by somebody else. We’re not trying to just duplicate systems and call it a day. We want to know how we can make things even better.

We want to make the lives of shop owners easier.

As shop owners, we really resonate with this in a lot of ways. It makes a difference to hear, “This is why it's going to help you,” and actually see the difference it’s going to make within the software.

When I ran a European shop in Houston, there were times in the beginning of 2007 where, as we were just hitting the mortgage crisis, I was outsourcing myself to make the right choices business-wise, and I was pushing myself to get customers through the door.

Something that helped us immensely was adding a glass wall in our shop.

Our customers were able to see where their cars were in the repair process; they were able to see the technicians hard at work. It instilled a level of trust with our customers, and that’s how we got our following.

Transparency is key. We’ve placed transparency at the forefront of everything Tekmetric does for shop owners, their teams, and their customers.

On Finding Your Way

ASOG: Anything else you want to say to the listeners?

Patel: I enjoy getting my leadership team to think of better ways to solve problems.

We’re not going to sit and go on and on about how problems have been solved in the past. There are always better approaches.

And I wish more shop owners would realize that there’s always going to be a better way. You can reach your goals, fine-tune your shop’s processes, and give your customers the experience they deserve.

We’ve seen shop owners go from virtually nothing, going bankrupt, to making almost six figures a month.

And most importantly, never be afraid to ask for help. There are great resources out there to help you find your way.

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

FAQ

More articles

Starting a business can be a big risk. But if you map out a plan and execute it right, the outcome is well worth it. Having a solid automotive repair workshop business plan in place is especially important if you ever plan on owning multiple shops.

When you realized that you wanted to be a shop owner, it’s likely you considered the good you can do for both yourself and other people. Helping customers get their vehicles back on the road, and helping service advisors and mechanics grow in their careers is an exceptionally rewarding aspect of owning and operating a repair shop.

Thought Leadership

Shop Management

Auto Repair Shop Business Plan (9 Step Guide)

May 22, 2023

Read time: 1 min

read more

A Note from Sunil: Why We Built Tektonic 2026

Over the years, I’ve had thousands of conversations with shop owners, advisors, and technicians across the country. No matter the size of the shop or how long you’ve been using Tekmetric, I keep hearing the same two things:

You want a place to learn from each other.

And you want deeper, hands-on Tekmetric training.

That’s exactly why we built Tektonic 2026.

If you’ve already found this page, you probably know the basics: three days in Houston, April 9-11, built for owners, advisors, and technicians from every kind of shop and every kind of system. Tektonic is about one thing — helping you get better results, faster, with practical education, shop-tested playbooks, and product training you can actually use.

Here’s a sneak peek at what we have in store, at what that really means for you and your team.

For Owners: Stop Profit from Slipping Through the Cracks

You already work hard. The question is whether every hour and every RO is actually paying you back.

Breakout: Unlock Hidden Profits Without Blowing Up What Already Works — Alex Saladna, CEO, WickedFile

‍ Even well-run shops leak profit in the back office: unclaimed credits, fees that never get billed, vendor mistakes that never get caught. This session is about tightening all of that up without burning everything down and starting over.

You’ll walk away with:

  • Simple audits you can run regularly to spot hidden losses
  • A clear view of where profit usually disappears — and how to plug those holes
  • Ways to automate repetitive tasks so more dollars stay in the business

If you’ve ever felt like your top line looks good but the bottom line doesn’t match the grind, this one’s worth circling.

Breakout: ADAS & Required Calibrations: Protect Your Shop and Your Customers — Joel Adcock, Director of Strategic Partnerships, Revv

‍ Late-model vehicles roll in, ADAS is everywhere, and the liability is real. Missed calibrations aren’t just a line item you forgot to bill — they’re a safety issue and a trust issue.

You’ll walk away with:

  • Clarity on when calibrations are required and how to identify them
  • How to bake calibrations into your SOPs and ROs so they don’t get missed
  • Practical ways to educate your team and your customers on why this matters

The goal: fix vehicles right the first time, protect your reputation, and make sure you’re charging appropriately for the work you’re already responsible for.

Breakout: Scale on Purpose, Not by Accident — Jesse Jackson & Brian Walden, Mango Automotive

‍ If you’ve ever wondered how some shops jump to eight figures while you’re fighting for steady month-over-month growth, Jesse and Brian are going to walk you through the playbook they actually used.

