The problem
Phone authorizations mean voicemail, callbacks and a scribbled "OK per customer 2:15" on the ticket, which doesn't help if the customer later disputes the bill. If the advisor handles 60 estimates a week and each phone approval takes about 6 minutes of calls and notes, that's 6 hours a week.
What the AI does
Tekmetric's Start plan includes digital authorizations with e-signature, digital invoicing and digital vehicle inspections. The advisor builds the estimate, then sends it as a link; the customer approves or declines each job and signs, and the approval is stored with the repair order. Declined jobs stay on the vehicle's history for next time. A service advisor approves every estimate before it goes out. Some states, such as California and Florida, require a written estimate and the customer's authorization before work starts, so keep the approval with the repair order.
A worked example
An illustrative example built from typical figures, not a named business.
A four-bay shop in Sacramento writes about 60 estimates a week with one service advisor. California requires a written estimate and the customer's authorization before work, and the advisor was logging phone approvals by hand.
Before
About 6 minutes per phone approval: 60 x 6 = 360 minutes, 6 hours a week
After
About 2 minutes to send and check each signed approval: 2 hours a week, 4 hours saved
What it's worth
About $447£336€400A$645C$632 a month saved (4 hours a week x 4.3 x $26£20€23A$38C$37 an hour for the advisor's time). That is against $179£135€160A$258C$253 a month on Tekmetric's annual plan, or $199£150€178A$287C$281 month to month, for Start with unlimited users.
How to set it up
- Start Tekmetric on the Start plan ($179£135€160A$258C$253 a month annually, $199£150€178A$287C$281 monthly), which includes digital authorizations with e-signature.
- Write canned jobs with clear parts and labor lines, so every estimate reads the same way.
- Have the advisor check every estimate before it's sent; nothing goes to the customer unchecked.
- Check your state's estimate rules (for example California's Bureau of Automotive Repair or Florida's Motor Vehicle Repair Act) and make sure the signed estimate shows what they require.
- If the price changes mid-job, send a revised estimate for a new signature before doing the extra work.
What goes wrong
- Two-way texting is on Scale ($409£308€366A$590C$578 a month annually), not Start. Check how Start sends estimate links in your trial before you rely on texts.
- A customer who never opens the link hasn't approved anything. Call before starting work.
- Some customers will still want a phone call. Keep the call option and note it on the repair order.