Do you remember the days when getting a parts quote meant endless phone calls, shouting over the shop noise, and filling out tons of paperwork? For years, that was just how auto shops worked.
These days, the clipboard has been replaced by a tablet, those quick verbal updates are now detailed digital inspections sent straight to a customer’s phone, and ordering parts is seamlessly built into your workflow. As a result, auto shops deliver professional and transparent customer experiences.
In this guide, we will walk you through some of the most powerful apps and auto repair shop software available and how to streamline your workflows, improve customer communication, and help your business grow.
What is Auto Repair Shop Software, and How Can it Benefit Your Business?
Auto repair shop software is designed to make your shop run smoother and more profitably by putting all your important jobs, from scheduling and invoicing to ordering parts, into one system that everyone on your team can actually use. Here’s what auto repair shop software can do:
- Improve Profitability: You can get a full picture of your auto shop’s financial health with better tracking of parts, labor, and invoices.
- Centralize Operations: It eliminates paperwork and disconnected processes by centralizing scheduling, invoicing, parts ordering, and customer communication into one organized system.
- Increase Shop Efficiency: Your team can complete their jobs faster and even serve more customers with less stress, all by automating repetitive tasks and streamlining workflows.
- Enhance Customer Communication: Customers appreciate transparent experiences, and professional digital estimates, invoices, and service updates help meet expectations and build trust.
1. Tekmetric
Best for: Auto Repair Shop Management
Tekmetric is a leading auto repair shop management software. This is mainly because it creates a platform that is both powerful and easy to use. It brings your entire operation into one system, with a clean digital workflow that connects the front office to the shop floor. With Tekmetric, there’s no need for whiteboards and stacks of paperwork anymore.
One of the most powerful features is its software solution for vehicle inspections. This feature allows technicians to build trust with customers. But how? Technicians can easily send detailed reports with photos and even videos of their findings directly to the customer’s phone. This ensures quick and transparent approval.
Key Features
- Performance Tracking: Use reporting tools to support smarter, data-driven decisions about your shop’s efficiency and profitability.
- Integrated Payments: A built-in system designed to build trust with secure payment options and ensure on-time payments from customers.
- Built-in CRM and Marketing Tools: These tools help you attract new customers, communicate with them, and even retain more customers.
- Multi-Shop Management: See and control all shop locations from one single dashboard.
- Unified Workflow: Easily track and manage your inventory, estimate building, and order parts all in one integrated platform.
Pricing
Tekmetric has different pricing plans that don’t require long-term contracts or other hidden fees. The best part? All plans include unlimited users, devices, and repair orders.
- Start Plan: $199 per month or $179 per month when billed annually.
- Grow Plan: $349 per month or $309 per month when billed annually.
- Scale Plan: $439 per month or $409 per month when billed annually.
- Enterprise Plan: For this plan, you’ll have to schedule a demo in order to receive a custom quote and even include powerful, enterprise-level features like integrated payments and a dedicated account manager.
2. QuickBooks
Best for: Accounting and Financial Management
QuickBooks is a leading accounting software solution for small businesses and entrepreneurs. It provides a range of tools that can transform your store from a mess into a professional operation with up-to-date financial health insights.
Key Features
- Income and Expense Tracking: You can connect directly to your company’s bank accounts to automatically track all records of your financial transactions.
- Automated Data Sync: You can also link all of your bank accounts so that all of your transactions are instantly sorted and organized.
Payroll Services: Take care of direct transfers, manage employee payments, and even figure out how much tax to withhold.
Invoicing: Make professional bills and arrange for clients to pay them online. - Reporting: Create advanced and comprehensive financial reports such as balance sheets as well as profit and loss statements.
Pricing
Depending on unique business needs, QuickBooks offers monthly and annual subscription plans:
- Simple Start: $3 per month, best for independent contractors or small businesses with basic needs.
- Essentials: $4 per month, best for small businesses and entrepreneurs working with suppliers and vendors.
- Plus: $6 per month, best for companies that oversee inventory and complex projects.
- Advanced: $33 per month, best for growing businesses that need more control and automation.