For managers: Master the Maelstrom — Aaron Blair, Director of Operations, Alloy Automotive Partners

In the fast lane of auto service, chaos is inevitable—but profit isn’t. Aaron Blair, systems architect behind Blair and Alloy Automotive, shows how to turn daily disorder into precision workflow with tactical frameworks to control every moving part, from dispatching ROs to winning buy-in from techs and advisors.

You’ll learn how to:

  • Use systems to get ahead: Build smarter workflows with dispatch boards, SOPs, and tech scoreboards to spot bottlenecks early.
  • Maximize your day: Treat your calendar as a tool with time blocks for RO triage, tech coaching, and margin reviews.
  • Create team consistency: Rely on huddles, checklists, and incentives so every team member stays aligned and executes to standard.

Also in the owner-focused track at Tektonic:

  • Reporting Deep Dive: Making Sense of Tekmetric’s Dashboards
  • From Invoice to Insights: Using Tekmetric to Master Shop Financials
  • Love the Shop Again: Mindset Shifts to Lead, Inspire, and Grow
  • Build It and They Will Come: How to Open a Shop That Stands Out, Attracts Talent, and Builds Loyalty Fast
  • Powering Growth with Tekmetric Payments: From Faster Cash Flow to Customer Financing
  • Running MSOs: Tools and Best Practices

For Service Advisors: Turn Conversations into Trust and Revenue

Advisors are the heartbeat of the shop. When they’re trained, supported, and set up well in the system, everything feels smoother…for you and your customers.

Breakout: Is Your Advisor Making You 100K or Losing You 100K? — Greg Bunch, Chief Officer, Transformers Institute

‍ Owners and advisors will both get a lot out of this one. Greg walks through how a single advisor can swing six figures either way — and what to do about it.

You’ll walk away with:

  • A ready-to-use hiring funnel with a job ad, screening script, and one-hour audition plan
  • A 90-day onboarding and training plan with daily drills and talk tracks
  • A simple scorecard to track call conversion, ARO, and appointment close ratio

If you’ve ever hired an advisor on “gut feel” and hoped for the best, this session will give you a better way.

Breakout: High Impact Sales: The Words That Build Long-Term Customers — Sabrina Wilkerson, Business Performance Analyst, Elite Worldwide

‍ Advisors, this one is built for you. Customers don’t just buy the work — they buy the way you explain it. Sabrina breaks down what to say, how to say it, and how to stay ethical and honest while still driving approvals.

You’ll walk away with:

  • Practical ways to generate higher profits through better conversations at the counter
  • Tools to build long-term trust so people come back and send their friends
  • Confidence to show up as the credible expert instead of “just another shop”

These are skills you can practice in the room and use on your very next phone call.

Breakout Bundle: Tekmetric Tools That Make Every Day at the Counter Less Chaotic

‍ On top of the coaching and hiring sessions, we’re going deep on the actual tools advisors live in all day. The focus is simple: fewer dropped balls, clearer priorities, better follow-up, and a system that supports your advisors instead of slowing them down.

You’ll walk away with:

  • Cleaner workflows from first call to follow-up
  • Better visibility into which jobs to prioritize and when
  • Fewer “I thought you had it” moments between the front counter and the bay

Advisor-focused Tekmetric sessions include:

  • Tekmetric Service Workflow Deep Dive
  • Advisor Dashboard Training: Prioritizing the Right Jobs, Every Time
  • Advisor Toolkit Jam: Quotes, Smart Jobs, Templates & Follow-Up
  • Shaping the Future of Service Advisor Tools in Tekmetric

For Technicians: Build Skills, Confidence, and a Real Path Forward

Great techs want two things: the right tools and a future.

Breakout: How to Run Monster Hours — Ryan Blair, CEO and Co-Founder, Alloy Automotive Partners

As a dealer technician turned one man band shop owner, Ryan Blair averaged 500 hours a month in production. In this session, you will get a breakdown of the mindset, systems, tips, and tricks to increase your production no matter what kind of shop you are working in.

Takeaways:

  • How to play the game: maximizing the relationship with the front of house
  • The surprising math behind the things you didn't realize are holding your production back
  • Master the mindsets and beliefs to become the number one producer in your shop

Owners: this is a great session to send your high-potential techs to if you want them thinking bigger.

Breakout: Profit in the Bay: How Techs Win with DVIs and Efficiency Tracking

‍ Being a great technician isn’t just about fixing cars. It’s about seeing the payoff from the work you do. In this Tekmetric training session, we’ll connect the dots between the work in the bay and the numbers on the screen.

