Tekmetric Interviewed: What Makes A Great Shop Management System?

If you're still running your shop off dusty servers, whiteboards, or software built in the '90s, you're not alone—but you have fallen behind. In this episode of the LeadFoot Automotive Podcast, we sat down with Sunil Patel, founder and CEO of Tekmetric, to talk about how his team is building the tech that shops need. Sunil’s story starts with his own shop and ends in a software company that’s now helping ten thousand plus shops run smoother, sell more, and stress less.

AuthorAuthor

Joe Toscano & Alex Rapp
May 06, 2025 • Read Time: 4 minutes

Built By a Shop Owner, For Shop Owners

Sunil Patel didn’t come from Silicon Valley—he came from the shop floor.

After quitting medicine, Sunil opened his own auto repair shop in Houston. Frustrated with outdated software that needed a server and lacked cloud functionality, he set out to build something better.

That “better” is Tekmetric—a cloud-based shop management system designed to speed up repair orders, give owners better visibility, and keep customers in the loop with clean, modern digital experiences.

What makes Tekmetric different?


They didn’t copy old systems and move them to the cloud. They rebuilt everything from the ground up with simplicity in mind.

“We don’t want to copy something—we want to build a better solution.” – Sunil Patel

Why Shop Owners Are Switching—and What They’re Getting

Sunil broke it down for us: The #1 job of a shop management system is to help you build a repair order fast. Everything else is secondary.

Tekmetric focused hard on that process first. Now, they’ve added features like:

  • Smart Jobs: Pre-built jobs with parts + labor accuracy to speed up estimates.

  • Built-in DVI and Financing: Show customers exactly what’s wrong—with photos, videos, and pay-later options to boost approvals.

  • Multi-shop Tools: If you’ve got more than one location, Tekmetric lets you share info, parts pricing, and customer history across all of them.

  • CRM + Shop Genie Integration: Manage follow-ups, reminders, and communication without bolting on five other tools.

Thinking Bigger: The Future of the Front Desk

Tekmetric isn’t just a POS system anymore. It’s turning into a full front desk command center. That means tools for your service writers, techs, and customers all in one place.

Imagine this:

  • A customer calls, and the system already knows their car and previous work.

  • Your techs get jobs queued up automatically.

  • The customer gets updates like a Domino’s pizza tracker.

It’s all real—and it’s closer than you think. Sunil even hinted at AI-powered features and deeper automation on the way.

But he’s not rushing it.

“I don’t want to go after everything all at once. That’s where most software companies mess up. We’re taking our time to do it right.”

Why Tekmetric? Why Now?

If you’re wondering whether it’s worth the switch, here’s some questions to ask on a demo:

  • How does it help us increase revenue? 

  • Where is it saving us time?

  • Is it built to grow with my roadmap?

And maybe most importantly: no contracts for small shops. If it doesn’t work, you walk. No lock-ins. 

Final Thoughts: This Isn’t Just Software, It’s a Smarter Way to Run Your Shop

Sunil and the Tekmetric team aren’t just building software—they’re building the kind of tools that make shop life easier. Whether you're tired of legacy systems or just looking to get more organized and profitable, this is one of the tech companies that gets it.

They’ve been in the bay. They’ve sweated through Texas summers. And now they’re helping shops nationwide grow without sacrificing their peace of mind. 

Want more real stories and game-changing tools like this?
👉 Subscribe to the LeadFoot Automotive Podcast and our newsletter to stay ahead of the curve—because the future of shop ownership is digital, and it’s already here.

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