3. ADP
Best for: Payroll and HR Management
ADP provides specialized services in auto repair and tire shops. They take care of time-consuming and complex tasks like tax filing, payroll processing, and even HR compliance. Shop owners can focus on their team and customers by delegating administrative duties and repetitive tasks to a specialized ADP service solution.
Key Features
- Payroll Services: Automatically process payroll accurately and on time.
- HR Support: Access to HR specialists and a resource library that assists with compliance and employee management concerns.
- Tax Filing & Compliance: ADP calculates, files, and pays your federal, state, and local payroll taxes on your behalf.
- Employee Self-Service: Give your employees access to their pay stubs, tax forms, and benefits information through an online portal.
- Time and Attendance Tracking: Track employee work hours to ensure correct compensation and efficient labor cost management.
Pricing
Unfortunately, ADP pricing plans aren’t available on their website. However, their prices depend on how many workers you have and which service package you choose. They also have different pricing plans for payroll and human resources (HR).
4. Steer CRM
Best for: Marketing Automation and Customer Retention
Do you want to turn each customer into a loyal client? Steer CRM is for you. It’s an automated tool for building relationships and marketing that works well with the management software you already have.
Key Features
- Marketing Campaigns: Send automated thank-you notes, promotions, and service reminders through targeted text and email campaigns.
- Customer Analytics: Determine which customers are most valuable from a business perspective, and develop focused “win-back” campaigns to re-engage inactive clients.
- Reputation Management: Automatically request reviews from clients on Google, Facebook, and other platforms after each visit.
- Two-Way Texting: Using a single platform, start direct, real-time conversations with your clients.
Pricing
Steer CRM offers two pricing plan options based on the number of vehicles you service each month:
- Contact Plan: $349 per month plus a one-time $199 fee for integration and onboarding. This plan includes unlimited direct messaging and 1,000 monthly campaign text messages.
- Engage Plan: The price is $479 per month plus a one-time fee of $199 for setup and connection. This plan lets you send as many direct messages and campaign texts as you want.
5. AutoOps
Best for: Workflow Integration and Online Scheduling
AutoOps is specialized software designed to provide clients with an intelligent, fully customizable online scheduling experience. It shows real-time calendar availability by integrating directly with your shop management system. By encouraging clients to include previously declined services during the online booking process, it also helps increase your average repair order.
Key Features
- Integrated & Intelligent Scheduling: Pull live calendar availability from and push appointments directly into your shop management system.
- Declined Work Recommendations: When customers book an appointment online, they are automatically asked to add previously declined services.
- Full Customization: Customize scheduler notes, branding colors, and diagnostic questions to reflect your shop’s unique process.
Pricing
AutoOps is offering a special trial for just $1 for the first month with no setup or contract fees. Pricing details after the trial period are not publicly available.
6. ARI
Best for: Small Shops Invoicing & Management
ARI helps small shops and independent mechanics to manage and organize their businesses professionally, all without the high cost of larger enterprise systems.
Key Features
- Invoicing: Easily create professional estimates and invoices for your clients.
- Inventory Management: A basic system to help you monitor tires and auto parts used in repairs.
- Customer and Vehicle History: Maintain a digital record of all your previous vehicle services and customer information.
- Job Card Management: Create digital job cards for all technicians in your shop.
Pricing
ARI offers clear, straightforward pricing plans with no hidden costs or even long-term agreements. They also offer a monthly or discounted yearly subscription.
- ARI Pro: Starts at $39.99 per month.
- ARI Pro Plus: Starts at $59.99 per month.
Enhance Efficiency With the Best Auto Repair Shop Software Solutions
So, where do you start? Instead of getting lost in endless feature lists, begin by looking at your own garage. Think hard about the one thing that consistently causes headaches and slows your technicians down every day. Pinpoint that single biggest frustration and make finding a solution for it your number one priority.
From there, schedule a few demos with the providers that seem like a good fit. Remember to involve your service advisors and technicians in the process because they’re the ones who will use it most. Taking that first step to find the right digital tool is the most important part of building a more efficient, profitable, and modern auto repair shop.