You’ll walk away with:

  • How solid DVIs drive higher approval rates
  • How photos, notes, and videos make it easy for customers to say “yes”
  • How efficiency tracking shows your impact — on the shop and on your paycheck

The goal is to give techs a clear line of sight from “I turned this wrench” to “I made this much difference.”

Breakout: ON-TRACK with DIN Diagrams + VCDS 101 — Travis Ruiz, Technical Support Consultant, German Car Support

‍ If VW/Audi work feels like it takes twice as long as it should, these sessions are for you.

You’ll walk away with:

  • Practice finding the correct wiring diagrams and navigating service info
  • A walkthrough of the VCDS interface: scans, fault codes, live data, and basic functions
  • Real-world tips for using VCDS to diagnose and fix problems faster

For techs who want to sharpen their skills on European cars, this is time well spent.

For techs who want even more time in the tools:

  • Tekmetric Mobile App Deep Dive: Workflow at Your Fingertips
  • DVI + Mobile App End-to-End Training: Photos, Video, Notes & Approvals
  • Unlocking Smarter Repairs in Tekmetric

Big-Room Moments That Shift How You Lead

On top of 50+ breakout sessions, Tektonic’s general sessions are built to stretch how you think about your business and your role in it:

  • Keynote: From Mainstreet to Millionaire — Codie Sanchez, Contrarian Thinking Why “boring” businesses like auto repair can be the foundation of serious wealth if you build them right — and what that means for how you think about profit, risk, and opportunity in your own shop.
  • Keynote: Entrepreneurship Simplified — Mike Michalowicz, Profit First Practical, straight-talking frameworks for building a healthier business: profit baked in from the start, cleaner cash flow, and systems that don’t fall apart every time you step away from the shop .
  • Keynote: Effort Matters, Character Counts — General Robert Neller, USMC (Ret.) What effort and character look like on high-trust teams — and how those same principles apply when you’re leading a crew through nonstop cars, parts delays, and the pressure to deliver every day.
  • Coaching Power Hour Panel: The Great Shop Coaching Showdown Leaders from top coaching groups tackling real shop challenges, side by side, so you can hear different approaches in one fast-paced session.
  • Shop Owner Panel: What It Really Takes to Win From hiring and training to navigating daily chaos, this panel pulls back the curtain on what different types of high-performing shops are doing to scale, stay profitable, and keep both teams and customers thriving. You’ll hear real talk and real strategies from leaders who are living it every day, not just talking theory from a stage.

Three days in those rooms can change how you lead for the rest of the year.

Bring Your Whole Shop to Houston

Tektonic is built for your whole team:

  • Owners getting clear on growth, profit, and where the business is really headed
  • Advisors sharpening the conversations that build trust and drive revenue
  • Technicians building skills, confidence, and a real path forward in their careers

It’s every shop, every role, under one roof, with zero gatekeeping. Wherever your shop is today — overwhelmed, growing, rebuilding, thriving — Tektonic delivers clarity, community, and practical tools to get to your next result.

Learn more about Tektonic 2026 and register your team HERE .

Tekmetric Community

Inside Tektonic 2026: Breakout and General Session Sneak Peek

December 3, 2025

Read time: 9 min

read more

Here, we explore the importance of service writers for an auto center or dealership. By the end, you'll have a comprehensive understanding of the service writer role, the qualifications they need, and what to look for when you’re hiring.

What is an automotive service writer?

A service writer is the liaison between the customer and the repair garage. Sometimes called a service advisor or coordinator, they run the front desk and interact directly with your customers. The service writer is essentially the face of the business, and they fulfill several duties that keep the service center functional.

What does an automotive service writer do?

Service writers do a lot for a repair center. Here are some of their main duties:

  • Delivering exceptional customer service
  • Coordinating and managing service appointments
  • Monitoring and overseeing vehicle maintenance and repairs
  • Maintaining accurate records of customer and vehicle data
  • Generating service cost estimates for customers
  • Facilitating effective communication between customers and technicians
  • Handling billing transactions and manage financial records

The duties of a service writer typically depend on their qualifications. Understanding the foundational credentials can help you choose the right candidate for your maintenance center.

Thought Leadership

What Is an Automotive Service Writer?

Read time: 1 min

read more

Request a personalized demo now

experience

Tekmetric in Action

get started\

Tekmetric logo.

Platform

Features

Resources

Support

company & Legal

×

Book your free demo with Tekmetric