A tech platform developed to help independent auto shops keep up with more tech-forward national chains is making its presence known in the Queen City.
Tekmetric, co-founded in 2015 by Sunil Patel and Prasanth Chilukuri, is a web- and mobile-based auto shop repair management platform that provides transparency between auto shops and vehicle owners throughout every phase of the repair process, said PJ Leslie, Tekmetric's director of business development.
"That independent space, where you take your car to get a repair at a non-franchise dealership has been left behind," he said. "It was difficult for us to find answers through tech that customers were demanding, so (Patel and Chilukuri) were crazy enough to start their own company to provide those answers."
Leslie said the platform focuses on independently owned and mom-and-pop shops, adding between 80 and 100 new locations each month. He said Tekmetric also has three nationally known franchises currently using the system and another that is about to go under contract.
Tekmetric has dozens of local clients throughout the Charlotte region, including multiple Tuffy Tire & Auto shops and Super Eagle Auto Care.
"The idea is to create trust and transparency in auto repair shops. In a shop you’ll spend a ton of money, and it’s just a piece of paper the guy hands over at the end," Leslie said. "People don’t necessarily know a lot of about their vehicles, so we wanted to help the vehicle owners understand there are true professionals in this industry who are not taking advantage of you."
The Houston-based startup launched its platform in 2019 and recently expanded operations into the Charlotte region. Leslie said the team did research to determine the best area for growth, and Charlotte was on the short list. Leslie is based in Charlotte and said the team spends a fair amount of time here.
"We did an analysis, and found that North Carolina was a top-five state for us," he said.
Through the platform, auto shops will be able to see the customer's repair history, write repair orders quickly, send videos and photos to the customer and perform digital inspections. The service technician can then send all of this information directly to the customer through text.
"Digitally sharing the estimate lets the customer pick and choose what they want to do or can afford. Once the customer has received the repair order, they can approve or decline the work right in their phone, and the service person automatically gets a notification of approval," Leslie said. "They can order parts, track time and see how well their techs are doing in terms of efficiency."
Leslie said the platform also has a text-to-pay function, so the customer can see their invoice and pay before picking up their vehicle.
"Tekmetric is trying to bring forward things we all do, like ordering food, transportation and furniture, to an industry where it hasn’t been prevalent in the past," he said.
