Automotive — The Automation Files
ARO, parts matrices, digital inspections, flat-rate payroll, and the shop management systems independent auto repair runs on — Tekmetric, Mitchell 1, and more.
9 articles
The Auto Shop Technician Shortage Is Getting Worse Before It Gets Better
The pipeline shrank 35% and every shop is fishing the same pond. The retention and efficiency levers that matter more than another Indeed post.
Read it →Your Auto Shop Doesn't Need More Cars. It Needs More From the Cars You Already Have.
Car count is maxed by your bays. Average repair order isn't. Where the extra $100 per ticket actually comes from — and it isn't upselling.
Read it →The Parts Markup Problem Costing Auto Shops $40,000 to $70,000 a Year
Flat markup on every part is how shops quietly give away $40-70K a year. What a tiered parts matrix is and how your SMS already supports one.
Read it →Auto Repair Shops Miss 23% of Their Calls. Here Is What That Actually Costs.
23% of calls go unanswered while the counter is slammed. Missed-call textback, overflow routing, and what recovering even half is worth.
Read it →The Flat Rate Spreadsheet Is Running Your Payroll and It Is Wrong at Least Once a Month
Flat rate payroll rebuilt by hand every week is an error factory with legal exposure. Connecting flagged hours to payroll so the math runs itself.
Read it →The Disputed Repair That Was Authorized. Verbally.
Verbal OKs don't survive disputes, chargebacks, or Florida's repair act. Digital authorization with timestamps, built into the SMS you already run.
Read it →The Digital Inspection Your Tekmetric Account Already Has and You Have Never Turned On
AutoVitals' data says photo-heavy inspections lift ARO 30%. The digital inspection workflow already included in Tekmetric, and why shops skip it.
Read it →Should You Switch From Mitchell 1 to Tekmetric? Answer This Question First.
Mitchell 1 vs Tekmetric isn't really a software question. The shop-specific questions that decide it, and what migration actually involves.
Read it →There Is $36 Billion in Deferred Maintenance Driving Past Your Shop Right Now
Every declined service you've ever written up is a future job with a date on it. The follow-up automation that brings deferred work back to your bays.
Read it →Want this run against your own numbers?
Everything above is what tends to go wrong in automotive. The audit does it for your business specifically, in the order the fixes have to happen. Start free, or take the full version.